Operation Iron Swords - Day 105 - 19 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

The view of Washington and many Israeli army commanders is that Israel is far from defeating Hamas, The Washington Post quoted Western and Lebanese officials as saying that Israel threatened to escalate its fight with Hezbollah if an agreement was not reached within weeks.

On the 105th day of the war in Gaza, the Al- Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) - announced the implementation of operations against occupation soldiers and the destruction of a number of tanks in many areas in the north, center and south of the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, fierce clashes took place in the center of the Gaza Strip, with the continued Israeli bombing, which resulted in the deaths of martyrs in various areas of the Strip.

This came as the Swiss Attorney General's Office announced that the authorities had received a number of criminal complaints against Israeli President Isaac Herzog during his participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos, accusing him of committing crimes against humanity.

The Israeli communications and Internet services cut in the Gaza Strip enters its eighth day today, making it the longest cut since the start of the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip. The NetBlocks website, which monitors communications networks around the world, said that “the cut, which is now entering its eighth day, is the longest continuous communications cut ever.” Palestinian telecommunications companies "Paltel" and "Ooredoo Palestine" announced last Friday the complete cessation of communications and Internet services with the Gaza Strip, which were deliberately cut by the occupation forces.

Ooredoo said in a similar statement, “With the continuation of the aggression on the Gaza Strip, the main lines feeding telecommunications and Internet companies were repeatedly damaged, which led to the cessation of all our services in the south and center of the Gaza Strip.” The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Ihab Sobeih, explained that communications (cellular, landline, Internet) were cut off again from the Gaza Strip, completely in the center and south, however, “Ooredoo's” service is still operating in the north.

The Gaza government media office confirmed on January 17 that the Israeli occupation cut off all means of communication for the seventh time during its ongoing operation in the Gaza Strip. In a press statement, the media office explained that the Israeli occupation is deliberately cutting off and completely disrupting telecoms in the Gaza Strip, during what it described as a "genocidal war against the Palestinian people in the Strip."

Operational Update

The Al-Qassam Brigades announced that they had killed Israeli soldiers and destroyed tanks, at a time when battles were raging in several areas in the Gaza Strip. In statements published successively on the Telegram application, the Al-Qassam Brigades said that its fighters sniped two Israeli soldiers with a “Ghoul” rifle east of the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip. It added that it destroyed 3 Israeli Merkava tanks with strobe charges east of the city of Khan Yunis as well. In the same area, Al-Qassam fighters targeted another Merkava tank, with two soldiers next to it, with an Al-Yassin 105 shell , destroying it and killing them.

In the areas of clashes in Gaza City, the Brigades said that they targeted an Israeli force barricaded inside a building in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, killing and wounding its members. They also targeted a building in which the occupation soldiers were barricaded in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood and opened fire on a soldier near him, hitting him directly.

In a separate operation, its fighters lured an Israeli force into a tunnel opening and blew it up on a number of soldiers, causing direct hits on them east of the Al-Tuffah neighborhood. Its fighters also targeted a building in which Israeli special forces were holed up, clashed with them with machine guns, and targeted a tank with anti-tank missiles southwest of Gaza City.

In the center of the Strip, Brigades fighters targeted a Merkava tank with an Al-Yassin 105 shell, sniped a soldier with a Ghoul rifle , and bombed crowds of the occupation forces penetrating northeast of the Bureij camp with mortar shells, according to what was reported in separate statements. In the northern Gaza Strip, the military wing of Hamas confirmed that it targeted an Israeli force east of Jabalia and detonated a stun device in another force, resulting in its members being killed or wounded.

IDF fighters continue to operate in the territory of the Gaza Strip in coordination with the Air Force forces, who carry out precise attacks directed by the fighters. The naval arm fighters assist the maneuvering forces and attack with fire from the sea.

Yesterday (Thursday) Vaal Abu Panuna, deputy head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization's information system, was killed in an air force attack, led by the Southern Command and directed by the Intelligence and Shin Bet Division. And A'al Abu Panuna, was the deputy head of the information system of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization. As part of his occupation, he previously served as an assistant to Khalil Bahatini, the commander of the northern Gaza region of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and, starting in 2017, was promoted to the position of deputy head of the organization's information system. Abu Panuna was responsible for the release of the terrorist organization's videos in regards to firing on Israeli territory and for the creation and distribution of hostage documentaries as part of the psychological warfare of the terrorist organizations in Gaza against the residents of Israel.

In the central area of the Gaza Strip, IDF fighters from the 179th Brigade operated. As part of the activity, terrorists fired RPGs at the forces. Later, the fighters searched the area and the building where the terrorist squad was operating and located RPGs, Kalanchnikov weapons and military equipment. In the northern area of the Gaza Strip, the combat team fighters of the 5th Brigade eliminated a number of armed terrorists in the encounters that happened to the forces in the northern area of the Gaza Strip in the last day. The fighters attacked and eliminated the terrorists with the help of tank fire as well as directing Air Force aircraft.

The IDF Chief of Staff held a situation assessment in the Gaza Strip with the commander of the Southern Command, Major General Yaron Finkelman, the head of the personnel department, Major General Yaniv Asur and the commander of the 99th division, Brigadier General Barak Hiram, and spoke with the divisional commanders. "We understand the tension between the battlefield and home for the reservists," he told the commanders, "acting according to a plan, releasing some of the people, knowing that we will call them again."

Soldiers of the 7th Israel Defense Forces operate in the Khan Yunis area . With intelligence guidance, the forces raid terrorist infrastructure, locate and confiscate many weapons and uncover underground infrastructure. As part of the operation, the fighters raided a Hamas military post. The post was used as a training camp for the Khan Yunis Brigade and was A meeting place for senior Hamas officials. In the area, the fighters located tunnel shafts, dozens of rocket launchers, weapons and a facility with models of IDF armored vehicles. The tools were destroyed by the force.

In the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian boy with American citizenship was shot dead by Israeli occupation forces near the city of Ramallah. The Palestinian News Agency quoted medical sources as saying that the boy Tawfiq Ajaq (17 years old) was martyred after being hit in the head by live bullets fired by occupation soldiers in the Uyun Al-Haramiyah area near the town of Al-Mazraa Al-Sharqiya, east of Ramallah (central West Bank). Also near Ramallah, a young Palestinian man was injured by live bullets fired by the occupation forces in the town of Kafr Nimah. The Red Crescent said that the injured person was taken to the hospital.

The Israeli forces stormed the villages of Budrus and Qibya, west of Ramallah, and conducted patrols in the two villages. This included attacks on a number of Palestinians before those forces withdrew.

In the northern West Bank, a young Palestinian man was injured by occupation bullets near the southern checkpoint of the city of Qalqilya. Confrontations also broke out between Palestinians and the occupation forces near the northern checkpoint of the city, indicating that young men set fire to the gate of the separation wall. In the Nablus area, Israeli army snipers took over houses in the village of Madama, according to local sources.

Meanwhile, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari announced the end of the military operation in Tulkarm (north of the West Bank) after storming it for 45 hours with the participation of forces from the army, border guards, the Musta’rab unit, and the General Security Service ( Shin Bet ). The Israeli army said that it searched a thousand buildings and arrested more than 37 people during the operation that included the Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps.

The Israeli "Institute for National Security Studies" outlined the strategies adopted by the Palestinian Resistance, oscillating between negotiation and combat. In one of its recent publications, the INSS highlighted "Israel's" difficulties in accomplishing the stated objectives of the war on Gaza, specifically that of dismantling the movement's governmental and military capabilities and securing the release of Israeli captives, which has become increasingly apparent after more than 100 days of war on Gaza.

The contrast between the "perceived success" of the Israeli army and the increasing perception of stagnation in public awareness, both within "Israeli society" and in the Israeli and international media, is expanding, as per the report. The report continued to state that, as time passes, the vivid scenes of devastation in the Gaza Strip, coupled with accounts of Palestinian casualties and injuries, highlight a deteriorating humanitarian crisis. This deepening crisis intensifies global criticism and increases pressure from the United States on "Israel" to conclude the hostilities in their current state.

Simultaneously, there is a growing apprehension about the welfare and survival of the Israeli captives, amplifying public pressure on both military and political leaders to secure their release "at any cost," as per the report. "The organization’s leaders in the Gaza Strip, particularly Yahya Sinwar, are closely monitoring developments in Israel and continuously refining their suspension and attrition strategy. Their goal is to bring an end to the war while ensuring the survival of Hamas as both a military and governmental entity within the Gaza Strip; to them, this would be the essence of victory," the report added.

In more detail, the Institute outlined what it referred to as "The Fundamentals of Hamas' Suspension and Attrition Strategy," which became apparent through several steps. Among them is the imposition of "extreme demands in hostage negotiations," where the Institute clarified that the Resistance aims to exhaust the "Israeli society", amplify tensions with its military and political leadership, and intensify international pressure on Israel. Hamas' ongoing operations, coupled with efforts to maintain control in the southern Gaza Strip, aim to project a continuous presence and authority, as per the report.

Recently, following a reduction in Israeli military presence in the northern Gaza Strip, Hamas effectively utilized its emergency committees and security apparatus members, primarily the civilian police, for visible operations in Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia, as well as in the Jabalia and al-Shati refugee camps.

According to the report, Iran's involvement is exerting pressure on both "Israel" and the United States. This approach is driven by an acknowledgment of the gradual weakening of Israeli resilience and the growing apprehensions of the United States regarding the potential escalation of the war. Any perceived success for Hamas would indicate the establishment of a challenging reality not only in the Gaza Strip but also across all fronts of the Axis of Resistance. This presents Israel with the unacceptable dilemma of engaging in a prolonged war of attrition, the report concluded.

On the Lebanese front, Hezbollah announced the implementation of several operations against Israeli forces and sites, while Israel launched a series of air strikes on southern Lebanon and announced the interception of a drone in the sky of Akka . Hezbollah said that it bombed with two Burkan missiles the vicinity of the Al-Samaqa and Ramtha sites in the occupied Shebaa Farms, and also bombed the vicinity of the Khirbet Maez base and an Israeli gathering in Jabal Nadhar.

Israeli fighters targeted the vicinity of the towns of Ramia and Jabal Balat with 12 raids, and also launched 4 raids on the vicinity of the towns of Al-Adisa, Kafr Kila and Aitaroun. The Israeli bombing also extended to the surroundings of the towns of Mays al-Jabal, Muhaibib, Blida, Khiam, Al-Adisa, Rashaya Al-Fakhar, and Al-Habbariyeh.

The Israeli raids led to the "total destruction" of at least three homes in the village of Kafr Kila, according to the official Lebanese News Agency and the mayor of the border village. The official agency said that Israeli aircraft targeted the three houses in the morning, and another house in the afternoon, coinciding with artillery shelling that hit a fifth house in the village.

The IDF systems detected an unmanned aircraft that crossed from Lebanon in the maritime space in the north of the country, the air defense fighters successfully intercepted the target using the Iron Dome system.

On the other hand, the Israeli army spokesman said that Iron Dome intercepted a drone from Lebanon that had violated Israeli airspace over the sea. Israeli media reported that air defenses responded to a target in the airspace of Acre. The Israeli military spokesman said - in a statement - that warplanes raided missile launch sites and Hezbollah military headquarters in the Ramia village area in southern Lebanon. He added that the army targeted Hezbollah reconnaissance sites and infrastructure in the villages of Hula and Kafr Kila.

In the area of the villages of Hula and Kfar Kila, this morning the IDF attacked Hezbollah's observation posts and terrorist infrastructure with fighter jets, tanks and mortars. Also, IDF tanks attacked a military infrastructure of the Syrian army last night (Thursday) in response to launches towards the Golan Heights.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant visited the northern front, and said that Israel does not seek escalation with Hezbollah, but is prepared to use force to return the Israelis to their homes if Hezbollah does not respect their right to live in those areas, as he put it.

The Israeli Ministry of Defense said that Minister Yoav Galant discussed, in a telephone call with his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin , yesterday, Thursday, developments in the war in Gaza , the file of Israeli detainees, as well as the situation on the border with Lebanon. Israeli Channel 13 reported that Gallant told Austin that “the goals of the war have not changed,” and that Israel is determined to continue until they are achieved. This comes in light of internal and external pressure on Tel Aviv due to the failure to achieve the declared goals of the war - which continues for the 105th day - which is the elimination of Hamas and the return of Israeli prisoners.

Regarding the Lebanon front, Channel 13 quoted the Minister of Defense as saying that Israel is committed to returning the residents of the north to their homes and is approaching a decisive point in this regard, as he put it, in reference to tens of thousands of Israelis who were evacuated from settlements and towns near the border in light of the attacks. Lebanese Hezbollah . Gallant told his American counterpart, "We prefer to return the population to the north through a settlement, and we are also prepared to do this through military force."

Through diplomatic pressure on Beirut, Israel is trying to remove Hezbollah fighters beyond the Litani River so that it can return the Israelis to the northern settlements, and at the same time threatens to launch a massive attack on Lebanon.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority said that Benjamin Netanyahu's government warned in a letter to Washington that it would take military action in Lebanon if Hezbollah's "Radwan Force" was not removed from the border. Hezbollah announced the implementation of several operations against Israeli forces and sites, while Israel launched a series of air strikes on southern Lebanon , and announced the interception of a drone in the sky of Akka. The party said that it bombed with two “Burkan” missiles the vicinity of the Al-Samaqa and Ramtha sites in the occupied Shebaa Farms, and also bombed the vicinity of the Khirbet Maez base and an Israeli gathering in Jabal Nadhar.

In Yemen, a channel affiliated with the Houthi group reported that the city of Hodeidah - west of the country - was subjected to a new American-British bombing, after the group announced that it had targeted an American ship in the Gulf of Aden and hit it directly. An American official told Al Jazeera, "The United States launched strikes in self-defense against Houthi sites in Yemen." The Houthis announced - early today - that they had targeted an American ship in the Gulf of Aden “with appropriate naval missiles,” stressing that “the hit was direct.” But the US military said the missiles missed their target.

Detractors contend that individuals who have closely monitored Ansar Allah's persistent resistance to years of Saudi-led aggression should have foreseen the limited impact of the US and UK attacks on the group. The return of the US military to the Middle East is encountering challenges, as the US-led airstrikes against Yemen have proven ineffective in curbing the group's operations, Bloomberg's Karl Maier highlighted in his piece.

This situation underscored the complexities and difficulties faced in addressing security issues in the region. It also emphasized the ongoing struggle to maintain stability in maritime activities amid heightened tensions in the Red Sea, as per Maier. The analysis underscored the need for a comprehensive and strategic approach to contend with the evolving challenges posed by Ansar Allah operations in the area. Maier underscored, "If anything, the situation has got worse."

Maier further stressed that a "postwar Gaza plan" supported by five Arab nations and endorsed by Washington is unlikely to succeed due to the refusal of Netanyahu, who leads the most right-wing government in "Israel's" history, to accept it. Ansar Allah has made public declarations, vowing to persist with their attacks until aid is allowed into Gaza and the Israeli occupation forces cease the military hostilities in Gaza.

Critics argue that those who have been tracking Ansar Allah's resilient resistance against years of Saudi military airstrikes should have anticipated that the US and UK attacks on the group would have minimal impact, he further concurred. In Biden's domestic front, where he contends with a challenging reelection campaign, there is a consensus among both Democratic and Republican lawmakers in support of the administration's pro-"Israel" stance. However, public opinion polls reveal significant disapproval of Biden's management of the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza, particularly among younger voters.

In an interview with RT, Military strategist retired Tunisian Brigadier General Tawfiq Didi pointed out that "Arab awareness has begun to be renewed and believes the Palestinian narrative and does not believe the Israeli narrative." He said, "After more than 100 days, Israel has not achieved any of the military goals it claimed it wanted to achieve in the beginning, which is eliminating Hamas and its infrastructure, despite the most advanced equipment, tanks, launchers, and aircraft it possesses in the world."

He explained, "The reason is that the Israeli army's motivation in the war on Gaza was revenge, and any professional army that enters into this formula will discover after a few days that this is unrealistic, because the military must translate what a politician asks of it into military goals."

The second reason, in the opinion of Brigadier General Didi, is that “the Israeli army lacks training because it spent many years in a security mission in which it fought Palestinian children throwing stones at it, and it was more like the police. On the other hand, it appears that the Palestinian resistance focused its operations on basic axes, the first being the religious motive and then the national motive.” It is the Palestinian issue, and the most important thing is training, and we all saw the precise shooting carried out by the resistance and we had never seen anything like it in reality.”

He stressed that "Israel will not achieve anything even though it is panting for a victory, even if it is partial, to save face, because it is unreasonable for it to have the fourth or fifth army in the world fighting some thousands of resistance fighters with light weapons, and after a hundred days it has not been able to eliminate them."

On the operational side, Didi said, “Israel is now facing the Lebanese resistance in southern Lebanon and northern Palestine, and the resistance has moved into Syria, Iraq, and the West Bank, which is the most dangerous thing for Israel.” He explained that Netanyahu tried in recent years to eliminate the Palestinian issue, and he succeeded greatly. The world forgot the Palestinian issue and normalized with the Arab countries. He almost succeeded in his endeavor, but on October 7, everything turned upside down, and the Palestinian issue has now become the number one issue in the world.

He said, "What Netanyahu planned fell into the water. This is the first point. The second point, which is also dangerous, is the fall of the doctrine of deterrence. We all know that the Israeli army depends in its defense on deterrence. This means that it has a strong army, an army with very powerful weapons, and aircraft, and this is to deter." All neighboring countries.

He explained that "Israel, for the first time, was subjected to a military attack in its depth in six hours, which constituted a great insult to Israel because a small number of fighters pounded forts, entered barracks, and kidnapped senior officers. This is an insult that made Israel blindly submit to revenge, but without planning and without the principles of military operations."

Didi stressed, “What happened in the Israeli attack on Gaza revealed that the West is applying double standards, so how can the administration of US President Joe Biden cry over some children who were killed in Ukraine while more than 21,000 children were killed in Gaza? I treated that as a side effect for war."

He pointed to the decisive awakening of young people in America who discovered that their country is in fact “a toy in the hands of the Israeli lobby, and now there is a revolution inside America. More than 65% of the American people are now revolting against the situation after discovering that all politicians are in fact employees of AIPAC.” This has become a clear fact.”

He warned of the worst scenarios if Israel continues with its mentality of revenge, "and it seems that they are continuing this Nazi killing against children, women and civilians in Gaza." He said that Netanyahu is seeking to achieve a "victory" that compensates for the defeat he suffered on October 7. "He is desperate to achieve any victory that will save money, for example, eliminating some of the leaders of Hamas and the resistance, such as Yahya Sinwar or Muhammad al-Deif."

He said that Netanyahu came down from the top of the tree and no longer talked about eliminating Hamas because Hamas is an idea that will emerge stronger, tougher and fiercer than before. So he is now facing a problem. He has slipped into a pit that is very difficult to get out of. If he withdraws now, Israeli society as a whole will disintegrate, and this has already begun. Pointing out that a large number of Israelis left without returning, in addition to the evacuation of the settlements in the north on the border with Lebanon and the settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip in the south.

He stressed that the Israeli economy "has collapsed, and only the Jews who came from Africa will remain in this society, while the rest will fear for their future. I know that Israelis in general fear for their interests." He explained that Israel's exit from Gaza now "means defeat and that the Israeli people will no longer trust their army... Israeli society is currently in a state of turmoil, divisions and rivalries between politicians and the military... They were terrified and made fatal mistakes, including arming the settlers. This is a major and very major strategic mistake because this "He will turn the magic on the magician, and open the door to civil war in Israel."

He pointed out that Israel "opened the door to hell in several places. It thought things were over in Iraq and Syria, but now it faces a great danger with America, especially since Washington is not ready for another war after the terrible defeat that happened to it in Ukraine... Because its military reserves in Europe have ended and it has not achieved anything in Ukraine after Kiev rushed into the abyss... America is now unable to open another front and is trying to move cautiously, not to enter a major war in the region, which it is unable to do either strategically, practically, or tactically.”

He stressed that Hezbollah plays a “pivotal role and actively participates in the victory of the resistance in Gaza,” explaining that “Israel, because of Hezbollah, deployed elite forces in the north, which made them not contribute to the war on Gaza in the south or in the West Bank. Hezbollah also succeeded resoundingly and is It escalates whenever the Israeli army escalates in Gaza.”

Maps

All maps are lies. “Not only is it easy to lie with maps, it is essential,” wrote cartographer Mark Monmoneir in his book How to Lie with Maps. He showed that condensing complex, three-dimensional spaces onto a two-dimensional sheet of paper is bound to be reductive. 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. These 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

The Swiss Attorney General's Office announced that the authorities received a number of criminal complaints against Israeli President Isaac Herzog during his participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos , and the office told Al Jazeera that it is working to clarify its legal position in light of these complaints. The office explained - in statements to Al Jazeera - that it is communicating with the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and will issue a statement regarding the next step after considering the complaints against Herzog. The prosecution is seeking to examine the issue of the Israeli president's immunity.

At the same time, a human rights legal group in Switzerland said that individuals had submitted reports against Herzog to the Swiss federal prosecution and the relevant authorities in the cities of Basel, Bern and Zurich. The group stressed that it is possible to lift immunity from such figures in certain circumstances, such as crimes against humanity , stressing that this case meets the conditions.

On the other hand, the Times of Israel quoted the Israeli President's Office as saying that Herzog participated in the Davos Forum as scheduled. Israeli media reports stated that Herzog's office believes that the criminal complaints filed against him are a "propaganda move targeting Israel's reputation."

On the Arab level, tens of thousands demonstrated to denounce the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip , demanding an end to the aggression and the entry of humanitarian aid. They also denounced American collusion with Israel. A demonstration was attended by thousands of Yemenis in Sabeen Square in the capital, Sana'a, in rejection of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and in solidarity with the Palestinian people. The demonstrators expressed their condemnation of the American and British attacks on bases of the Ansar Allah Houthi group in Yemen during recent days.

In Taiz, hundreds of Yemenis demonstrated to denounce the Israeli occupation massacres in the Gaza Strip. In Jordan, hundreds of Jordanians took part in protest movements in the Jordanian capital, Amman, and in a number of the country’s governorates, in rejection of the continued Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip. The Iraqi capital, Baghdad, witnessed a demonstration after Friday prayers, called for by the Iraqi Coalition to Support Gaza. Thousands of Moroccans demonstrated in several cities in the Kingdom after Friday prayers for the 15th week, in solidarity with Palestine and the Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to Israeli bombing for more than 3 months, leaving thousands of victims. Among the cities that witnessed the protests were Chefchaouen, Tangier, Meknes (north), Agadir, Taroudant (centre), and Taza (east).

Axis of Resistance

A delegation from the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) held discussions in Moscow during the second visit of its kind since the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza , and the Russian Foreign Ministry said that it urged the movement to release its detainees. The ministry stated - in a statement - that Mikhail Bogdanov, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister a Hamas delegation headed by Musa Abu Marzouk, head of the movement’s International Relations Office, and “the focus was on the ongoing confrontation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone in the midst of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, which has reached... "Catastrophic proportions."

It added, "The Russian side stressed the need to quickly release civilians who were detained by Palestinian factions during the attacks of October 7, 2023, including 3 Russian citizens." For its part, Hamas said - in a statement - that its delegation held political consultations with the Russian Foreign Ministry "to discuss ways to cease fire in order to achieve an end to the aggression against our Palestinian people, and to clarify the position and policies of the movement to deal with the file of prisoners held by the resistance."

The delegation pointed out that "the crimes of the Zionist occupation and its behavior against our people and the peoples of the region constitute a serious threat to international peace and security." Hamas says that the Israeli prisoners it is currently holding in Gaza are either soldiers and officers in service or in the reserve, or who have previously served in the occupation army, stressing that it will not negotiate to exchange them for Palestinian prisoners until after the Israeli war on Gaza stops.

Moscow received the Hamas delegation on October 26, weeks after the Palestinian resistance launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and the ensuing Israeli war on Gaza that left tens of thousands of martyrs and wounded, and caused an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. At that time, Israel summoned its Russian ambassador to inform him of its protest against receiving the Hamas delegation, but the Kremlin defended its position by emphasizing the need to maintain contact with various parties.

During the truce and prisoner exchange agreement, which lasted for a week until the end of last November, Hamas announced that it had released three of its detainees who held Russian citizenship - including two women - “in response to the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin , and in appreciation of the Russian position in support of the Palestinian cause.”

Sheikh Naim Qassem, Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah, warned that Israel would receive the answer “with a big slap and strong action” if it expanded its aggression, as he put it. He said, "Our readiness to repel the aggression is high, and we are preparing ourselves for an aggression that may occur, which has a beginning but no end." Qassem stressed that stability in Lebanon and the region and stopping the war can only be achieved by stopping the aggression against Gaza.

Hezbollah entered into a confrontation with Israel following the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7th and the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza. The authorities were forced to evacuate tens of thousands of Israelis from settlements and towns near the border with Lebanon. Through diplomatic pressure on Beirut, Israel is trying to remove Hezbollah fighters beyond the Litani River, so that it can return the Israelis to the northern settlements, while at the same time threatening to launch a massive attack on Lebanon.

Allied for Democracy

A comprehensive and crushing defeat of the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza in not within reach, Israeli War Cabinet Minister Gadi Eisenkot said in an interview with local television. The statement by the former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of general staff — widely regarded as one of Israel's most revered military leaders — appears to contradict the goals of the offensive in Gaza as laid out by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Those speaking of an absolute defeat are being economical with the truth," Eisenkot said. “That is why we should not tell tall tales… Today, the situation on the ground in the Gaza Strip is such that the goals of the war are yet to be achieved."

Israeli journalist Gidi Weitz said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still clinging to shirking responsibility for the corruption charges against him, and this behavior did not surprise anyone familiar with those charges. Weitz added - in his article in Haaretz newspaper - that Netanyahu's refusal to acknowledge his mistakes, admit to having committed violations, or accept the consequences of his inappropriate behavior, was present when he appeared before the judiciary as a defendant or suspect.

The court in occupied Jerusalem had recently convened to consider the three criminal corruption cases against Netanyahu related to receiving bribes, fraud, and breach of trust. The Israeli journalist believes that the court proceedings are proceeding slowly, and have sparked harsh ridicule. According to the article, Netanyahu points the finger at his son Yair in the accusations against him, and in a moment of honesty, he tells his late lawyer, Jacob Weinroth, that “none of this would have happened without Sarah,” his wife, as stated in the Haaretz article.

As police investigators pointed the finger at him as a suspect, Netanyahu often dismissed the accusation, saying, “I am not responsible.” Weitz expressed his belief that Netanyahu is seeking to evade responsibility not only for the attack by the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) on Israel last October 7, but also for his failure in the war.

One of the participants in the Israeli government meetings revealed to the Haaretz newspaper, "This is a war without a goal and no future, but prolonging it is Netanyahu's way of procrastinating in dealing with everything related to responsibility." According to the source, Netanyahu “confirms in every meeting that the war will continue for a long time, until its two goals are achieved, which are the eradication of Hamas and the return of the (Israeli) prisoners.”

He continued, explaining that the protests have been demanding the return of the prisoners, but "it is difficult to believe that he will agree to a deal with Hamas that guarantees the release of the Israelis in exchange for ending the war and releasing Palestinian prisoners belonging to the security services." The same source told Haaretz that the shock that befell Netanyahu following the Hamas attack on Israel did not last long, according to ministers in his government, who believe that he has returned to his usual way of thinking, as he is “convinced that he alone is capable of leading Israel in the difficult days in which he was the one responsible.”

The White House said that US President Joe Biden discussed in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, developments in Israel and Gaza, amid reports of disagreements between them regarding the conduct of the war in the Strip and the stage that will follow. The White House added - in a statement - that Biden discussed with Netanyahu the ongoing efforts regarding the “hostages” and the transformation of the military operation in Gaza, and they also discussed Israel’s responsibility in limiting the damage to civilians in the Strip.

The call came a day after Netanyahu made statements in which he reiterated his rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state under the principle of the “two-state solution.” It also comes in light of the Israeli Prime Minister’s failure to respond to American calls to reduce military operations in Gaza. The last phone call between Biden and Netanyahu dates back to December 23, and witnessed a heated discussion between Biden and Netanyahu. According to the American press, the American president ended the call by saying, “This conversation is over.”

The statement noted that the US President welcomed Israel's decision to allow flour to be shipped directly to the Palestinian people, noting that the conversation also addressed the progress made to ensure the availability of revenues for the Palestinian Authority to pay salaries. The White House also said that President Biden assured Netanyahu of his strong conviction in the possibility of implementing the two-state solution, and that he believes that the long-term solution is the establishment of a free and independent Palestinian state.

In a press conference in which he touched on the new phone conversation between the US President and the Israeli Prime Minister, Strategic Communications Coordinator at the US National Security Council John Kirby said that Washington’s approach to the conflict is bearing fruit as Israel begins to move to less severe operations in Gaza, stressing that the United States still It opposes a complete ceasefire in the Strip. Kirby added that his country is holding serious talks to reach a second agreement to release detainees in Gaza.

Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that US President Joe Biden's patience is beginning to run out due to the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which are causing frustration in the White House, and the feeling that he does not place the return of prisoners in Gaza at the top of the list of priorities. The newspaper said that the US administration's frustration was due to the long duration of the war in Gaza and Netanyahu's refusal to discuss the day after its end.

It added that American officials advised Biden to express his lack of confidence in Netanyahu, because he is prolonging the war for personal motives and is interested in extending it despite fear for the lives of families. They also called on him to publicly disavow him and declare that he has lost confidence in him, while emphasizing confidence in Israel and its people, according to what was stated in the newspaper’s report. Yedioth Ahronoth said that Biden is hesitant about how to push Netanyahu to seek to end the war in Gaza.

The Associated Press reported a comment by Communications Coordinator Kirby on the Israeli Prime Minister’s rejection of US calls to reduce the Israeli military attack on the Gaza Strip and take steps towards establishing a Palestinian state after the war. Kirby added, "It is clear that Washington sees the matter differently," referring to the Israeli position. The agency stated that the tension between Netanyahu and the Biden administration reflects the widespread disagreement between the two allies regarding the scope of the war and Tel Aviv’s plans for the future of the Gaza Strip.

US National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that US President Joe Biden "still believes in the promise and the possibility of a two-state solution." During a briefing at the White House after Biden’s call with Israeli occupation's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Kirby emphasized Biden's firm belief that the most appropriate course of action moving forward is "a two-state solution".

"Good friends and allies can have those kinds of candid, forthright discussions and we do," added Kirby. The recent conversation also covered the remaining US captives held by Hamas since October 7, as per Kirby. Meanwhile, he still maintained the US position against a ceasefire in Gaza, as he explicitly said, "The US still opposes a general ceasefire in Gaza," despite a death toll nearing 25,000, in addition to 62,108 injured.

Furthermore, Kirby has stated that the White House is currently in the process of gathering additional information regarding Mexico and Chile's request for an investigation into potential war crimes by "Israel". He also mentioned that, at present, the White House sees no indications suggesting deliberate war crimes. "The US backs humanitarian pauses," he claimed, "but thinks a ceasefire will benefit Hamas."

Regarding the Red Sea matter, attacks by Ansar Allah in the Red Sea are not expected to be a factor in any discussions about a ceasefire in Gaza, Kirby stressed. According to White House spokesperson Kirby, the United States has carried out additional strikes against Yemen, claiming that Ansar Allah still retains some offensive capabilities, despite all reports indicating that the effects of the US-UK aggression were minimal on the group.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has outrightly rejected President Biden's proposals for an eventual Palestinian state as a means to establish "lasting peace in the region."

When Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed the World Economic Forum, stating that he received indications from nearly all nations expressing a desire for US participation and presence at international discussions, what stood out to many observers was the perceived lack of influence or control exhibited by the United States.

During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a day prior, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken asserted that "Israel" would not attain "genuine security" without a "pathway to a Palestinian state." While visiting the Middle East last week, Blinken communicated to Israeli authorities that Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, were ready to assist in the reconstruction of Gaza and support future Palestinian governance. However, this assistance hinged on "Israel" facilitating the way for Palestinian statehood.

Netanyahu emphasized the importance for an Israeli Prime Minister to assertively say "no" when necessary, even to close allies, and to affirmatively say "yes" when possible.

The British newspaper "The Times" said that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's efforts "to secure peace in the Middle East have failed miserably," which is stark evidence of the decline of the United States' influence in the region. It added that Blinken spent most of last December traveling in an attempt to prevent the war in Gaza from escalating into a regional conflict in which Iran and its so-called “proxies” fight Western interests.

The newspaper stated in a report that, given the events in Yemen, the Red Sea, Pakistan, Iran, and on the Lebanese border with Israel, it appears that Blinken’s mission has failed, while Russia and China in particular are achieving diplomatic successes. It was made clear that Washington, during the era of President Joe Biden, abandoned trying to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and underestimated Iran’s influence and ambitions, but according to analysts, these mistakes came back to haunt them.

In an interview with Politico magazine, former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said , “The recent global events in the Taiwan Strait, in the Middle East, and in Ukraine are all the result of American hesitation in effective leadership.” According to the report, Israel's destruction of Gaza and its killing of thousands of Palestinians destroyed all the plans that were being prepared for the region so that the United States would be preoccupied with East Asian issues and confronting China in particular.

The "Times" report added that the Houthis in Yemen paralyzed shipping movement in the Red Sea, affecting global supply chains and starting a military conflict with the United States and Britain, while Iran's allies launch almost daily attacks on Israel and American forces in the region, while Iran and Pakistan exchange... Cross-border attacks.

The report confirmed that the Arab countries that Blinken visited on his last tour told him that the United States needs to put pressure on Israel to stop the war while providing a path for the Palestinians to establish a state. Israel rejected these pressures, saying that it needed to destroy the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) and release dozens of prisoners who were kidnapped during the attacks of last October 7.

According to Anna Jacobs, senior Gulf affairs analyst at the International Crisis Group, Gaza must be at the center of any attempt to contain the conflicts, and she stressed that “the first step in stopping the escalation is to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, and this requires more serious American pressure on Israel."

"By the time Blinken left Davos, and his plane broke on the runway, one observer at the gathering of global elite quipped that it might as well be a metaphor for the US’s own damaged foreign policy in the region," Bloomberg's Karl Maier concluded.

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.

The HAMAS Ministry of Health in the besieged sector announced that the number of victims of the Israeli operation its beginning had risen to 24,762 martyrs, and the killing of nearly 10,000 Palestinian children and 6,600 women killed. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

The number wounded was 62,108. The Palestinian Government Media Office in Gaza had said much earlier that the number of missing people had risen to more than 8,000, including including 4,700 children and women, amid expectations that the toll will be double thi figures.

The IDF intensified its military operations in the West Bank, and increased the pace of incursions and raids into cities, towns, and camps, resulting in the martyrdom of 342 Palestinians, the injury of about 3,950, and the arrest of 5,780, according to official HAMAS sources. As of 17 January 2023, the Israeli escalation in the West Bank led to the death of 360 Palestinians, the injury of nearly 2,200, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, and the arrest of about 6,000, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club.

More than 130 Hezbollah fighters were killed in Lebanon during exchanges of bombing operations with Israel.

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 195, and 529 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, 9 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.

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.

According to the latest data published by the army, the number of wounded soldiers and officers has risen to 1,152 since the start of its ground attack on Gaza on October 27, including 228 seriously wounded, while the total number has reached 2,602 wounded since the outbreak of the war on the 7th of October.

The Israeli army reported that 2,438 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. The number of wounded since the start of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip on October 27 had risen to 1,042.

At least 13,340 Israelis were injured, according to i24 TV.

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.

An estimate by the Israeli Ministry of Defense expected that the number of soldiers with disabilities in the war taking place in the Gaza Strip since October 7 of last year would reach 12,500 soldiers. The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said that the Soldiers' Rehabilitation Department of the Ministry of Defense has dealt with 3,400 soldiers who were classified as disabled in the army since last October 7.

The Israeli army revealed that about 9,000 of its soldiers have received “psychological assistance” since the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, and about a quarter of them have not returned to combat. This came according to a new statement revealed by the Army Medical Corps, according to Channel 12 and the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. According to the statement, nearly 9,000 soldiers have applied for psychological assistance since the beginning of the war, and approximately a quarter of them have not returned to combat.

The statement continued, "In total, about 13,000 regular and reserve soldiers required accompaniment or medical treatment at some level during the fighting, and thousands of them were injured in the battles."

Al Jazeera military and strategic expert Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi expressed his conviction that the numbers of dead and wounded announced by Israel “cannot represent the truth,” due to a discrepancy between the Israeli army’s data and the Walla website, which is close to the army itself.

In an interview with RT, Military strategist retired Tunisian Brigadier General Tawfiq Didi said that the number of Israeli army deaths in the Gaza battles is much greater than what Israel announces. Didi explained in an interview with the “Best Saying” program on RT channel, “The number of people killed in battles can be easily known, as the equation in wars is that for every 3 wounded there is a dead person, and the numbers now in Israel hover around 12,500 wounded and disabled people, and when we divide by Three, we find that the death toll exceeds 4,000, especially after eliminating more than a thousand tanks and armored vehicles, and I know what happens when Kornet missiles hit a tank. Its ammunition explodes and no one is left alive.”

He added, "The Israelis announce their dead only of those of Jewish origin and of the first race, meaning all Arabs, Falash, and those who are among them. They are not counted because they are of the second category. So I am sure that the number exceeds 4 thousand dead, and this is a very easy military calculation." He pointed out, "The Palestinian resistance documented everything it did, unlike the Israelis. The resistance documented shooting at tanks and armored vehicles and destroying the houses in which the Israeli soldiers were holed up, and we saw them being killed... We saw the Kornet hitting the tanks, we saw Al-Yassin 105, so the difference is clear."

Hostages

Regarding the issue of prisoners, NBC quoted an American official as saying that new proposals are being presented regarding a deal to release Israeli detainees held by the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip , but an agreement is still far away. NBC, quoting the American official, said that reaching a new agreement regarding the detained prisoners may take weeks because the two sides are completely far apart. The official said that the latest proposals have the same features as the previous talks and will see the release of prisoners in exchange for stopping the fighting, but there is also a proposal to release all Israeli and American prisoners in exchange for stopping the fighting, with reservations about the prisoners who served in the Israeli army. The official added that Washington sees some flexibility within Israel toward a ceasefire for a longer period, because Israel is under intense pressure to return the prisoners to their families. On the other hand, French President Emmanuel Macron said that his country is communicating with Qatar to work together to release the prisoners detained in Gaza. The Qatari Foreign Ministry had announced the success of the mediation of the State of Qatar, in cooperation with France, in reaching an agreement between the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) and Israel, which includes the entry of medicines and a shipment of humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip, especially to the most affected and affected areas, in exchange for the delivery of the medicines they need to Israeli detainees in the Gaza Strip.

Israel had previously estimated there were 116 living hostages in Palestinian custody. Israel declared 20 out of 136 people in Gaza captivity dead in absentia, after announcing its forces had recovered the bodies of two hostages. By another count, 132 of them are still being held in Gaza, and 25 of them have been confirmed dead. 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' Club revealed that about 11,000 arrests were carried out by the Israeli army during the year 2023 in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, in addition to arrests from the Gaza Strip before the seventh of last October. The number of people arrested by the occupation in the West Bank since that date has exceeded 6,000. The total number of prisoners in Israeli prisons is 8,800, as documented by the club until the end of December 2023. The Prisoners' Club stated that cases of arrest among women amounted to (300), and this toll includes women from the occupied interior detained after October 7, while the number of cases of children reached 1,085. The arrest campaigns affected all groups, including women and children, as the number of women who were arrested reached about 200, while the number of arrests among children until the end of last December exceeded 355 children. The number of administrative detainees in Israeli prisons reached more than 3,290, which is the highest percentage since the years of the 1987 Intifada.

Israel said on 14 January 2024 that, since the beginning of the war, approximately 2,650 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. On 08 January 2024 it was reported that more than 1,350 wanted persons had been arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria Division and the Bekaa and Valleys Division, more than 870 of whom are associated with the terrorist organization Hamas.