Operation Iron Swords - Day 111 - 25 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 American newspaper "Washington Post" said that President Joe Biden appointed CIA Director, William Burns, to help mediate the "Great Gaza Deal." According to officials familiar with the matter, President Biden plans to send CIA Director William Burns in the coming days to help broker an “ambitious agreement” between Hamas and Israel that includes the release of all remaining hostages being held. In Gaza, the longest cessation of confrontations since the start of the war last year.

Burns is expected to travel to Europe for the talks and meet with Israeli and Egyptian intelligence chiefs David Barnea and Abbas Kamel and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations. The American newspaper confirmed that the planned gathering had not been previously reported. Egypt and Qatar were key interlocutors between Israel and Hamas, with the two countries helping to secure an initial cessation of hostilities and the release of hostages in November, but tensions between the Israelis and Qataris reached “the brink” after an audio recording by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Qatari mediation was leaked.

The newspaper reported that Burns' discussions in Europe are expected to depend on his phone conversations with his counterparts, as well as the work of the White House's chief official in the Middle East, Brett McGurk, who this week held related meetings in the Qatari capital, Doha, and in Cairo. The American newspaper pointed out that the latest Israeli proposal included a cessation of fighting for a period of 60 days in exchange for the gradual release of more than 100 prisoners, starting with civilian women and children, followed by civilian and military men, men, and the remains of those who have died since their capture.

The Israeli Channel 12 revealed that the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the United States, the Prime Minister of Qatar, and the head of Egyptian intelligence will hold a meeting with the heads of the Israeli intelligence agencies Mossad and Shin Bet next weekend in a European capital to advance a prisoner exchange deal with the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza.

The Israeli channel emphasized that the Israeli occupation leadership considers this meeting crucial, clarifying that its goal is to unify the path of Qatari and Egyptian mediation in order to exert joint pressure on the Palestinian Resistance movement, Hamas. It added that the main red line for "Israel" so far is not ending the war once the prisoner exchange is completed. Meanwhile, the channel mentioned that the Israeli war cabinet is discussing Hamas’ proposal for the exchange deal, pointing out that the proposal includes a ceasefire lasting between 10 to 14 days before the release of the prisoners.

According to Channel 12, Hamas' proposal includes a humanitarian release ratio of 100 Palestinian prisoners for each Israeli captive. It also includes ceasefire periods between the exchange stages extending for approximately two months. Elsewhere, the Hamas proposal includes a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, as well as a complete ceasefire.

It is noteworthy that Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated last week his position on continuing the war on the Gaza Strip and rejecting Hamas' conditions for the release of captives. This comes at a time when protests are escalating among settlers and the families of Israeli captives demanding the Israeli government take action and immediately complete a prisoner exchange deal with the Palestinian Resistance. On its part, the Palestinian Resistance has repeatedly asserted that it will not negotiate a prisoner exchange until the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip ends, rejecting any temporary agreements.

Haaretz newspaper said that the Israeli army is studying the option of arming civilian security teams in isolated West Bank settlements and those close to Palestinian villages with anti-tank missiles, to enable them to defend themselves from attacks such as those that occurred on October 7, 2023.

This step - which was demanded by right-wing politicians and residents of West Bank settlements - and which Israeli army officials confirmed was currently under consideration - aims to address what the newspaper described as terrorists might raid West Bank settlements with cars, as happened on October 7 last year. In Israeli towns along the border with the Gaza Strip .

The newspaper believed that the increasing tensions in the West Bank and the pressure exerted by senior right-wing politicians and military security coordinators since the outbreak of the war on Gaza are the motivation behind this plan, which is now awaiting the approval of senior security officials.

Haaretz reported in its exclusive news that the army has so far distributed a large amount of weapons and ammunition - including thousands of pistols, M-16 semi-automatic rifles and machine guns - to civilian security teams made up of civilians who help defend settlements in emergency situations. It operates under the Army's Central Command. The plan stipulates that the missiles will be allocated to security team leaders, who will keep them in a weapons warehouse or in another way as requested by the army, and the commanders and military security coordinators in the settlements will be responsible for the anti-tank missiles.

Operational Update

The Palestinian resistance launched a batch of rockets from the northern Gaza Strip towards Israeli towns and sites. Sirens sounded in the Netiv Haasra settlement on the Gaza Strip, according to the reporter. Earlier, the Al-Qassam Brigades , the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), announced that its fighters targeted two Israeli Merkava tanks with “Al-Yassin 105” shells west of Khan Yunis, where battles were raging with the invading occupation forces.

For its part, the Al-Quds Brigades , the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement , broadcast scenes targeting occupation vehicles in the incursion areas west of the city of Khan Yunis. The Al-Quds Brigades also announced the bombing of occupation soldiers and vehicles in the Sudaniya area, northwest of Gaza, with mortar shells and “Badr 1” and “107” missiles.

The IDF Chief of Staff held a situation assessment in Khan Yunis with the commander of the Southern Command, Major General Yaron Finkelman, the commander of Division 98, Lieutenant Colonel Dan Goldfuss and other commanders.

IDF tanks attacked two terrorist infrastructures of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in the area of ??Tir Harfa and the area of ??Ayita al-Sha'ab. An IDF fighter jet attacked another terrorist infrastructure of the organization in the area of Kfar Kila and an observation post of the organization in the area of Leida. Also, the IDF attacked with artillery fire in the A-Dahira area in southern Lebanon. The paratroopers of the IDF have expanded their fighting, and at this time are operating in the 'Al Amal' neighborhood in the city of Khan Yunis.

Fighter jets attacked a series of military targets of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in the area of ??Tzur and Ma'ira in the territory of Lebanon. Among the targets attacked were military buildings and sites used by the air unit of the terrorist organization Hezbollah. In one of the sites, there is a military airstrip and military infrastructure used by the organization to direct terrorism to the home of the State of Israel. Two hostile air targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organization fell near Kfar Blum. There were no casualties in the incident and no damage was caused. In addition, the IDF attacked with artillery fire and mortars in several other areas in southern Lebanon.

The commando formation continued the attack in Khan Yunis and deepens the operational control of the stronghold of the Hamas terrorists. The fighters who specialize in guerrilla warfare fight in particularly challenging terrain and bring to light their experience and operational skill.

As part of an operation to counter terrorism in the city and in the Jenin camp in the Menashe Brigade, which lasted all night, IDF reserve fighters arrested seven wanted persons. Engineering tools revealed explosives planted under axles and intended to attack IDF forces. Also, the fighters fired at terrorists who fired at them and located and confiscated weapons.

The IOSH security forces intervened under the direction of the Shin Bet in Bir al-Basha village in the Menashe division to arrest two wanted men who are suspected of shooting at our forces. During the operation, the fighters shot and killed one of the wanted men who shot at the forces and confiscated his weapon. The other wanted man suspected of shooting at our forces was arrested. In the city of Nablus in the Samaria Division, two wanted persons were arrested and a 3D printer used to manufacture weapons was confiscated. In Bethlehem and Kfar Harmela, in the Etzion Brigade, Dovdvan unit fighters arrested two wanted men. The wanted persons and the confiscated weapons were transferred to the security forces for further treatment. A total of 16 wanted persons throughout Judea and Samaria were arrested in the operation.

The fighters of the paratroopers brigade, who operate in Khan Yunis, raided terrorist targets in the Al-Amal neighborhood in the last day, killed many terrorists with sniper fire and destroyed terrorist infrastructure and weapons in the area. The brigade's fire complex identified four armed terrorists moving towards the fighters, and directed an Air Force aircraft that attacked and eliminated them. In another activity in the area, the fire complex of the commando formation identified six terrorists carrying an RPG near the fighters in the area, and in response directed an air force aircraft that eliminated them.

Fighters of the Magellan unit raided a number of terrorist targets, including military headquarters where many weapons were located and terrorists were eliminated by close range fire. In the center of the Gaza Strip, as part of the activities of the fighters of the Yiftah Brigade, the forces raided a number of military buildings in the area. During one of the raids, the brigade observation company identified terrorists who were hiding in a military building in the area and fired at the fighters. A few minutes later, the brigade fire complex directed an Air Force combat helicopter that attacked and eliminated the terrorists.

In the north of the Gaza Strip, fighters of the 5th Israel Defense Forces were operating. The fighters eliminated a number of terrorists and located weapons in the area. Following reports of the identification of a suspect in the Hanita area on the Lebanese border, after scans by IDF forces in the area, the fear of infiltration was removed.

“There is no complete solution to the pockets of resistance in Gaza ,” and “There is no military solution regarding the fate of Hamas ,” two statements that have resonated in recent days, the first by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant , and the other by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken , and they summarize the outcome of the raging Israeli war on Gaza Strip after 110 days; What Israel considered a pre-decided war with possible goals was not so.

The battles revealed new facts and data in the face of successive Israeli statements and narratives, whether in the numbers of those killed in the occupation army, or what the resistance was keen to broadcast throughout the 110 days of scenes bearing titles that summarized the battle, most notably: Tunnels, Distance Zero, Merkava , and the Tiger, and Al-Yassin 105. In parallel, the Israeli army faced widespread criticism from parties in the Israeli government, with it being blamed for failing to prevent the attack of last October 7, and for failing to achieve any of the goals of the war so far.

Since his first speech after the shock of last October 7, when the Palestinian resistance launched Operation “ Al-Aqsa Flood ,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has identified two main goals for the war he declared:

1. Wiping out all Hamas presence in the Gaza Strip.
2. Release its detainees.

Analysts expand on the Israeli goals of the war, talking about 4, which are:

1. Eliminate the leadership of Hamas and end its rule of the Gaza Strip.
2. Destroying the infrastructure of the Palestinian resistance.
3. Liberating Israeli prisoners.
4. The displacement of the population of Gaza to Sinai.

Days passed and Netanyahu's speeches continued, and after him the members of the war council he formed. As the days passed without an Israeli victory, even a partial one, the Israeli goals began to decline, their ceiling dropped clearly, and another goal was announced, which was to change the ruling authority in Gaza and remove Hamas from it.

Recently, the Wall Street Journal quoted a senior Israeli security official as saying, “The Israeli army’s main goal is to destroy Hamas’ leadership structure in Gaza, and once this is achieved, the movement’s members will pose less of a threat and can be defeated as the conflict develops from the stage of violent fighting to a lesser stage.” "Sharpness." As for the Washington Post, it quoted informed sources confirming that the view of Washington and many Israeli army commanders is that Israel is far from defeating the Hamas movement.

What is strange is that the long talk that Netanyahu repeatedly repeated about “Gaza the day after the war” turned against him. NBC quotes American officials as saying that the administration of President Joe Biden is looking beyond Netanyahu to achieve its goals in the region, and that it is trying to lay the foundation with other Israeli leaders in preparation for the formation of a post-Netanyahu government.

As for the New York Times newspaper, last Saturday, it quoted Israeli military leaders as confirming that the two goals of the war - which are restoring the prisoners and destroying Hamas - have become impossible to achieve together, stressing that the long-term battle necessary to destroy Hamas will likely cost the lives of the prisoners, and pointing out that their recovery is only possible from Through diplomatic means, not military means.

These Israeli leaders said that the Gaza battles were hampered by Hamas' infrastructure, which is more advanced than what Israeli intelligence thought, expressing their fear that the prolonged campaign in Gaza without a post-war plan would lead to the erosion of support for the remaining allies. Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the occupation forces were surprised that the size of the network was approximately 600% larger than they expected. In clear words, Haaretz newspaper says, “It is difficult to see a clear path to a decisive military victory for Israel.”

The Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, Mustafa Barghouti, points out that the Israeli aggression has so far failed to achieve any of its goals, and the war has become an aggression without goals. They failed to recover the prisoners or eliminate the resistance. They also failed to extend their control in the places their tanks entered. They also failed to achieve the central goal of the aggression, which is the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip. Barghouti added in an interview with Al Jazeera, "Above all, normalization, which was used as an arm and means to liquidate the Palestinian issue, has failed."

He confirms that Israel has now entered into a deep internal crisis, as it is suffering from human losses that it cannot bear, signs of an economic collapse that it cannot bear as well, and a major moral crisis due to its loss on the international level, especially what we see every day of marches and demonstrations denouncing its war on Gaza.

In his speech on the 100th day of the war, Abu Ubaida, spokesman for the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Hamas movement - said that the occupation had suffered huge losses greater than what it incurred on the seventh of last October, and that the resistance had put 1,000 Israeli military vehicles out of service. Abu Ubaida confirmed that the Israeli occupation army failed to achieve its goals or free any prisoner held by the resistance.

Here, the military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, says that the results of battles are measured by the extent to which their declared military objectives are achieved, which is something that Israel failed in. He added that the Hamas movement is still organizationally cohesive, and its military capabilities are still intact, and after 100 days of aggression and destruction, the occupation army was unable to rescue any of its detainees except through negotiation, while some of them were killed, whether by bombing or direct targeting.

The military and strategic expert described the Al-Qassam Brigades’ bombardment of the Ashdod area with a barrage of missiles after 100 days of war as a political message to the Israeli government and those behind it, such as Washington and Berlin. In addition, it is an explicit military message that refutes Tel Aviv’s claims of eliminating the capabilities of the resistance, killing thousands of resistance members, and taking operational control of the northern Gaza Strip.

Over the course of the war, the resistance surprised everyone with the "Al-Yassin 105" missile, which was able to destroy the "Merkava" tank and the "Tiger" armored personnel carriers, which constitute "the pride of the Israeli military industry." Al-Duwairi points out that the field reality “invalidates the occupation’s claims.” In the northern region of the Gaza Strip, the occupation claimed that it had achieved goals and destroyed 700 rocket launching bases and killed 9,000 resistance fighters, but the rocket barrages fired by the Qassam Brigades invalidated the Israeli claims. In the central region of the Gaza Strip, fighting is still intense but stagnant, and the same is true for the southern region, for which Israel has mobilized 7 brigades. The military expert does not rule out that the resistance will be able to direct its missiles towards Haifa and Eilat Airport.

On the internal level, anger on the Israeli street was not the only factor pressuring Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The aftershocks of the Gaza war earthquake have followed since the first hours of the seventh of last October, and the crisis in the government coalition square is no longer hidden, and perhaps it is among what will determine the outcome of the war.

The negative repercussions that befell Israel from the battle can be summarized as follows:

• Sharp political division within the ruling elite in Israel, whether the government coalition or the war council; In addition to the lack of harmony between Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and War Council member Benny Gantz, and the blurring of the picture regarding the post-war phase in Gaza, another rift began to widen day after day between the political and military leadership.
• There is a sharp division in internal public opinion into two positions, one of which calls for intensifying strikes against the Gaza Strip, and the other calls for the option of negotiating with Hamas in order to release the prisoners.
• The plan to displace the people of Gaza failed as they cling to their land and refuse to leave it.
• Losing the battle of world public opinion; Millions took to the streets of various countries to demand a ceasefire and hold Israel accountable for its crimes, in a global solidarity movement that transcended religions, races, cultures, and nationalities, and was united by a collective belief in the Palestinian right.
• International support for Israel has declined due to the massacres it is committing in Gaza, and on the other hand, there has been an increase in countries criticizing Israeli policy, such as South Africa, Spain, and Ireland. In fact, the positions of some countries that were historically known for their absolute support of Israel - such as France, for example - have turned to repeatedly demanding a ceasefire.
• For the first time in its history, Israel appears before international justice, represented by the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Here, Dr. Mustafa Barghouti says that it is the first time that Israel has taken a position of accountability and accountability, and is forced to defend itself, after it has always been above international law.

But at the same time, it is certain that there is a heavy price paid by the Palestinian resistance and all Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since the seventh of last October. The violent war waged by Israel in the Gaza Strip - so far - led to the death of more than 25,700 people, and the injury of more than 63,740 others, 70% of whom are women and children.

However, Israeli army estimates indicate that Hamas has not lost its leaders, and that the majority of its fighters are still alive after 110 days of war, says Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper. The newspaper reported that army estimates indicate that the number of Al-Qassam Brigades fighters on the eve of the October 7 attack reached about 30,000. The occupation army claims that it killed 9,000 fighters in the Gaza Strip, including about 50 commanders of the Qassam Brigades.

But the Brigade's spokesman, Abu Ubaida, confirmed that the alleged military achievements announced by the enemy during its aggression against Gaza "are ridiculous to us, and the day will come when we prove the lies and defects of these claims."

On the other hand, Abu Ubaida confirmed that the occupation army suffered heavy losses greater than what it incurred last October 7. The Middle East Eye website previously quoted sources close to the political leadership of the Hamas movement as saying that the Israeli statistics in this regard are “complete nonsense, and that the losses among the ranks of the Qassam Brigades were very small.” One source told the website that the total losses among the ranks of the Qassam Brigades were less than 10%, explaining that “the Qassam is a military movement with a central structure and a loose organizational circle. We have not heard of the central forces suffering serious losses.”

Richard Weitz, senior military analyst at the Hudson Institute in Washington, believes that "Israel achieved some of its goals during the last campaign, as the number of rockets fired from Gaza decreased." The IDF also established a buffer zone along the northern Gaza Strip. But in return, he also acknowledged that the Palestinian resistance - led by Hamas and Islamic Jihad - still maintains its fighters, that public opinion is moving against Israel, and that the risks of escalation from Lebanon still exist.

What is certain is that the new chapter of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has shaken several constants that were thought to be well-established, or beyond all possibilities of change. Starting with the collapse of the legend of the Israeli army in the face of the Palestinian resistance attack on October 7, 2023, and passing through the tons of gunpowder that was thrown on the heads of the people of Gaza amid Western support for Israel, new convictions continued to crystallize in regional and international political circles, stating that the post-war equations will not It remains as it was before.

After 110 days of war, and Gaza, which is small in area and capabilities, and densely populated, and which has long been described as just a large prison, is still difficult to fall before the legions of the Israeli army, which had previously defeated the armies of what were described as the Arab encirclement states combined, and occupied vast areas of their lands in 6 days.

Bloomberg said that it is a matter of time before rising costs and supply chain pressures appear in corporate earnings reports, as the Red Sea crisis intensifies , affecting shipments of everything from cars to energy. It pointed out that many companies warned of the impact of the tensions, as the American electric car manufacturer Tesla plans to stop production for two weeks in a German factory due to shipping delays, while the Swedish company Volvocar announced that it will stop production for 3 days in its Belgian factory, and British retail companies - such as: Tesco, Next and Marks & Spencer - to the risks of rising prices to consumers.

The agency attributed the matter to the fact that at least 2,300 ships are taking long routes to avoid attacks by the Yemeni Houthi group in the Red Sea, a waterway that usually handles more than 12% of global maritime trade. The Houthis are targeting Israeli ships or those heading to Israel in an expansion of the repercussions of their war on the Gaza Strip . The United States and Britain responded by targeting sites belonging to the group, which prompted them to announce that ships belonging to the two countries had become legitimate targets.

Central bankers are warning that high inflation could hinder interest rate cuts, and for many companies, especially in Europe, this increases transportation times, shipping bills and insurance costs, prompting analysts to rethink corporate profit estimates during the year. In the past three months, the combined profit expectations of automakers decreased by 5%, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. On the other hand, shipping companies emerged among the winners, with container shipping prices rising by 300% on some lines, as estimates of profits for the European Transport Index (MS) increased 7% in just two weeks.

The head of the equity department at Lazard Freres Gestion in Paris said that the automobile sector is “one of the first sectors to suffer due to the complex and tense supply chain,” and it also avoids retail sales. Because he “may suffer from a lack of products to sell,” the agency quoted him as saying. Brenner predicted that if this continues for another month or two, corporate profit warnings will certainly be issued.

If current container shipping costs persist, they could increase headline inflation in Britain and the eurozone, starting in late 2024 and early 2025, according to Bloomberg Research estimates. But the events are boosting the fortunes of global shipping companies, such as: Maersk and Gabagh Lloyd in Europe, ZIM Integrated Shipping listed in the United States, and Mitsuri OSK in Japan, and insurance companies are supposed to benefit as well, with insurance premiums estimated at ten times. What you get under normal conditions on some freight routes.

David Vernon of Sanford C. Bernstein expects an increase in profits for logistics companies as well, including freight forwarders, if companies that have run out of shipping options turn to air freight. “Air freight is definitely the winner,” Vernon said, referring to companies such as: FedEx and DHL are among the potential beneficiaries.

Retailer Next, which imports most of its fashion and home supplies from Asia, was among the first retailers to report the attacks. Breakmark, owned by Associated British Food and H&M, has significant exposure to ocean freight, according to RBC Capital Markets analyst Richard Chamberlain, while Zara's owner Inditex SA's supply comes mostly from neighboring countries. Likewise, Brian Garnier & Co. highlighted French furniture retailer Maisons du Monde as being particularly vulnerable, as it buys 75% of its goods from Asia and transports 90% by sea.

Frederic Carrière, from RBC Wealth Management, says that the problem for such companies is the difficulty of passing on higher costs to consumers, due to their economic background, which makes them responsible for absorbing the costs, which puts pressure on profit margins, according to what the agency quoted him as saying.

Tesla and Volvo Cars are the only ones that have announced the cessation of production, so far, but such supply delays “may represent a new risk to light vehicle production this year,” the agency quoted Morgan Stanley as saying. However, most likely the industry will not witness a repeat of the difficulties of the Corona epidemic, and Bank of America analyst John Murphy wrote, “More expensive fuel, additional days with rented space for transportation, and higher freight rates will have a negative impact on companies’ profits and losses, but, With this in mind, transportation costs are approximately 57% lower than Covid levels,” the agency quoted him as saying.

The impact on oil prices has been relatively weak, but that may change if a prolonged conflict causes supply shortages. However, oil markets are bracing for turmoil that could last for weeks, and fewer tankers are passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, according to Vortexa data compiled by Bloomberg. Figures show that the number of ships carrying crude petroleum products or similar materials has decreased. By 25% this year until January 19 of the previous year.

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. Indeed, by late January 2024 mappers were rather less exuberant in their depictions of IDF advances. While by the end of 2023 maps suggested that it was "mission accomplished" in North Gaza which was depicted as entirely pacified, by late January 2024 enclaves of IDF elements were depicted at the margins of Gaza City, much of North Gaza was now depticted as either HAMAS-controlled, or "contested". Another noteworthy cartographic ambiguity is found to the south of Khan Yunis in the stretch of Salah Al-Deen avenue running north from Al-Nasr through al-Fukhari to the vicinity of Tawhid Mosque in the environs of Khan Yunis proper. By the end of 2023 some cartographers indicated that a large swath of territory centered on this avenue had been liberated by the IDF, while other cartographers professed no knowlege of an IDF presence in that part of the Strip. By late January 2024 there are suggestions that while the avenue itself is an IDF permissive corridor for nearly the full length of the Strip, much of adjacent territory is not.

Bystanders

"The New York Times" said that Israel has declassified more than 30 orders issued by the war government and military leaders that it claims "refute the accusations against it of committing genocide in Gaza." The newspaper added that Tel Aviv says that "the orders instead show its efforts to reduce deaths among Palestinian civilians."

The declassification of these documents, which the American newspaper says it has seen, comes after South Africa based its accusation on statements made by Israeli leaders, which it described as inflammatory and indicated as “evidence of intent to commit genocide.” South Africa filed the lawsuit accusing Israel of “violating the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide” within the framework of the agreement concluded in 1948 as a global response to the Jewish Holocaust.

The New York Times stated that the mission of the Israeli government defense force is to prove that everything that some officials said “was overruled by executive decisions and official orders issued by the Israeli War Council and the army’s high command.” The nearly 400-page defense file includes what Israel claims is evidence that it sought to wage war against Hamas and not a campaign of genocide against the Palestinians.

The International Court of Justice, the highest judicial body affiliated with the United Nations, announced that it would issue a historic decision on Friday in the case against Israel . The decision to be issued on Friday will only decide on South Africa's request for emergency measures and not on the basic issue of whether Israel committed genocide, an issue that will take years to decide. It is possible that the court will order Israel to stop its military campaign in Gaza, which it launched following Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” on October 7, 2023. Orders issued by the International Court of Justice that decide disputes between states are legally binding and cannot be appealed, but the court does not have broad authority to enforce its rulings.

The 1948 Genocide Convention does not only define genocide as the killing of members of a particular ethnic or national group, according to Ganina Dale, co-director of the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict, who stressed in an interview with the newspaper that “everything depends on intent.” Therefore, both South Africa and Israel focus "not only on what the leaders and soldiers did, but also on what some of them said."

Axis of Resistance

A delegation from the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement headed by the party's spokesperson Mohammad Abdul Salam visited Russia on Thursday to discuss current regional developments amid the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza and the military escalations in the Red Sea. In a post on X/Twitter, Abdul Salam revealed that a meeting at the Foreign Ministry was held with Mikhail Bogdanov, the Special Representative of the Russian President for Middle East and Africa Affairs and Deputy Foreign Minister. The Russian Ministry said in a statement that both parties condemned the attacks on Yemen carried out by the United States and Britain.

Commenting earlier on the US and UK attacks on Yemen, Mohammad Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Supreme Political Council in Sanaa, stated that the aggression was "a new attempt to deter Yemen from supporting Gaza." He stressed that the goal of stopping Yemen's maritime operations "will not be achieved," emphasizing that "the American and British should understand that we are in an era of which we will respond to attacks, and our people do not know surrender."

Allied for Democracy

The Times of Israel reported that the occupation of the Gaza Strip and the re-establishment of Israeli settlements there is no longer just a dream, indicating that the government has been working on the plan since the start of the war on October 7. The Israeli newspaper said that for some on the right, the occupation of the Gaza Strip and the re-establishment of Israeli settlements is no longer just a dream. Government ministers, prominent members of the Knesset, public figures, and thousands of activists have worked vigorously on the plan since the start of the war with Hamas, and have intensified their efforts in the past few weeks.

It reported that activists are distributing tasks and forming basic settlement groups based on a map of the settlements they plan to establish in the Strip. Next Sunday, activists will hold a major conference on “Jewish settlement in Gaza” at the International Conference Center in Jerusalem that is expected to attract more than 3,000 people. Two ministers from the Likud Party, Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar and Minister of Tourism Haim Katz, will speak at the conference.

The head of the Israeli Shas party, Aryeh Deri, said that he would oppose “any agreement that includes stopping the war, removing the Israeli army from Gaza, and continuing Hamas’ control.” Aryeh Deri, referred to the “hostage deal” in an interview with Kol Barama Radio, saying: “A month and a half ago I received the opinion of the Council of Elders to support the deal... Some attacked me, but today everyone understands that this is true.” More than 100 abductees have returned alive." He added: "When there is a practical proposal on the table, we will discuss the merits of the matter, but I will oppose any decision that obligates us to stop the war, withdraw forces from the Gaza Strip, and keep Hamas in power there."

Israel's military objectives in the Gaza Strip are under "enormous strain", as international pressure mounts and domestic fissures expand, The Hill revealed in a report published on Thursday. The US-based newspaper said Israel launched its aggression on the Gaza Strip in an attempt at "demilitarizing" the Palestinian Resistance and "deradicalizing Palestinians so they no longer choose violence."

Pointing to the continued and regular ambushes carried out by the Palestinian Resistance against Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip, The Hill underlined that Israeli authorities are far from reaching these objectives, saying that "[the Palestinian Resistance] is far from defeated." Despite the aforementioned factors, the newspaper said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has "repeatedly doubled down on a military strategy with unclear goals that is expected to last beyond 2024."

Highlighting the unrealistic aspect of the strategy, the report said that the Israeli objectives "are proving elusive." Former senior CIA officer and senior director for intelligence at the Special Competitive Studies Project, Chip Usher, told The Hill that "Israel" has not come close to fully destroying the Palestinian Resistance, and the "campaign to quash" such ideology is having the opposite effect. Usher asked, "How long can they (Israelis) sustain [their war on Gaza] before it has a real grinding effect on the Israeli economy and on Israeli politics in the morale of the population?"

The newspaper also shed light on the statements made by the prominent member of the Israeli opposition and current member of the Israeli war cabinet, Gadi Eisenkot. Eisenkot recently told Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 that the "absolute defeat" of the Palestinian Resistance, particularly Hamas, was an absolute "tall tale".

With growing demands that the Israeli government work to release dozens of captives held in the Gaza Strip, as its wide-scale bombing campaigns have proven to endanger their lives, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich lambasted such demands. He said that securing the release of captives and then "going back to fighting and eliminating Hamas is science fiction." Smotrich's statements highlight the growing disparity between sections of Israeli decision-makers and sections of Israeli settlers. In fact, The Hill pointed to the recent storming of the Israeli Knesset by the families of Israeli captives, demanding that Netanyahu's war cabinet push for a deal to release their relatives.

A report published by the French newspaper L'Express confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , by rejecting peace and focusing only on his political future, is leading the region and the entire Middle East to the brink of abyss, and this explains the impasse that Israel is experiencing. Writer Corentan Benargue added that Netanyahu emerged as a rising star of the Israeli right with his complete opposition to the Oslo Accords and the establishment of a Palestinian state. He benefited from the support of many for his theses and later won the elections after the killing of Yitzhak Rabin . He became the youngest prime minister in the history of Israel, and shaped the country according to his faith and personality.

Express quoted political scientist Liran Harsgur - from the University of Haifa - as saying that many Israelis see Netanyahu as a cat with 9 lives, as his political career always seems to be on the verge of collapse, but every time he finds a way out. Harsgor added that Netanyahu is a politician "capable of manipulating public opinion in an unparalleled way, but he has never faced such a disastrous situation before, with extremely poor popularity."

Express added that the Middle East is on the brink of abyss, as Netanyahu rejects any idea of stopping the war or negotiating with Palestinian leaders. The magazine quoted Merav Zonszin, a specialist in Israeli-Palestinian affairs at the International Crisis Group, as saying, “This impasse is the result of 20 years of drift by the Israeli right and the killing of the peace process. It is also the result of one man’s conviction that only military action can achieve peace.”

The magazine said that Netanyahu has never hidden his fight against the establishment of a Palestinian state, and he also previously stressed that dividing the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank is “an essential part of our strategy.” According to Express, Netanyahu believes that power is everything at any cost, and he led his election campaign in July 2019 on the basis of this. The Likud Party published giant posters showing Netanyahu shaking hands with Donald Trump, Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin, “as the Israeli leader approached all illiberal leaders who despise Western democracies.”

In December 2022, after Netanyahu was rejected by all other parties, and was tried in 3 corruption cases, he decided to ally with the far right to form the government. The magazine continued that Netanyahu was always keen to present himself as “the protector of Israel,” but what happened on October 7 made everything collapse, according to Zonszin, as he waged a war that seemed legitimate to his supporters.

The French magazine added that an opinion poll conducted by the Dialogue Center showed that 9 out of 10 Israelis attribute responsibility for the events of October 7 to the mistakes of the Netanyahu government, while only 4% saw him as the right man to lead the country. According to Express, Netanyahu is playing a dangerous game with the Americans during the era of his old friend, US President Joe Biden, who in 2014 summarized their relationship by saying during a meeting of the Jewish Federation of North America: “He has been a friend for more than 30 years.”

She adds that the US President criticized "the most extreme measures of this government, such as reforming the judicial system or supporting settlers in the West Bank," but without attacking Netanyahu at all. But the war on Gaza - continues Xpress - is exhausting Biden's patience, as his support for the Israeli attack cost him several points in the opinion polls, a few months before the presidential elections.

Express says that Netanyahu also faces great international weight in The Hague, before the International Court of Justice, where the country born from the Holocaust finds itself accused of genocide crimes. In addition to the killing of more than 24,000 Palestinians, the accusation is based on statements by Israeli political leaders, who call for war crimes to be committed in Gaza every day.

In light of Netanyahu’s insistence on continuing the war, the French magazine quoted Zonszyn as saying that the current war on Gaza “is a war without end. No one knows what victory will look like, and no one knows what the end of the war will look like, especially since Netanyahu has every interest in continuing it.” According to Zonszin, it is clear that Israeli society had been shocked by October 7, but this war is creating generations of trauma among the Palestinians. She added, “We are not witnessing the elimination of Hamas , but rather we are witnessing the birth of something much worse,” as she put it.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Israeli army has been working since last November to establish a one-kilometre-deep buffer zone along the border with the Gaza Strip, with the aim of reassuring the Israelis to return to the towns surrounding Gaza , amid American rejection. The newspaper said that the project is meeting with increasing frustration among American officials, who say that they expressed their opposition to plans to establish buffer zones in the Gaza Strip and then watched Israel move forward with what it wanted, considering that establishing the buffer zone constitutes a reduction of Gaza’s territory and a violation of international law.

The Wall Street Journal quoted the Israeli army as saying that it was destroying the infrastructure of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), but Israeli soldiers working on the border with Gaza confirmed that they were destroying agricultural areas. American military analysts also told the newspaper that the buffer zone will not prevent future rocket or drone attacks from inside Gaza. The American newspaper also quoted a former Israeli officer as saying that establishing a permanent buffer zone inside Gaza is illegal, because Israel will assume control of lands outside its recognized borders, as he put it.

The Wall Street Journal confirmed that the US administration is facing difficulties by pressuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the buffer zone project, saying that it may accept the establishment of a temporary buffer zone. The US administration also warned that Israel's establishment of a buffer zone may make it difficult to persuade Arab countries to help in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip after the end of the war, according to its words.

Israeli officials agreed that the buffer zone might be temporary, but they did not provide the US administration with a timetable or plan, according to the Wall Street Journal. In a related development, the Financial Times reported that Israel bulldozed between 1,100 and 2,800 buildings, most of which were agricultural greenhouses, to establish a buffer zone inside the Gaza Strip. The newspaper quoted an Israeli source as saying that the goal of demolishing the buildings is to prepare this area for free work in the future.

US Defense Secretary Anthony Blinken confirmed the day before yesterday that Washington rejected any permanent change to the geographical status of the Gaza Strip, stressing the need to preserve the territorial integrity of Gaza.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said that it is unrealistic for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip while the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) is capable of launching rockets at Israel , adding that his country did not support everything Tel Aviv did. Cameron indicated - during an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera - that Israel would not accept Hamas running the Gaza Strip after the war, “and it has the right to do so,” holding the movement responsible for what he said was the state of “chaos and destruction that occurred after the seventh of last October.”

He warned of "the necessity of distinguishing between Hamas and the Palestinian people," adding, "We want a new Palestinian authority to manage Gaza." Regarding the practices of the occupation forces in the Gaza Strip, the British Foreign Minister said that London “did not support everything that Israel did,” stressing the necessity of a ceasefire. He pointed out that the shooting is necessary to extract the Israeli “hostages” (prisoners) and bring aid into Gaza, and added, “We want to see an immediate humanitarian ceasefire from which we can move to a sustainable ceasefire.”

Regarding the consequences of the Israeli war on Gaza, Cameron said that the war usually ends with a political, not a military, solution, stressing the necessity of giving the Palestinians a state in which they feel safe. He explained that Britain believes in the " two-state solution ," calling for what he called "the necessity of exploiting these moments and seizing opportunities."

He stressed the importance of opening the crossings with Gaza for a longer period, giving UN staff the opportunity to move freely in the Gaza Strip, and ensuring that aid reaches the residents of the north and south. It is noteworthy that the British Foreign Secretary is currently on a tour in the Middle East - for the third time in less than 3 months - where he visited Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories, and Qatar, as part of the tour that also includes Turkey.

The issue of exporting British weapons to Israel is the focus of a case that will be heard by the Supreme Court in London against the backdrop of accusations of violating international law in the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. In a report published on Wednesday, 16 humanitarian organizations indicated the presence of parts originating from Britain in a large portion of the weapons used by Israel in the war on Gaza.

Labor opposition MP Tahir Ali accused British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of having “his hands stained with the blood of thousands of innocent people.” British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who is on a tour this week in the Middle East, has also been accused of lacking transparency in his role in continued arms sales.

In this context, several plaintiffs, led by the Al-Haq Foundation, which includes the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), filed a lawsuit before the High Court in London, claiming that Britain is ignoring its own laws regarding arms exports in the context of the conflict in Gaza. British standards actually state that weapons should not be issued where there is a clear risk that they will be used in violation of international law.

GLAN lawyer Deirbla Minogue told Agence France-Presse, “This case is a test of the credibility of the national system in setting gun controls,” especially the judiciary’s supervisory role in this regard. The documents prepared by government lawyers shed light on internal discussions in Britain regarding arms export licenses and in general the way in which Israel is fighting this war. A document dated January 12 refers to “serious concerns” within the British Foreign Office about some aspects of the Israeli military campaign, and also confirms that officials have so far shown an inability to determine conclusively whether Israel respects international law.

But the 22 pages reveal that International Trade Minister Kimmy Badenoch, who is responsible for these licenses, nevertheless decided on December 18 not to suspend or cancel them. The Minister intended to subject it to careful consideration, a position that is in line with the recommendation made by David Cameron. The Foreign Minister was “convinced that there is sufficient evidence” to believe that Tel Aviv intends to respect international humanitarian law according to legal documents, a point of view objected to by the plaintiffs’ lawyer, considering that Britain admits in its defense that the evidence was not studied objectively.

Two academics agreed that the United States and Britain would exchange roles in marketing the post-war plan for the Gaza Strip without the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), with a “renewed” Palestinian Authority responsible for maintaining Israel’s security. The senior researcher at Al Jazeera Center for Studies, Dr. Liqaa Makki, said that Britain has not strayed far from Washington in supporting Israel in its war on Gaza, noting that British Foreign Secretary David Cameron is in the region to market a plan based on a temporary ceasefire for the purpose of exchanging prisoners, as well as the moral aspect. Which is exhausting Western capitals.

The British Foreign Secretary is currently on a tour in the Middle East - for the third time in less than 3 months - where he visited Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories, and Qatar, as part of the tour that also includes Turkey. Makki stressed - during his speech on the program “Gaza... What Next?” - that there is no difference in the American-British vision regarding the post-war period, and the distribution of roles, “which applies to the American-Israeli dispute over the establishment of a Palestinian state.”

He stressed that Cameron's arrival to the British Foreign Office - a former prime minister - was to market the idea of ??a demilitarized Palestinian state and the return of the "renewed" Palestinian Authority, and the exit of Hamas leaders under Arab pressure coincided with Israel's military escalation against civilians to achieve this. He added that Cameron wants a long humanitarian truce in exchange for the exchange of “hostages” (prisoners) leading to a sustainable ceasefire, noting that during the proposed two-month period, Hamas leaders inside the country will go abroad, “which is exactly what Washington wants in a ceasefire without Hamas after the war.”

He expressed his regret at the absence of any Arab project to end the war on Gaza that would pave the way for it from the United Nations and the West, pointing out the existence of a vacuum that gave Washington the full opportunity to present itself as a humanitarian mediator, before adding, “Arab impotence and Western hypocrisy helped Israel in its war.”

In turn, Dr. Ziad Majed, professor of political science at the American University in Paris, believes that the first task is to remove the Israeli prisoners from Gaza, stressing that this arrangement is supported by Washington, London, Berlin and a number of Western capitals. He pointed out that Washington differs from London in that it began discussing the aftermath of the ceasefire by discussing political details with regional capitals and the Palestinian Authority, such as a demilitarized state and the buffer zone east of the Gaza Strip.

He stressed that America and Britain did not change their position much on the Gaza war, and the change that occurred was to discuss the conditions for a ceasefire “because they want to please Israel after the failure of its military campaign by presenting post-war ideas.” He added that the proximity of Washington and London to Tel Aviv will continue, especially since their electoral factor is pressing towards this, despite their desire for the fall of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the arrival of a new leadership better than the current ruling right-wing coalition.

After a period of French President Emmanuel Macron’s bias towards Israel - says Majed - Paris now has a wider margin for maneuver and a distinction from the American and British position, as was evident in its decision not to participate in striking the Houthis in Yemen and elsewhere.

Biden - according to a report by journalist Fawzi Bushra - during his presidency, overlooked all the crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinians, including killing, siege, confiscation of lands and homes, and expansion of settlements, but he was shocked by the defeat that the resistance inflicted on Israel on the seventh of last October. Biden's shock worsened when the resistance was able to confront the Israeli military invasion of the Gaza Strip for more than 3 months, which prompted him to talk about the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state without specifying the features of this state. In light of the fierce resistance and increasing international pressure, talk about the future of the hoped-for Palestinian state will not be limited to the United States and its allies, now that resistance has become a cornerstone of any future political process.

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 25,900 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 64,110. 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.

With the Israeli army announcing the killing of 24 soldiers, the total number of occupation deaths has risen to 559 since the start of the war on October 7, including 229 killed since the ground invasion as a result of the ongoing clashes with the Palestinian resistance [other sources report the total number of deaths of the occupation army has risen to 221 since the start of the ground invasion]. Among them were at least 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 had 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 2,710 officers and soldiers were injured, including 407 who are still receiving treatment for their injuries in the Gaza battles, and the condition of 48 of them is serious, while 405 were seriously injured, 692 were moderately injured, and 1,562 were described as having minor injuries since the start of the war.

At least 13,599 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

Haaretz newspaper reported from informed sources that Netanyahu informed the families of the prisoners that Israel is ready to make concessions for the sake of a new deal, and an Israeli channel published general principles for the deal that do not include an end to the war, which is one of Hamas’ conditions. The Israeli Channel 12 revealed a leaked recording of Netanyahu during his meeting with the families of prisoners in Gaza, in which he said that Qatar is more problematic than the United Nations and the Red Cross, and that he is disappointed that Washington is not putting more pressure on Doha. According to the leaked recording, Netanyahu indicated that he did not thank Qatar publicly because it could put more pressure on the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). Qatar - along with Egypt and the United States - played a role in reaching a truce between Hamas and Israel last November, and the two sides exchanged the release of numbers of prisoners. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari strongly denounced the statements attributed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding Qatari mediation. Al-Ansari said that the statements attributed to Netanyahu are irresponsible and obstruct efforts to save lives, but they are not surprising. Al-Ansari said that if the statements turn out to be true, the Israeli Prime Minister is obstructing mediation efforts for narrow political reasons instead of prioritizing saving lives. He added that instead of being preoccupied with Qatar's strategic relationship with the United States, Netanyahu should be preoccupied with overcoming the obstacles to reaching an agreement to release the hostages. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded to the statement of Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari, saying that “Qatar is the main sponsor of the Hamas movement ,” adding that the West’s position towards Qatar is hypocritical and based on interests. Smotrich called on the West to pressure Qatar to release detainees in the Gaza Strip, saying that "one thing is clear, which is that Qatar will not have a role the next day after the war in Gaza." Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded to the statement of Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari. Smotrich's attack on Qatar angered many of his Israeli followers, and they began attacking him and holding him responsible for the safety of Hamas detainees and prisoners. Some Israeli observers said that in his statements, Smotrich did not want the detainees to return to their families, and they asked him not to interfere and put their lives in danger. Some bloggers pointed out that Smotrich, with his statements, wants to add fuel to the fire and cannot be relied upon for anything. Others also wondered about his accusation against Qatar, which is striving to reach an agreement in which it seeks to return the Israeli prisoners held by Hamas to their families. Israeli tweeters asked him to learn the language of diplomacy, since he is a minister and represents Israel. They said that the language Smotrich spoke had nothing to do with diplomacy. Others compared the way the Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman tweeted to the way Smotrich tweeted, and demanded that he not cause any harm in the negotiation process. Bloggers considered the Israeli minister a threat to Israel's security, and said that there is not a single Israeli who does not want the detainees to return, and that these statements are unnecessary and do not benefit the negotiation process in any way, as they put it. Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed have been held as hostages in Gaza since 2014 and 2015, respectively. Unlike the roughly 240 people kidnapped in the Hamas October 7 terrorist attacks, the campaign for the release of Mengistu and al-Sayed has received little publicity. Mengistu is known to suffer from what HRW deemed "serious" mental health issues. "Avera crossed one of the safest borders in the world, under the eyes of the security services," recalled Gil Elias, a relative. "We're talking about a mentally ill person who got lost." The calls for the release of Mengistu and al-Sayed have been barely audible during the many years they have been held captive in Gaza.

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. Palestinian prisoner institutions said more than 3,290 administrative detainees, which is the highest percentage since the years of the 1987 Intifada, and 661 who were classified as “unlawful combatants” from Gaza, and this is the number available only as a clear given. 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.

Israel said on 14 January 2024 that, since the beginning of the war, approximately 2,700 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.

The institutions added in the statement that “the occupation arrested 210 women during the aforementioned period, and this statistic includes women who were arrested from the territories in 1948, and more than 355 children,” pointing out that “the outcome of the arrest campaigns includes all those who were arrested from homes, and through military checkpoints, Those who were forced to surrender themselves under pressure, and those who were detained.” It explained that "the number of arrests among journalists reached 50, of whom 35 remain in detention, and 20 of them were transferred to administrative detention."