Operation Iron Swords - Day 113 - 27 January 2024
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NEW - Operations NEW - Operations Maps NEW - By-Standers NEW - Axis of Resistance NEW - Allied for Democracy UPDATED - Oasis of Martyrs UPDATED - Hostages |
The two ministers in the Israeli War Council, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, confirmed that the return of detainees in the Gaza Strip is a top priority, during a meeting with the families of the prisoners. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted an informed source as saying that Hamas and Israel had reached understandings on most of the terms of the prisoner exchange deal agreement, and the outstanding issue is whether or not there will be a ceasefire at the end of the truce, as it will last for 35 days and will include the release of all Israeli prisoners.
CIA Director Williams Burns will meet in Paris with senior officials from Egypt, Israel, and Qatar to try to reach an agreement on the release of detainees in the Gaza Strip, amid leaks indicating the possibility of reaching an agreement between the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas) . ) and Israel. A security source from a country participating in the negotiations confirmed information reported by the American newspaper The Washington Post, stating that President Joe Biden intends in the near future to send Burns to Europe to try to negotiate the release of detainees in Gaza in exchange for a two-month truce.
Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Mossad chief David Barnea, and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel are scheduled to meet in the coming days in Europe, to discuss efforts to obtain an agreement to release the detainees. It is expected that Burns' discussions in Europe will depend on his phone conversations with his counterparts, in addition to the work of the US special envoy to the Middle East, Brett McGurk, who this week held related meetings in Doha and Cairo.
The Washington Post revealed that Burns was being sent to Europe to help reach an “ambitious” agreement that includes the release of Israeli detainees in the Gaza Strip and a ceasefire for the longest period since the start of the war. According to the newspaper, the talks will address the longest period of cessation of the conflict in Gaza, and the release of all prisoners, while the newspaper did not address the duration of the expected cessation of the conflict.
The White House expressed its hope that progress would be made in talks to release detainees held by Hamas in Gaza, in light of McGurk's return to Washington after concluding a visit to the region. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that McGurk returned after holding talks about prisoners and detainees in the region, and stressed that there is no “imminent” announcement in this regard.
Israel does not want a permanent ceasefire at the current stage as long as he does not achieve the goal of weakening Hamas, supported by the American position. Israel does not want to pledge a complete withdrawal from Gaza, as long as he does not complete his mission there, even though the American position wants Israel to do so, but gives an unspecified deadline to accomplish. Israel does not want to adhere to the "all for all" principle.
Israeli Channel 12 reported Hamas’ conditions for a new prisoner exchange deal:
- 100 Palestinian prisoners for every Israeli prisoner.
- Complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip.
- A lull of 10-14 days before releasing any Israeli prisoner.
- A two-month cooling-off period between each stage of the deal.
Hamas does not mind that the deal begins with the release of civilian groups, such as: women, the elderly, and the sick, and the number of these may reach 40, provided that this is part of a comprehensive vision for a deal that ends with a ceasefire, and it rejects that this be merely a stage that Netanyahu takes advantage of to relieve public pressure on him and then the war resumes.
Movement requires:
- The first phase begins with a ceasefire, until the full deal is completed.
- Any deal must end with a comprehensive ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Gaza Strip.
- The existence of guarantees regarding Israel not attacking Gaza, or re-arresting released Palestinians.
Hamas "sought a truce that would last for several months, while Israel wanted to release all detainees within weeks." Over the past few weeks, American and Qatari mediators were able to bring the two sides closer to agreeing on a 30-day process, which includes the release of all detainees, the entry of more aid into Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas still possesses a military force with which it can inflict significant losses on the occupation, as evidenced by the raid operation in which 21 Israeli soldiers were killed at once, through a double bombing of a tank and a house with explosives belonging to the occupation soldiers. Such specific operations will increase the repercussions of the crisis inside Israel, by During the escalation of demands to conclude a comprehensive deal with Hamas, even if it leads to stopping the war.
A senior Hamas official told Reuters that one of the offers made by “Israel” was to end the war if “Hamas” removed 6 senior leaders from Gaza, but he added that “Hamas” “absolutely” rejects this proposal. The source said that the list includes the masterminds of the Al-Aqsa flood attacks, who are: the head of the Hamas movement in Gaza, Yahya Al-Sinwar , the head of the military apparatus , Muhammad Al-Deif , in addition to the leader Marwan Issa , in addition to the military commander, Muhammad Al-Sinwar . In addition to two other names of Phalange leaders that were previously mentioned by Israeli sources: Rafi Salama and Izz al-Din al-Haddad. However, it is important to point out that this proposal was not included in any of the initiatives, but rather was conveyed orally through mediators.
The Hamas movement, which has the prisoner card, in addition to the effectiveness of the resistance, faces a complex situation that requires it to rush to stop the war, represented by the possibility of running out of ammunition over time, in addition to the stifling suffering that the Palestinian people are experiencing under the stifling siege, in addition to the heavy civilian losses. Moreover, the end of the bet on raising the ceiling of the so-called axis of resistance to effective participation in the battle, and the opening of fronts for fighting, especially in Lebanon with the entity, in a way that may lead to reducing pressure on Gaza, and perhaps stopping the war in the end.
Hamas wants the United States, Egypt and Qatar to ensure implementation, and is concerned that the Netanyahu government will resume fighting once Hamas releases civilian detainees, even if Israeli soldiers remain detained. An American source also told Reuters that Hamas sought during this round to release all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons, including those who participated in the attacks of last October 7 (an all-for-all deal), which Israel still opposes.
The Financial Times newspaper revealed that the British government proposed a 5-point plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip , and Britain raised the proposal with America, Europe and the Arab countries. The newspaper explained that British Foreign Secretary David Cameron discussed the plan this week with Palestinian and Israeli leaders.
Britain's plan calls for stopping hostilities, releasing hostages, and negotiating a permanent ceasefire. It also calls for defining a political horizon for establishing a Palestinian state and forming a competent government to manage the West Bank and Gaza. According to the proposal, the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) must release all detainees and commit to stopping attacks against Israel, which the countries of the region will guarantee.
The proposal includes that senior Hamas leaders in Gaza, including Hamas head in Gaza Yahya Sinwar , leave the Strip for another country. In this context, a British official quoted by the newspaper said, “What we are trying to do is to establish the idea that when you get this temporary pause, you have to work hard to turn it into a permanent ceasefire, and focus on realistic and achievable things that can actually lead to a ceasefire that is permanent and sustainable."
According to a comment by the Financial Times, the United Kingdom believes that its plan is complementary to other initiatives, and has raised it with the governments of the United States and Europe, as well as Arab countries. "I think there is a growing consensus in the international community that the hostage deal and the temporary ceasefire are the keys to the chance of reaching a permanent ceasefire," the British official said.
Operational Update
A report by the American NBC network stated that Gershon Baskin, who brokered the Shalit deal, said, “Sinwar will not repeat Yasser Arafat’s experience in 1982 and will not accept his deportation outside the Gaza Strip. He will continue to fight until the end, and he may prefer death and he is not afraid of that, because He believes that life in this world is short, but living in heaven will be eternal.”
The Wall Street Journal also revealed a secret US intelligence report indicating that the Hamas movement still possesses enough ammunition to strike Israel for months to come, and that the goal of destroying the movement has not been achieved, despite the intense Israeli air and ground campaign in the Gaza Strip.
Therefore, Netanyahu is under a state of pressure that may push him to make concessions, and this is what many security experts are calling for, especially with the escalation of resistance operations. Expert Nahum Barnea says, “The conclusion is clear: there are no absolute victories in the rounds of wars in the Palestinian arena. What we have learned in our wars is that whoever aspires to achieve more things than he is able to achieve on the battlefield, disaster will befall him.”
Violent Israeli artillery shelling continued since the early morning hours on Khan Yunis and Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip , amid a harsh wave of rain that the displaced are facing in their flooded tents, and the disappointment they feel over the International Court of Justice not imposing a ceasefire.
Israeli bombing was also renewed in the vicinity of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, which the Israeli forces have been besieging for days and preventing the evacuation of medical staff, the displaced, and the injured. Local sources confirmed hearing the sounds of violent clashes between the resistance fighters and the Israeli forces in several areas in Khan Yunis, while the Al- Qassam Brigades announced that they had targeted an Israeli troop carrier with an “ Al-Yassin 105 ” missile in the Al-Amal neighborhood, west of Khan Yunis.
The HAMAS government media office in Gaza said that 70% of the medical aid entering the Strip cannot be used and is outside the priorities of medical teams. Doctors in the Gaza Strip had previously indicated that the medical aid they received contained tests for the Coronavirus.
Military and strategic expert Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi confirmed that the Israeli tanks targeted by fighters of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) - in Khan Yunis are located in crowded residential areas, which makes them an easy target for the resistance fighters. Al Jazeera broadcast new scenes it obtained of the battles between the Al-Qassam Brigades and the Israeli army in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip , and showed resistance fighters destroying vehicles of the occupation army.
Al-Duwairi said that the occupation army believes that the decisive targets it seeks to reach are in these areas, especially the leaders of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the Israeli detainees held by the resistance, and the Israeli detainees in Gaza. He pointed out that the political leadership in Israel is determined to continue the war on Gaza, despite the ambiguity of the goals that the occupation army seeks to achieve.
Decisive battles are taking place between the Palestinian resistance and the occupation forces in Khan Yunis Governorate, and Al-Duwairi confirmed that the focus is limited to the city of Khan Yunis, which is being attacked from 3 directions: north, west and south. Regarding what Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy said about the end of major military operations in the northern Gaza Strip, the military expert recalled contradictory statements by the same two ministers.
The Minister of Defense stated more than two weeks ago that Israel had achieved its goals in the war, saying: “We dismantled the Hamas organization, destroyed 700 rocket launchers, and killed 9,000 out of 14,000 Palestinian resistance fighters.” However, the Chief of Staff later made the opposite statement, saying: “The process of withdrawal of Israeli forces will allow Hamas to reorganize its ranks in the northern Gaza Strip.” According to the military expert, the occupation army did not eliminate Hamas, but the management of the battle differed by the resistance, as they began to rely on an approach that had not been applied before.
Al-Duwairi said that the main battlefield of the Palestinian resistance and the occupation forces is taking place in the southern region of the Strip. He stated that the northern region of the Gaza Strip is witnessing clashes and limited incursions by the Israeli occupation forces in order to achieve certain goals, which is the same role they were playing before the battles of Jabalia and al-Tuffah. Limited clashes are also taking place in northwest Gaza.
As for the central region, after the occupation forces suffered major setbacks, the 99th Division, which was replaced by the 36th Division, succeeded in establishing a different military approach, by separating the camps, Al-Bureij from Al-Nuseirat, Al-Nuseirat from Al-Zawaida, Al-Zawaida from Al-Maghazi, and Al-Maghazi from Al-Bureij. Although the 99th Division - Al-Duwairi adds - surrounded the camps area, it has not yet been able to enter it, indicating that most of what is happening there are clashes and attempts to carry out infiltration operations, even though the occupation has 3 main brigades and elite units in this area.
As for the southern region of the Gaza Strip, specifically Khan Yunis, it is the main location, in the opinion of the military and strategic expert, noting that the occupation was unable to establish itself there, despite the deployment of new forces, and despite the bombing operations and the destruction of residential areas.
Regarding the video broadcastby the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) - of battles with the Israeli army in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, Al-Duwairi pointed out that most of the weapons used by the resistance in its battles are homemade and were carried out inside tunnels, and all of them were adopted. What Al-Duwairi called the reverse engineering approach, stressing that the resistance succeeded in finding modest but effective means. Al-Duwairi added - in his daily military analysis - that most of the destruction of Israeli vehicles is carried out with “BBG” or “Tandum” shells, which are more or less the same design.
An investigative report in the French newspaper Le Monde stated that crossing the Rafah crossing - the only way out of the hell of Gaza - has become a lucrative business for those who benefit from the war and an unbearable burden for those who want to leave. The report, prepared by writer Ilan Salon, stated that a network of intermediaries and travel agencies sell exit permits from the Gaza Strip to Egypt at exorbitant prices amounting to several thousand dollars. As the Israeli army tightened its grip on the southern Gaza Strip, after more than 100 days of war that claimed the lives of more than 25,000 Palestinians, the number of these intermediaries increased even among those who could benefit from the evacuation mechanism established in November 2023 for foreign citizens. and wounded Palestinians, to collect exorbitant sums of money to leave the Gaza Strip.
According to an investigation conducted by the Corruption and Organized Crime Reporting Project and the Sahih Misr website, intermediaries sell these permits for amounts ranging between $4,500 and $10,000 to Palestinians, and between $650 and $1,200 to Egyptian citizens. Independent brokers, with sometimes questionable credentials, embarked on this highly lucrative business.
The writer stated that investigators from the Corruption and Organized Crime Reporting Project and the “Sahih Misr” website contacted 15 Palestinians and Egyptians who used these mediators. Only two of them were able to leave the Gaza Strip, and each of them paid $4,500. Three others were defrauded by intermediaries and lost their money, while others are still seeking to collect the required amount by selling their gold or personal property, borrowing from relatives, or Online fundraising. This is the case of Rasha Ibrahim, from whom the mediator asked for more than $40,000 to get her out of the Gaza Strip with her husband and their three children.
The existence of a parallel system that allows Gaza residents to purchase transit permits to Egypt is not a new matter. Since 2007, the opening of the Rafah crossing has been random. Egypt closed it almost completely after 2013 until May 2018, when restrictions were eased. In 2018, a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted the existence of a “dual-list” system, allowing Gazans to obtain a transit permit more quickly than others.
In the town of Beit Furik, east of the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank, confrontations broke out between Palestinian youth and the Israeli occupation forces, which stormed the town with their vehicles and conducted patrols in several neighbourhoods. This led to the outbreak of these confrontations, as the youth threw stones and empty bottles towards the invading forces. For its part, the Al- Aqsa Martyrs Brigades - the military wing of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement ( Fatah ) - announced that it targeted the Beit Furik checkpoint east of Nablus with a heavy barrage of bullets at dawn.
Palestinian medical sources said that a young man was martyred after he was shot by Israeli occupation forces during their storming of the village of Deir Abu Daif, east of the city of Jenin, while confrontations broke out between Palestinian resistance fighters and the occupation forces in several areas in the West Bank. The Palestinian Red Crescent said that the occupation forces stormed the village of Deir Abu Daif, closed its entrances, and fired live bullets and gas bombs at Palestinian youth, which led to the outbreak of confrontations between the youth and the forces storming the center of the village.
Qassam Ahmed Abdel Karim Yassin (27 years old) died of his wounds after being hit by live bullets in the abdomen. He was taken to the hospital in serious condition. Following the announcement of Yassin’s martyrdom, a march took place in front of the hospital, with participants carrying the martyr’s body on their shoulders, amidst chanting slogans denouncing the occupation’s crime against him, and the crimes it is committing against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon announced that it had targeted the headquarters of an Israeli secret unit at the Zabdine barracks in the occupied Shebaa Farms with a "Falaq 1" missile. They also targeted spy equipment at the Maroun al-Ras site and an assembly of Israeli Occupation Forces near the "Shomera" barracks using appropriate weapons, confirming direct hits.
Prior to that, the Resistance had targeted the "Khirbet Ma'ar" site as well as three gatherings of Israeli occupation soldiers. The first was in the vicinity of the "Dovev" barracks, the second in the south of the occupied Abbad site, and the third in the vicinity of the occupied Jal al-Alam site using Burkan rockets. Reportedly, the operations achieved direct hits. In turn, Israeli media reported that sirens went off in northern "Israel", following suspicions of a possible drone infiltration.
Furthermore, the Al Mayadeen correspondent in southern Lebanon reported that an Israeli airstrike targeted the town of Ayta al-Shaab. Additionally, Israeli artillery targeted Rashaya Al-Fakhar and Hebbariyeh. An Israeli occupation drone also targeted the outskirts of the town of al-Naqoura.
v In support of the Palestinian people and their Resistance, Hezbollah launched multiple attacks on Israeli military sites in occupied Lebanese and Palestinian territories. Importantly, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon announced that it used Falaq-1-type rockets to target one of the sites, which marked a first since Hezbollah launched its operations in support of the Palestinian people on October 8.
At 8:10 am, Hezbollah's fighters launched an attack on a grouping of Israeli soldiers positioned in the vicinity of the Hounin Castle, using the appropriate weapons. The castle is located in the Israeli-occupied Lebanese town of Hounin in al-Jalil Panhandle. Moreover, the group launched several attacks on the Israeli Barracks, "Ma'aleh Golan". The Resistance said it launched the first attack on the Barracks, which is surrounded by multiple other military sites and military installations, at 1:00 pm (local time). Hezbollah fighters attacked the Barracks with multiple Falaq-1 rockets.
The second attack was launched at 4:10 pm (local time) and consisted of a "large barrage" of "Katyuhsa" rockets, a term that the Resistance uses to reference improved rocket artillery fired from multiple rocket launchers. In this attack, Hezbollah fighters targeted several groupings of Israeli occupation soldiers located in the Barracks and its vicinity. Later on Friday night, Hezbollah attacked a grouping of Israeli soldiers in the "Birket Risha" military site, confirming a direct hit on the soldiers at 9:00 pm.
Hezbollah snipers also fired at and destroyed recently installed Israeli spyware, in the "Zar'it" Barracks. Shortly after, at 9:00 pm, the same Barracks came under attack with a Burkan rocket, and it was directly hit. At 10:00 pm, a gathering of Israeli occupation soldiers on "Cobra Hill" was attacked with two Burkan rockets, achieving a direct hit.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeted the Ain al-Assad base in Anbar in western Iraq with a drone. The Iraqi resistance announced that it would continue to target American military bases because of its full support for the Zionist entity in the war crimes committed by this entity against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
The United States launched a new strike against Yemen, targeting the Ras Issa area in Al-Hudaydah Governorate, western Yemen, with two raids. The US Army claimed to have destroyed an anti-ship missile that was prepared to be launched into the Red Sea. On the other hand, the British maritime security company Ambrey said that a security team on board a commercial ship exchanged fire with gunmen traveling in a small boat that approached the ship near the Omani coast.
Maps
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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.
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Bystanders
The UN Security Council will meet on Wednesday 31 January 2024 to consider the decision of the International Court of Justice, which called on Israel on Friday to prevent any possible act of “genocide” in the Gaza Strip, according to what the French presidency of the Council announced. This meeting, which is being held at the request of Algeria, comes “in order to give binding force to the ruling of the International Court of Justice regarding the temporary measures imposed on the Israeli occupation,” according to the Algerian Foreign Ministry.
The spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Stephane Dujarric, said yesterday, Friday, that the Secretary-General, António Guterres, will immediately refer the notification of the interim measures of the International Court of Justice to the UN Security Council. Dujarric added in a press conference that Guterres affirms that the decisions of the International Court of Justice are binding, and he is confident that all parties will abide by them in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the system under which the court was established.
He also clarified that the position of the Secretary-General of the United Nations is clear regarding the independence of the International Court of Justice, and he had called for a ceasefire for humanitarian purposes and respect for international humanitarian law. He also called for the release of the hostages. The International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take measures to prevent genocide in the Gaza Strip and direct incitement to it, and also rejected the Israeli request to dismiss the lawsuit brought by South Africa.
Israel has sought for years to end the work of UNRWA because of the moral harm its presence poses to Israel and the future of the conflict with the Palestinians. Israel's relationship with the agency under all the various governments that passed was tense and involved a lot of push and pull. Israeli officials believed that the presence of UNRWA perpetuated the conflict, but at the same time they wanted it to exist because the relief it provided to the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank was a way to prevent an explosion there.
As time passed, the Israeli desire to get rid of the agency and its role increased. In 2018, Netanyahu called for placing Palestinian refugees under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and ending the presence of UNRWA. He considered it to work for the benefit of the Palestinians and perpetuate the refugee issue.
In the case brought by South Africa against Israel on charges of committing war crimes, the International Court of Justice took into account UNRWA reports on the suffering of the Palestinians. The court referred to the UNRWA report in which it said, “The bombing continues on Gaza and has caused a large displacement of residents. They have been forced to leave their homes to places that are not safer. More than two million people have been affected and will be harmed psychologically and physically, and the children are terrified.” The agency's reports had greater credibility than talking about the massacres committed by the occupation against civilians in Gaza, which angered Israel and made it more willing to get rid of the agency and its role.
UNRWA announced, “The Israeli authorities provided UNRWA with information about the suspected involvement of a number of its employees” in the October 7 attack inside Israeli territory. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement: “In order to protect the agency’s ability to provide humanitarian assistance, I have decided to immediately terminate the contracts of these employees and open an investigation until the truth is proven without delay.” He continued: "Every employee involved in terrorist acts must be held accountable, including through judicial prosecutions." He stated that "more than two million people in Gaza have depended on the vital assistance provided by the Agency since the beginning of the war" and that "anyone who betrays the core values of the United Nations also betrays those we serve in Gaza, in the region and elsewhere in the world."
As soon as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ) announced that it had received information from the Israeli occupation regarding the participation of agency employees in the Al- Aqsa flood battle on October 7, a number of Western countries began to stop funding the international agency. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said: “The Israeli authorities provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of a number of UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks on Israel on October 7.” Lazzarini did not reveal the number of employees said to be involved in the attacks nor the nature of their alleged involvement. But he said: “Any UNRWA employee involved in terrorist acts” will be subject to accountability, including criminal prosecution.
Despite this, Israeli government spokesman Elon Levy was quick to accuse UNRWA of announcing the news while global attention was focused on the International Court of Justice , which ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide against the Palestinians and to make more efforts to help civilians in the Gaza Strip . Levy wrote on the X platform: “On any other day, this would have been a headline: Israel presents evidence of UN staff involvement with Hamas .”
Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz said that his country will seek to prevent UNRWA from working in the Gaza Strip after the end of the war, after Tel Aviv accused employees of the UN agency of participating in the attack on October 7, 2023. Katz wrote on the X platform that the Foreign Ministry aims to ensure that “UNRWA is not part of the stage” that follows the war, adding that he will seek to mobilize support from the United States, the European Union, and other major donors.
Katz called for changing UNRWA into an agency that “dedicates its work to real peace and development,” urging countries around the world to follow the example of countries that suspended their funding to UNRWA.
The United States announced a “temporary suspension” of all future funding to this UN agency, which is at the heart of distributing aid to civilians in Gaza amid the raging war waged by the Israeli army on the Strip. Italy, Canada and Australia announced the suspension of their funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ) after the United States took the same step, following Israeli allegations of the participation of some of the agency’s employees in the Al-Aqsa Flood operation carried out by the Palestinian resistance.
The United States was the agency's largest donor in 2022, contributing more than $340 million, according to the UNRWA website. The United States had previously suspended its support to UNRWA during the rule of former President Donald Trump, before current President Joe Biden restored funding to the agency. Pro-Israel right-wing groups in the United States and Republicans have long argued for defunding the agency, and said that its exclusiveness to the Palestinian refugee file, and granting refugee status not only to the first generation of refugees (at the time of the Nakba in 1948) but to their descendants, perpetuates conflict and a culture of dependence among Palestinians.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant expressed his satisfaction with the American decision and considered it an important step towards holding UNRWA accountable. He wrote on the X platform: “Major changes must be made so that international efforts, funds and humanitarian initiatives do not fuel Hamas terrorism and the killing of Israelis,” he said. While Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said : “I congratulate the United States, Britain, Italy, Canada, Finland and Australia on the decision to stop funding UNRWA. The time has come to create an alternative organization that will not raise generations of Palestinian children to hate and will not cooperate with Hamas.”
While the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) condemned what it described as "the Israeli campaign of incitement against international institutions." The Hamas movement said - in a statement - that it strongly condemns the Israeli campaign of incitement against UN institutions, which contributes to “relief for our people who are subjected to genocide,” as it put it.
It added that the latest incitement campaign was “the hollow accusation against the World Health Organization, of what they called collusion with the Hamas movement, by repeating the false claim about the movement’s use of hospitals in military operations.” HAMAS added that the incitement against UNRWA comes "with the aim of cutting off its funding and depriving the Palestinian people of their right to the services of these international agencies."
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Taiani wrote on the “X” platform that the Italian government suspended funding for UNRWA after what he described as a “brutal attack” on Israel last October 7, indicating that some of Rome’s allies had already taken the same decision.
In turn, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed "deep concern" about the accusations leveled against UNRWA, and wrote on the X platform, "We are communicating with our partners, and we will temporarily suspend the payment of funds." She added, "We applaud UNRWA's immediate response, including terminating contracts (with employees), as well as announcing an investigation into the accusations against the organization."
For his part, Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussein said yesterday, Friday, that “Canada has temporarily suspended any additional funding for UNRWA while it conducts an in-depth investigation into these accusations.” He wrote on the X platform “Canada takes these accusations very seriously, and is closely engaging with UNRWA and other donors on this issue,”
The Palestine Liberation Organization called on the countries that announced the cessation of their support for UNRWA to “immediately reverse their decision,” considering that it entails “major political and relief risks.” The Palestinian Hamas movement that rules the Gaza Strip, and which is classified as a terrorist organization in the United States and other countries, called on “the United Nations and international institutions not to yield” to what it described as Israel’s “threats and blackmails.”
It is noteworthy that an Israeli report said, at the end of last December, that there were “attempts by the government in Israel to remove UNRWA from the Gaza Strip,” in the wake of the current war. Israeli Channel 12 reported that the “top-secret” Foreign Ministry report includes recommendations that this step take place in three stages, “the first of which is to reveal in a comprehensive report the alleged cooperation between UNRWA and the Hamas movement,” which is listed on the American terrorist lists. The Israeli channel's report indicated that the second phase "may include reducing UNRWA's operations in the Palestinian Strip, and searching for different organizations to provide education and social care services to the Palestinians in Gaza." The third stage will be "the process of transferring all UNRWA's functions to the body that will govern Gaza after the end of the war."
A number of legal experts praised the International Court of Justice decision, which they described as “historic,” criticizing at the same time the International Court of Justice’s failure to address an immediate and explicit cessation of the war.
American lawyer Francis Boyle - who won two cases before the main judicial body of the United Nations - expressed his happiness at the overwhelming legal victory of the Republic of South Africa on behalf of the Palestinians and all of humanity. Boyle indicated in his interview with Al Jazeera Net that the world must "stop shedding crocodile tears, and commit to preventing genocide in accordance with Article 1 of the Genocide Convention," adding, "I advise the Arab and Islamic countries to act now, because the door is wide open to join South Africa and practice... More pressure."
For his part, expert in public international law, Pierre-Emmanuel Dupin, considered that yesterday’s decision represents “an acknowledgment by the court that the details of the South African file are reasonable, and that the acts that fall within the definition of genocide under the 1948 Convention are documented and were actually committed against civilians, in addition to the martyrdom of the court judge.” Through official statements by Israeli officials calling for and inciting this act.”
Dupin also praised the judges' "honest" behavior because they took a position contrary to their governments, such as the German judge who supported these temporary measures even though his country's government expressed its rejection of the lawsuit, and the French judge despite the fact that the new French Foreign Minister Stephane Ségournet spoke out last week against South Africa.
In turn, Abdel Majeed Marari, international law expert and director of the Middle East and North Africa department at AFDI International, said that the Court of Justice “puts an end to impunity and affirms the right of the Palestinians to be protected from acts of genocide.” Marari added in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that this decision "will strengthen our efforts before the International Criminal Court, and we consider that it constitutes a strong legal basis that it can rely on in all its investigations, and would put the Public Prosecutor in a comfortable position to issue arrest warrants against war criminals."
While legal experts welcomed the court's decision because the temporary measures would allow humanitarian aid to reach the Gaza Strip, some expressed their disappointment because it excluded the directive to order an immediate cessation of the war. In response, lawyer Nariman Qatina Burgnat explained that the orders issued by the court - which include precautionary measures based on the Genocide Convention - do not contain a systematic procedure ordering the accused state to stop fighting, “just as there is no ceasefire in the terms of the Court of Justice, but rather a cessation of Israeli military operations.”
Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, the Palestinian-French lawyer described the court's approach to the case as "smart" because it asked Israel to take all measures to ensure that it does not incite or commit acts of genocide, indicating that it cannot continue waging war as it is doing now. As for the legal aspect, Nariman believes that today’s decision effectively put Israel in the dock and marked its loss before international law, noting that the governments and countries that supported the occupying state will have to think seriously to avoid being accused of complicity.
For his part, Emmanuel Dupin considered that the court’s request to the Israeli army to refrain from committing acts that meet the definition of genocide was “unfortunate,” because the goal was to go further and to request a complete ceasefire. It is noteworthy that the precautionary measures decided by the Court of Justice must enter into force immediately, while the 30-day period relates to the report that Israel must submit to the court.
Commenting on this, Boyle does not believe that this period will make any difference, because “Israel’s report will contain lies, as they lied during the 3 hours of oral arguments they presented, but what concerns us here is the court’s order to prepare the report.”
As for Lawyer Nariman, she believes that the period proposed by the court is “reasonable,” because it was not possible to submit a written report before the Court of Justice within one week, and if Israel does not comply with this order, it will be additional evidence in favor of South Africa, and will feed its argument on the merits of the case. She pointed out that the report was requested to be sent after 4 months in other cases, "and since this file is still under consideration, Israel is taking a big risk if it does not comply and respect the court order by submitting this report within the specified period."
The temporary measures are emergency measures and care must be taken to implement them as soon as possible, according to Le Pen. Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, the expert in international law confirmed that, “If we see in the coming days that the Israeli army snipers people carrying the white flag again, this will mean a clear violation of the court’s decision.”
Despite the possibility of the United States using its veto power in the Security Council , all these international experts agreed that South Africa’s referral of the file to the Council is a next step if Israel refrains from implementing the court’s decision. Dupin said, "We will then see if the American representative votes against it and uses his veto power before the entire international community, in clear defiance of a decision issued by the main judicial body of the United Nations." He added that this applies to European countries that have taken a position of unconditional support for Israel, especially France, which has always praised the role of the International Court in ensuring the peaceful resolution of disputes and the rule of international law.
Lawyer Qatina agrees with this trend by saying that the Security Council may be a possible option, because the Court of Justice does not have the military means to force Israel to implement its decision, “and in this case, Israel’s failure to respect the Council’s decision will make it an outlaw state.” She explained, "We are facing two different issues. There is international law proven by the Court of Justice, then there is the desire of the member states of the United Nations - especially the Security Council - to impose this by force, and above all there are possibilities of imposing sanctions against Israel and its leaders as well, or submitting complaints to the national courts."
In the context of non-implementation of a decision issued by the International Court of Justice, the Security Council can take measures within the framework of Chapter VII and Article 41 of the United Nations Charter, including imposing economic sanctions. As for lawyer Francis Boyle, he believes that stopping the war and genocide in Gaza has become an urgent and urgent matter before the situation gets out of control in the region, especially with Yemen in the Red Sea and the aggressive actions carried out by the Americans in Iraq and Syria in support of Israel, as he put it.
"People tend to have a bifurcated vision of what this court is and what it can do,” said Kate Cronin-Forman, a professor at London College who studies genocide cases. In her statements to the New York Times , Forman said: “Either they believe that the United Nations will come with black helicopters to implement orders, or they believe that the court’s rulings are just empty words that have no effect.”
Experts believed that the reality lies somewhere in between, as the court does not have direct enforcement powers to implement its decisions on the ground, but such a decision could have an impact by changing the political calculations of the countries concerned and their allies. Friday's decision is considered preliminary, meaning that the court has not yet decided whether Israel is committing "genocide" in Gaza, as it is likely that a final decision will be made within years, according to the "New York Times."
However, “South Africa’s partial victory should not be seen as an indication that the court will necessarily rule in its favor later, because meeting the requirements for winning a genocide case on the merits is much more difficult than meeting the low threshold for interim measures,” Foreman said. She continued: “I don’t think anyone expected them (the court) to order a ceasefire... I think the court did not want to be seen as ruling on the legality of Israel’s alleged right to self-defense, which is what many would have thought from a call for suspension of hostilities."
Instead, Foreman said the justices "adhered closely to what they did in the interim measures order in Gambia v. Myanmar (Burma)," referring to another case before the court, in which Gambia accused Myanmar of committing genocide against the Rohingya minority. She continued: “An order from the International Court of Justice cannot do much to change the incentives of a state engaged in a military campaign whose leaders feel is necessary to protect its national security, but it can make allied governments think twice about their support for that campaign.”
Israeli officials, who have strongly denied accusations of genocide, denounced the ICJ's provisional measures order, but expressed relief that the court did not order a ceasefire.
Michael A. Baker, professor of law at Trinity College Dublin, said it was "not surprising that the court did not grant South Africa's request for a complete suspension of military activities." But he added in his statements to the New York Times that the wording of the court's decision was "striking" because of its focus on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Baker said many countries have domestic laws prohibiting military support for governments that violate human rights.
He added: "Because the court's decision can be understood as saying that the situation in Gaza raises at least serious questions about the risk of genocide, this would give rise to legal obligations under domestic law, regarding the provision of military support to Israel." He considered that the court's willingness to acknowledge the extent of human suffering in Gaza, and to emphasize that the humanitarian situation should not be allowed to deteriorate further, "could change the political narrative about the conflict, creating a new space for political action."
“Proving genocidal intent will be a challenge,” said Adel Haq, professor of international law at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Although South Africa hailed the Court of First Instance's decision as a "decisive victory for the rule of international law," it remains unclear what impact the decision will have on the ground. Even if these obligations were legally binding, countries may choose to ignore them, just as Russia did when the International Court of Justice ordered it to stop its war in Ukraine.
The only way to implement the order of the International Court of Justice is through a vote of the United Nations Security Council. Any of the five permanent members of the Council, including the United States, could veto any such measure. Speaking to the American newspaper, The Washington Post, Haqq said, “Israel, by defending itself in court, accepts its legitimacy, and this will make it more difficult to challenge court orders at a later time.”
A Palestinian expert in international law told Al Jazeera Net, "The decision of the International Court of Justice places the Palestinians before important entitlements and redoubled efforts during the next stage, the first of which is monitoring Israeli performance during the next month, and beginning to mobilize international public opinion to impose sanctions on the occupation."
Munir Nusseibeh, professor of international law at Al-Quds University, said, “What was required, and was not issued by the court, was a request for the occupation to stop its military operations in the Gaza Strip , but the content of the decision reaches the same result.” He added that a doubled effort awaits the Palestinians at the international level and UN organizations to communicate the decision and determine what is required of countries regarding the occupation. According to the Palestinian expert, Israel's accountability for its crimes will not stop, even if the shooting stops, or a political path opens, or even if a Palestinian state is established.
The following is the text of the interview:
First, what were the Palestinians hoping for from the International Court of Justice that was not included in the resolution?
What was required was for the court to issue, in frank and clear language, a request to the occupation to stop its military operations in the Gaza Strip. The court did not accept this language, but nevertheless the decision reaches the same result in one way or another.
How can genocide operations be stopped and incitement to genocide be stopped? Collective action without stopping Israeli military operations?
The court ordered that the genocide stop, that humanitarian corridors and services be fully opened, that the occupation not destroy evidence, and that it stop incitement to genocide. All of these matters the occupation will not be able to adhere to without a ceasefire. Since South Africa requested a halt to the genocide, the court ordered that genocide be halted, abstained from, and punished, and even those who incite it.
What should Israel do after the decision is issued?
Now, according to the court’s decision, the Israeli public prosecutor must begin indicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , Minister Yoav Galant, and other criminals involved in the crime of genocide in the Gaza Strip. If the Israeli occupation adheres to what the court ordered, it will indeed refrain from continuing the war.
After the court's decision, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich renewed his call for the displacement of the residents of Gaza, while Netanyahu pledged to continue the war. How will this affect the proceedings of the court?
Who talks about expelling the residents of the Gaza Strip or continuing the war? He wants to continue the genocide, and therefore they are turning their backs on the court. This means that we must now begin analyzing and monitoring their actions based on the court’s decisions in order to prepare for the report that will be issued by the Israeli occupation a month from today, in which it will claim that it has adhered to the court’s decisions. As for what will be proven? The implication - if this approach continues - is that they will continue to commit genocide in its entirety, and this will expose them to further accountability and prosecution.
Can Israel ignore court orders to submit a report on the precautionary measures it requested within a month?
Israel can do anything, but it is legally obligated to submit its report to the court. However, if she decides to refrain from carrying out her duty and the court’s order, she will have neglected another of the court’s requests.
But I think that they will try to interpret the court orders in a way that is comfortable for them, and that they will abide by the court orders, even though in reality they will continue the policy of denial and say that they did not commit crimes in the past or after the decision. They are not ready at this moment to abide by the court orders as the law requires.
Palestinian officials said they were hoping for a ceasefire decision. Should the court have made a ceasefire decision?
South Africa did not ask the court for a ceasefire, but rather requested that Israel stop military operations in the Gaza Strip. A ceasefire means that both sides will adhere to it, and the court cannot issue decisions binding the resistance factions because it is not a state.
For your information, a group of human rights activists - myself included - asked the resistance factions to announce that if the court ordered the occupation to stop its military operations, and a ceasefire was obtained by the occupation, they would adhere to the ceasefire, even though the court would not have ordered them to do so, and the goal is to Pretexts are withdrawn even from the court itself.
But in the end she decided to focus on the main topic; It is the issue of genocide, and what the court decided was the same desire as South Africa, which wants to stop the genocide and the injection of Palestinian blood, and allow people to return to life normally in their country, and not displace them. This is what South Africa wants.
In conclusion, the decision is good and a lot can be built upon, and it will only be built upon through a major diplomatic struggle in the corridors of the United Nations , especially the General Assembly, which has a lot to offer, more than we are accustomed to.
Now that the court's decision has been issued, and it is expected that the occupation will violate it and will not respond to it, the occupation must know that its long siege of the Gaza Strip is nearing its end and that in the future it will not be able to escape from the world, and continue to prevent medicine, drink, water and electricity from the besieged Strip.
Now South Africa has placed the occupation under the lens of the International Court, and this is only the beginning, and it will continue for many years in which it will present a lot of evidence about the crimes of the occupation in the Gaza Strip, and the court will reach many results that will affect the stability of this occupation, and it will not be able to continue with genocide, occupation and racist separation.
I know that people are frustrated with international law and the various institutions of the international community, but what we went through yesterday is not what we will go through tomorrow, God willing. This is not blind optimism, but rather because Israel has committed crimes in a way that it cannot hide, and then we went to a court whose decision is mandatory and not advisory or merely recommendations, reports, and the formation of committees. This day is a historic day.
Is there any possible American role or intervention that might empty the decision of its content?
The United States is not a god. It is a country with great power and ability to oppress and mobilize, but its capabilities are ultimately limited. It is true that it uses its veto to protect Israel from Security Council sanctions and can support it with weapons and billions of dollars to commit crimes, but it cannot prevent all countries from punishing the occupation, and this is what we want.
We want a general assembly to decide on sanctions that some countries in the world will abide by, and then we will expand this circle, as in the experience of South Africa, on its way to getting rid of racism that was supported by world powers, led by America and Europe.
What should Palestine do after the decision, whether politically or legally?
What is immediately required is a diligent follow-up of the precautionary measures and documentation of Israeli activity and the extent of its response to these orders. This is a task whose basis is the integration of the Palestinians as a political system and civil organizations. They are required to document and write their reports.
There is an important and essential role for the PLO , the authorities , and the ambassadors. Each in his own country, especially in the international organizations in New York who must mobilize various countries for a strong resolution from the United Nations General Assembly that specifies sanctions on the occupation, not recommendations.
What should the Palestinians ask the General Assembly?
Palestinian officials must determine what is required, for example: Is it to stop diplomatic relations with the Israeli occupation? Is it to stop the activities of the occupying state in all United Nations institutions? Is it to besiege the occupation by not allowing its ships to dock in any port in the world or to fly in the airspace of other countries?
There are countries that have already announced that they will abide by the court’s decisions, such as Belgium, Canada, and Ireland, and we will find friends in the world who support us. We are talking about a heavy issue in international law. It is the crime of genocide.
To what extent can popular movements, federations and unions benefit from the decision in strengthening calls for a boycott?
Civil action, of which the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is a part, represents most Palestinian civil society organizations, and can convince the world more strongly with the issuance of the International Court of Justice’s decision, and help more in conveying the message to the whole world. That the genocide must stop, and that the occupation must be punished so that international law and human rights are respected.
If we assume that the shooting stops, or that a political process opens in the coming months, will this affect the proceedings of the court?
If the war stops, corridors are opened, and humanitarian aid enters, we are in an excellent place in terms of precautionary measures, but the issue remains that Israel committed genocide and must bear responsibility for a past act and for violating an international agreement and causing great harm to the Palestinian people. It must pay its price and let people’s blood not be wasted. . Even if negotiations take place and a Palestinian state is established, this will not affect the proceedings of the court.
Any final addition?
I call on our people to be optimistic that is accompanied by work. If we are too pessimistic, this is surrender that may lead to failure, but the optimism that comes accompanied by hard work, thinking and planning for the next stages is necessary. We have to know what to ask for and plan for the issue and what the occupation must do to end these crimes? What are the things that he must uproot to dismantle his racism? We must prepare ourselves well for the next stage, the battle for the final decision. After years, the court will answer the question: Did Israel commit genocide? I imagine the answer would be: yes. Then what are the consequences of this? Is it compensation, reparation, an apology, or guarantees of non-recurrence that constitutes a change in the military system?
Axis of Resistance
A UK-based lawyers' group on Palestinian rights described the latest International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling as a "much-needed light in the darkness". Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights (LPHR) said in a statement, "It is a historic day for clearly recognizing the fundamental human rights of Palestinians, including their fundamental right to life, and an important vindication of the vital resort to law to uphold fundamental rights."
The LPHR also noted that "Israel" is now bound to the law, so countries and official international organizations must follow up with the occupation's conduct in Gaza and ensure that it complies with the court order, which has been sent to the UN Security Council. The group acknowledged the vitality of the case but reiterated that an immediate ceasefire is the goal, as only that will ensure the security of Palestinians and reduce suffering in Gaza. "Whilst this historic legal case takes its course, we strongly re-emphasize that it remains deeply imperative that all diplomatic measures be urgently exercised to deliver an immediate ceasefire," it said.
Allied for Democracy
Netanyahu does not want to appear defeated in any agreement, at the same time that he is searching for a way out of his army’s continued failure to achieve an achievement on the ground, and therefore we find him escalating on the ground, especially in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, where he believes that he can achieve an achievement or He won victory by killing or arresting Hamas leaders or part of them, then showing that he entered the negotiation process from the position of the victor.
Netanyahu is also always keen to say that it is military pressure that will force Hamas to conduct an exchange, even though the humanitarian truces took place in light of the ceasefire, as the military force subsequently failed to release any Hamas prisoner. However, he faces mounting pressure and sharp criticism for continuing the war, which many Israelis consider to stem from his desire to remain in power.
He also stated to Haaretz newspaper that if he agreed to end the war, this would require signing international guarantees that cannot be violated, and if this was coupled with his saying that “Israel is ready to make concessions for the sake of a new deal,” this means that he would accept stopping the war without achieving the goal of eliminating Hamas. Without guarantees through which he could say that he emerged victorious, this confirms what he previously said to the families of the prisoners: “If we stop the fighting, we will not be able to resume it.”
However, Netanyahu is still subject to the extremist ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich , who are threatening to withdraw from the government if the war stops, which is what pushes Netanyahu to side with them so that they do not cause the fall of the government, which may result in Netanyahu being put on trial in the corruption cases filed against him.
The Israeli media - in its ongoing discussions of the war on Gaza - focused on the performance of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , and his attempts to thwart the exchange of prisoners and detainees with the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip and postpone judicial investigations on the grounds that they harm military performance.
Reserve Major General Nimrod Shabir - a former Chief of Staff of the Air Force - said that Netanyahu wants as much as possible to delay the deal to release detainees held by the Palestinian resistance, and that indications show that he does not want the war to end. He added - in a discussion on Channel 13 - that Netanyahu, because of his political situation, is “very afraid that this war will end,” and said that he (Netanyahu) is thwarting deals regarding the release of detainees.
For his part, Michael Shemesh, political affairs correspondent for Kan 11, accused Netanyahu of trying to postpone the investigation of State Comptroller Netanyahu Engelman into the issue of the war on Gaza, under the pretext of harming the war effort. The reporter said that Netanyahu sent Government Secretary Yossi Fuchs to meet with the State Comptroller, asking him to postpone the investigation into the war case, and to postpone the investigation, whether related to the Prime Minister’s Office or other security agencies.
Nir Devori, military affairs correspondent for Channel 13, revealed that the State Comptroller sent a response letter to Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy, which stated, “All senior officials and relevant government bodies are subject to oversight, and there is no intention to obstruct the army’s war effort.” He also said that the State Comptroller recently sent an exceptional letter to the Prime Minister's Office warning that they, along with the National Security Council, would be subject to investigation, and that they must keep all relevant recordings.
The State Comptroller General requested that records be submitted of all meetings held during the war period and the decisions taken during it, so that they could be examined. The Chief of Staff criticized the State Comptroller's intention to investigate the army's performance during and before the war on Gaza.
The Israeli media reported on the state of suspicion and lack of trust between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the army, as participants considered the Comptroller General’s request for military documents for the purpose of oversight “an attempt to confuse the army during the war.”
Channel 13 said that the army was angry because of Comptroller General Netanyahu Engelman, who requested documents for oversight purposes at the height of the fighting, and quoted its correspondent for military affairs, Or Heller, that the talk was about instructions that came from above, in reference to Netanyahu and not just an initiative on his part, according to senior army commanders.
The correspondent pointed out that there is a very serious suspicion, as the General Controller was employed “to confuse the army during the war and during the fighting,” revealing that the army’s suspicions indicate that another person is occupying the State Controller “in order to push the army to initiate investigations, while the brigades, division commanders, and fighters "Everyone is busy fighting."
The State Comptroller in Israel reports to the Knesset (Parliament) and examines and monitors the work of the government and audits its policies and operations. The channel reviewed Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy's letter - which it described as exceptional - to the Comptroller General, in which he said that "oversight in the form specified during the fighting will distract the commanders' attention from the fighting, and will affect the ability to conduct a quality operational investigation."
Halevy added, "Oversight will not allow the necessary lessons to be drawn in order to achieve the goals of the war," noting that "there is no precedent for conducting an oversight review during fighting in the form that I set as a state observer."
In turn, Tali Gottlieb, a member of the Knesset from the Likud Party, accused the Internal Security Agency ( Shin Bet ) of communicating with the leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, before the seventh of last October. Gottlieb asked, "Where are the enormous intelligence services of the State of Israel? Where is the clear intelligence that the Shin Bet is tasked with collecting? Where were you, when in Gaza they were conducting artillery training in front of you for an entire year?"
In turn, Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter - former head of the Shin Bet - described these accusations as “ridiculous, baseless statements that cannot have a basis.”
Israeli media discussions also touched on the role played by the former commander of the Gaza Division , Reserve Major General Mickey Edelstein, who is responsible for relations with the settlements in the Gaza envelope . Edelstein said - during a meeting with settlers who have been away from their homes for 4 months - that the threat of rocket launches from Gaza will continue while it exists, adding, "There may remain a remnant of the threat."
The head of the Israeli Internal Security Service (Shin Bet), Ronen Bar, called on the government in his country to immediately form an official investigation committee to examine the "failures" that occurred during the attack launched by Hamas on Israel on the seventh of last October. Israeli Channel 12 reported that Bar requested, during the security mini-ministerial council session on Thursday, the formation of a government investigation committee “now,” adding that “citizens are in dire need of this to happen, and the Shin Bet as well.”
He added, according to what was reported by the Times of Israel newspaper , “This will put an end to lies and conspiracies,” referring to allegations that the attack, which reached this level of surprise and bypassed all defenses, “was aided by betrayals from within the country.” These allegations were promoted by a member of the Knesset from the Likud Party, Tali Gotlev, who recently spoke about a “conspiracy” linking the demonstrators against the judicial reform law and the attack carried out by the Hamas movement, which is listed on the US terrorist lists.
The head of the Shin Bet categorically denied these accusations, according to the "Times of Israel", which indicated that although there are high expectations among Israelis that the worst security disaster the country has faced will be investigated, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has, so far, resisted forming a government committee to investigate. In the failures that caused the October offensive.
Bar faced a question during the small security council meeting, where Transportation Minister Miri Regev asked him to clarify the veracity of the allegations made by MK Gottlief. The Shin Bet chief responded: “Just lies, and what you did crosses a red line.” A report by Israeli Channel 12 indicated that Bar “earlier this week sent an urgent letter to the Speaker of the Knesset, the Attorney General, and other senior officials, in which he criticized Gottlief’s promotion of conspiracy theories and strange allegations about the supposed actions of a Shin Bet employee, which may put his life and the life of his family in danger.”
International newspapers and websites confirm - in reports and articles they published - that the decision of the International Court of Justice regarding the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Tel Aviv is a blow to Israel, and a source of headache for its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The Court of Justice approved a package of temporary measures on Tel Aviv, which did not include a ceasefire. It ordered Israel to take measures to prevent and punish direct incitement to genocide in its war on the Gaza Strip.
According to "The Hill" website, Israel received a "blow" after International Justice rejected its request to cancel the lawsuit filed by South Africa regarding genocide , "as the court found the case reasonable enough to consider and pursue it." The website quoted analysts as saying, "What the court came out with complicates Israel's justifications for continuing its war and limits support for its allies."
In the same context, Haaretz newspaper said in an article that “the measures approved by the International Court of Justice, which Israel must adhere to, will be a source of great headache for Netanyahu and his hard-line ministers who reject any steps towards ending the war.” The article in this Israeli newspaper stated that the ruling issued by the Court of Justice “is considered, on the other hand, a warning to Israel that it is close to violating the Genocide Convention.”
As for the Guardian newspaper, it focused on Israel’s position on the decision, as it wrote in an article that “Tel Aviv may ignore the ruling of the Court of Justice, but it will be difficult for the United States and Britain to do so.” The article added that ignoring the ruling leads to questioning the way in which it is held accountable. Russian President Vladimir Putin .
On the other hand, the Telegraph newspaper touched on, in a report, what it considered to be US President Joe Biden’s fears about the political costs that might result from his support for Israel if the number of Palestinian civilian deaths (martyrs) continues to rise. The Telegraph referred to reports that Biden urged Netanyahu to end the war before the US elections, and a political analyst told the newspaper that Biden’s pressure in this direction is not surprising, “as the divisions threaten to harm his electoral base, which he relied on in 2020.”
As for Lotan magazine, it shed light on the Israeli army camps and detention centers to which thousands of Palestinians have arrived from Gaza since the beginning of the war on the besieged Strip . The report presents testimonies of those returning from them who said that they faced multiple forms of torture and ill-treatment. It also conveys the fears of human rights groups about the continuation of arrests in The ranks of civilians and the absence of a reliable count of those taken by Israeli forces to detention centers.
Senior officials in at least 10 different departments in the US government are working on an array of deals to end the war in Gaza, according to the New York Times. The newspaper said that senior officials in the United States, Israel, and Arab countries are seeking to formulate three parallel, but interconnected, agreements that include three axes.
The first axis is to end the fighting in Gaza, the second is to put the final touches on the status of the Strip in the post-war period, and finally to define the obligations related to the establishment of a Palestinian state. The main discussions currently focus on reaching a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which includes the release of more than 100 Israeli hostages and thousands of Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.
The second track focuses on restructuring the Palestinian Authority, as American and Arab officials are looking to restructure its leadership in order to prepare it to rule the Gaza Strip after the war, instead of Hamas or Israel.
In the third track, the newspaper says that American and Saudi officials are pressuring Israel to agree to the conditions for establishing a Palestinian state in exchange for Saudi Arabia’s willingness to establish official relations with Israel for the first time ever.
The newspaper pointed out that there are obstacles facing these moves, namely the Israeli government’s unwillingness to grant full Palestinian sovereignty over Gaza, which raises doubts about whether progress can be made on other main fronts in the negotiations. The other obstacle is convincing Hamas to step down, as the Israeli military campaign has not yet succeeded in destroying it and it still controls part of Gaza. According to the newspaper, the United States is the party trying to link all these data together in order to reach a solution.
A senior State Department official was quoted as saying that White House Senior Advisor for Middle East Affairs Brett McGurk was in the region last week, and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke to him several times on the phone. The newspaper indicates that the White House administration wants to ensure that a senior American official speaks face to face at all times with Israeli and Arab leaders.
The newspaper says that American officials are discussing several proposals, whether they are temporary or long-term or face strong opposition from some parties, the most prominent of which are:
First: Transferring power within the Palestinian Authority from the current president, Mahmoud Abbas, to a new prime minister, while allowing Abbas to retain a ceremonial role.
Second: Sending an Arab peacekeeping force to Gaza to support the new Palestinian administration there.
Third: Issuing a resolution in the Security Council, with the support of the United States, that would recognize the Palestinians’ right to establish a state.
The newspaper explained in detail the road map for the three tracks, based on interviews with more than a dozen diplomats and other officials participating in the talks, all of whom spoke anonymously in order to discuss it more freely. The newspaper says that American officials believe that the first thing that must be done is to end the war. The talks in this regard coincide with negotiations for the release of more than 100 hostages held by Hamas. Hamas says it will not release the hostages until Israel agrees to a permanent ceasefire, a position that conflicts with Israel's stated goal of continuing the war until Hamas is expelled from Gaza.
Currently, officials from the United States, Israel, Egypt and Qatar are discussing an agreement that would halt the fighting for up to two months. One of the proposals being discussed stipulates the release of hostages in stages during a ceasefire period of up to 60 days in exchange for the release of Palestinians detained by Israel. Some officials suggested releasing Israeli civilians first, in exchange for the release of Palestinian women and minors held by Israel. The detained Israeli soldiers are then exchanged with Palestinian activists serving long-term sentences in Israeli prisons.
The Palestinian Authority briefly took control of Gaza after Israeli forces left in 2005, but Hamas forced it out of power two years later. Now, some want to return power to Gaza and play a role in governing the Strip after the war. To make this idea more attractive to Israel, which opposes it, there is a push by the United States, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries to reform the authority and change its leadership, according to the newspaper.
The newspaper adds that the Palestinian Authority, under its current president Mahmoud Abbas (88 years old), is viewed as corrupt and authoritarian. The newspaper continues that the mediators are encouraging Abbas to play a more ceremonial role and cede executive authority to a new prime minister who can oversee the reconstruction of Gaza and reduce corruption.
American officials say the goal is to make the Authority more acceptable to administering a future Palestinian state. Israeli officials also stress that the authority needs to change its educational system, which they say does not promote peace, as well as stop financial payments to those convicted of committing acts of violence against Israelis.
The newspaper notes that some of Abbas's critics want him to be replaced by Salam Fayyad, the Princeton University professor who is credited with modernizing power during his prime ministership a decade ago. Others also want Nasser al-Qudwa, the former Palestinian envoy to the United Nations who broke away from Abbas three years ago, to assume the responsibility of heading the Palestinian Authority. But diplomats say Abbas is pushing for another candidate close to him, such as Mohamed Mustafa, his longtime economic advisor.
The newspaper also says that some officials proposed forming an Arab peacekeeping force to help the new Palestinian leader maintain order in Gaza after the war. Israeli officials reject this idea, but they have proposed the idea of establishing a multinational force under Israel's supervision in the Strip. But American diplomats told the Israelis this month that Arab leaders opposed this idea, according to the newspaper.
According to the newspaper, the administration of US President Joe Biden has revived discussions with Saudi Arabia to make it agree to establish official diplomatic relations with Israel. Such a tripartite agreement was under discussion before the October 7 attacks, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman seemed ready for it because Washington was offering him the signing of a US-Saudi defense treaty, cooperation in establishing a civilian nuclear program, and more arms sales.
American officials say that under this arrangement, the Saudis would have accepted relatively simple Israeli concessions on the Palestinian issue in exchange for normalization. The newspaper notes that after the war broke out, Saudi Arabia and the United States raised the price for Israel, as they now insist on the need for Israel to commit to a process that leads to the establishment of a Palestinian state and includes granting governance to the Palestinians in Gaza.
American officials also told the Israelis that Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries would not agree to provide money for the reconstruction of Gaza unless Israeli leaders committed to a path that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected this proposal, and recently pledged to maintain Israeli military control over the entire West Bank and Gaza Strip. Many Israelis support this, although some American officials wonder whether this position comes within the framework of Israel's attempts to obtain a good negotiating position, according to the newspaper.
Butcher's Bill / Oasis of Martyrs
On 7 October 2023, Hamas and other armed groups present in the Gaza Strip carried out an attack in Israel, killing more than 1,200 persons, injuring thousands and abducting some 240 people, many of whom continue to be held hostage. It was the second largest loss inflicted on the Israeli forces after the 1973 war. Palestinian armed groups launched thousands of missiles at Israel Following this attack, Israel launched a large-scale military operation in Gaza, by land, air and sea.
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."
The HAMAS Ministry of Health in the besieged sector announced that the number of victims of the Israeli operation its beginning had risen to 26,083 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 64,487. 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 Israeli 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 army had risen to 222 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. The Israeli army also said 26 January 2024 that since the beginning of the ground attack on Gaza, 258 soldiers have been seriously injured. There are 423 moderate injuries, compared to 577 minor injuries.
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
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), published a new message in which it addressed the families of Israeli prisoners that if Benjamin Netanyahu’s government continues the war on the Gaza Strip , they should expect news of the killing of all prisoners in their army raids. In a design published by the Al-Qassam Brigades on their account on the Telegram platform, a television screen appears displaying breaking news that says: “Al-Qassam Brigades: We announce the killing of all our prisoners after they were targeted by raids from Zionist warplanes.” The following sentence was written below the design, in Hebrew and Arabic: “If Netanyahu continues the war, be prepared for such news.”
In the same context, thousands of Israelis demonstrated in several cities to demand the dismissal of their government, coinciding with the demonstration of the families of prisoners detained in the Gaza Strip in front of the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu . Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said, "Thousands of Israelis demonstrated in the city of Haifa (north) at the Horev intersection against the (Israeli) government and demanding that elections be held immediately." It explained, "The march started from the Carmel area in Haifa to the demonstration center at the Horev intersection."
In the city of Kfar Saba (north), near Tel Aviv, hundreds demonstrated under the slogan “Elections Now,” according to the newspaper. The demonstrators demanded Netanyahu's dismissal and elections to be held immediately. Hundreds also demonstrated in the city of Rehovot, near Tel Aviv, to demand the dismissal of the government.
Netanyahu faces repeated criticism from the Israeli street and a number of politicians, including those belonging to the War Council, against the backdrop of the crisis of Israeli detainees in the Gaza Strip and the failure to find any path to guarantee their return alive to Israel. In another context, dozens of families of prisoners detained in the Gaza Strip demonstrated in front of Netanyahu’s house in the city of Caesarea (north) to demand the release of their sons. "For the second week in a row, families of prisoners in Gaza are demonstrating in front of Netanyahu's house in the city of Caesarea," Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported.
For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a press conference on Saturday evening that "we have no alternative to overwhelming victory and the return of our abductees in the Gaza Strip." He added that he would not back down from any course of pressure on Hamas, saying that the State of Qatar could exert this pressure, noting that Qatar hosts Hamas leaders and therefore can exert pressure regarding the kidnapped people.
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 Israelis in the West Bank since that date has exceeded 6,255. 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."
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