Operation Iron Swords - Day 115 - 29 January 2024

Contents

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

"We are not looking for a war with Iran...This attack over the weekend was escalatory. Make no mistake about it. It requires a response, make no mistake about that." John Kirby, in respondse to Q: "Is the president currently actively considering potential attacks inside Iran?" The New York Times revealed that the US military planned to strike Iranian military advisors in Iraq and Syria if members of its forces were killed.

The Pentagon said that the number of American soldiers injured in the drone attack in Jordan has risen to more than 40. The Pentagon added that it is evaluating how the drone was able to penetrate the security procedures of the American base in northeastern Jordan. The Washington Post reported that the drone struck the living quarters at the base, causing injuries ranging from cuts, bruises, and brain injuries, some of which required medical evacuation. The United States military failed to stop the deadly attack on its service members in Jordan because the drone approached the base at the same time a US drone was also returning to the area, American officials said. There was some confusion on the base when the US drone returned about whether the other incoming drone was friendly or not, officials said, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The New York Times quoted American officials as saying that two other drones that attacked sites close to the American base in Jordan were shot down. The US Department of Defense said that US forces in Iraq and Syria have been subjected to 165 attacks, including the attack in northeastern Jordan, since last October 17.

A report by Politico detailed how the drone that killed three US soldiers on Sunday managed to evade detection by trailing behind a US drone that was returning to the base in Jordan at the same time. An informed source briefed by Politico said that the resistance in Iraq saw an "opportunity" and "exploited" it. Shortly after the operation on Tower 22 had taken place, a Pentagon official and a second US official informed Politico that the resistance launched another drone at Al-Tanf US occupation base. US troops managed to shoot it down using an RTX Coyote uncrewed aerial system.

The Pentagon said it does not believe Iran is seeking a war with the United States, adding that the US is not after a war either just one day after a Resistance operation killed three US soldiers and wounded dozens more in the Jordanian-Syrian border area. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh blamed Iran for enabling groups attacking the United States in the Middle East, claiming that the latest attack carried the "footprints" of the Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah (Hezbollah Brigades).

"We don't seek war, but we will take action, and respond to attacks on our forces," Singh said. The Pentagon added that while it would not disclose the nature of the response to the operation that targeted the US forces, "We consider Iran responsible for them." Nothing further was disclosed about the US attack, with Washington saying it would "respond at a time and place that suits us."

The options available to Biden to respond to the attack may vary between targeting Iranian forces, whether outside or even inside Iran itself, to choosing to carry out a more cautious retaliatory attack, limited to targeting those responsible for the attack supported by them. American forces in the Middle East have been subjected to more than 150 attacks by Iranian-backed forces in Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and off the Yemeni coast, since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip last October.

Republicans accused Biden of endangering American forces by not adequately protecting them, making them easy targets for attacks by drones or missiles, in reference to the incident that occurred yesterday, Sunday, in which a bomb-laden drone exploded near the base's barracks in the early morning hours. Republican Senator Tom Cotton indicated that the only appropriate response to these attacks must be harsh military action against Iranian forces inside Iran and throughout the Middle East. Republican Representative Mike Rogers, Chairman of the US Military Oversight Committee in the House of Representatives, called for action against Tehran . He added, "It has already been a long time. Let President Biden finally hold the terrorist Iranian regime and its extremist allies accountable for the attacks they carried out."

Democratic Representative Barbara Lee expressed her concern about the failure of Biden's strategy to contain the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, as things began to get out of control. For his part, Democratic Representative Seth Moulton, who served four terms in Iraq as a Marine, opposed Republican calls for war, pointing out that deterrence is difficult and war is worse.

Any strikes against Iranian forces inside Iran may force Tehran to respond forcefully, which will escalate the situation in a way that could drag the United States into a major war in the Middle East. Jonathan Lord, director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, said that the strike inside Iran may raise questions in Tehran about the regime's survival. Lord pointed out that when operations are carried out openly, this may represent a major escalation for Iran.

Charles Lister of the Middle East Institute in Washington noted that a possible response could include targeting important sites or prominent figures in Iranian-backed groups in Iraq or Syria. He stated that these attacks are completely different from what has been happening over the past few months, and despite increasing pressure to take action inside Iran, he does not believe this administration will do so.

A US Defense Department official said, without revealing his identity, that it is not clear what the second and third effects of pursuing Iran might be. The official added that if the United States is not ready for an all-out war, there is no point in launching an attack on Iran. However, Lord and other experts acknowledge that Israel has struck Iranian targets in Syria over the years, without Iran stopping, including the killing of 4 Iranian Revolutionary Guard officials in Damascus on January 20.

The United States has also struck Iran-linked targets outside Iran in the past few months. For example, the US military announced last November that it had targeted a facility used by Iranian-backed groups and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard itself. Despite this, Lister says there is past record showing that Iran may sometimes retreat after strong strikes, such as the attack on General Qasem Soleimani in the 2020 operation.

A number of experts who Al Jazeera Net spoke to believe that there was a silent understanding and awareness of the red lines between Washington and Tehran (and its affiliated armed groups) in the arena of confrontation between them in Iraq and Syria. The real reason behind the attack inside Jordan specifically is not yet known, an attack that President Biden, in an election year, does not have the luxury of ignoring or not responding to militarily.

Adam Weinstein, deputy director of the Middle East Program at the Quincy Institute in Washington, believes that it has always been clear that the presence of scattered American forces in Iraq and Syria poses a risk of dragging the United States into a larger conflict in such an unpredictable region. He added in an interview with Al Jazeera Net, "For this reason, I have always advocated rethinking the American military position in Iraq, since I called for exploring how Washington could conduct a gradual withdrawal of forces and reassess the goals of this presence, especially with the increasing risks of provoking a broader conflict, whether intentionally or Unintentionally".

For his part, David Des Roches, a former Pentagon official and Professor for the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies in the National Defense University in Washington, expressed to Al Jazeera Net his surprise that the attack occurred inside Jordanian territory. Des Roches said it was very likely that the drone that attacked forces in Jordan was directed at a target in Syria and missed. He added: "Given that Iran prefers to operate through a network of proxies that do not generally restrict their activities, it should not surprise us that they would attack American forces in a previously neutral country."

He considered, "The only thing that did not surprise me was that Iranian agents were finally able to kill Americans. American forces in Iraq and Syria have been attacked more than 170 times by Iranian agents in the past few months, and it was inevitable that they would be lucky and penetrate American defenses sooner or later."

For his part, in an interview with Al Jazeera Net, Charles Dunn, a former official at the White House and the US State Department, and currently an expert at the Arab Institute in Washington, said, “The attack is somewhat surprising, given that Jordan has not yet been the subject of attacks by militias allied with "Iran in Syria or Iraq. This latest attack expands the circle of countries directly affected by or participating in the fighting and deepens the risk of a broader conflict, with the United States directly implicated on multiple fronts."

Des Roches indicated that the Biden administration must respond strongly to this attack, and he told Al Jazeera Net: “Biden has two ways to do this. The first is by expanding their list of targets in Syria. In the past, the vast majority of American retaliatory strikes were directed against buildings or weapons depots. “I believe the list of targets may now expand to include militia leadership, and perhaps members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard who provide the militias with weapons, intelligence, training, and operational guidance.” The second way, according to the American military expert, is to escalate horizontally, that is, directing attacks against Iranian forces and their agents outside Iraq and Syria. This could include Iranian intelligence ships operating in the Arabian Sea.

Regarding the nature of Biden’s response, former White House official Charles Dunn said: “I expect the administration, which blamed the attack on Iranian-backed militias operating from Syria or Iraq, to respond quickly and directly with strikes against militia targets and even Iranian facilities in the two countries.”

Former President Donald Trump argued that President Biden's "weakness and surrender" was responsible for the deadly drone attack in Jordan that killed 3 US military personnel. Trump said in a post on his website, Truth Social: “This attack would never have happened if I were president, just as the Iranian-backed Hamas attack on Israel would never have happened, and the war in Ukraine would never have happened, and we would have peace by now.” "All over the world. Instead, we are on the brink of World War III."

The former Iranian ambassador to Britain , Jalal Sadatian, links the targeting of American interests in the region with the United States’ absolute support for Israel in its war on the Gaza Strip , anticipating a regional escalation if this support continues to “exterminate” the people of Gaza. Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Sadatian pointed out that a number of American soldiers were killed for the first time since the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza as a result of resistance factions’ attacks on Washington’s interests, describing the latest development as “a natural result of the Zionist-American adventure aimed at restricting the hands of the resistance and releasing Israel’s hands to continue committing genocide.” collective in Gaza.

He believed that the attack that claimed the lives of 3 American soldiers came after the issuance of the International Court of Justice’s decision in the lawsuit filed by South Africa regarding the Israeli war on Gaza. The former Iranian diplomat considered that the court’s decision gives the resistance factions international legitimacy to pressure the United States - as Tel Aviv ’s biggest supporter - to prevent genocide in the Gaza Strip, and he was surprised by its continued provision of this absolute support following the decision.

He reads the American and British accusations against Iran of supporting Islamic resistance movements that target American interests and ships heading to Israel through the Red Sea “in the context of the rampant escalation in the region,” warning against falling into the Israeli trap aimed at putting Tehran and Washington in a military confrontation.

Another Iranian segment believes that a confrontation between the Islamic Republic and the United States is just around the corner. In response to a question directed by Al Jazeera Net to the political activist and researcher in Middle East affairs , Ahmed Zaidabadi, regarding the possibility of Washington launching a military strike against Iranian interests in response to the attack on an American base in Jordan, the response was positive.

Zaidabadi believes that the possibility of American retaliation and harming Iran’s interests is “very possible,” and that it will be a response to Iraqi resistance movements targeting the logistical support base in Jordan. He suggested that American retaliation will be “soon” and that its targets will be outside the Iranian borders, especially in Syria and Iraq. He also believes that the Iranian-American confrontation will be inevitable in the absence of a strong and clear political will among the leaders of Tehran and Washington to agree on major regional files, warning that developments could slide into a major military confrontation between them.

The researcher added that developments in the Middle East are getting worse day by day, and that wavering policies are unable to address the raging escalation in the region. He concluded that stopping the aggression against Gaza does not mean a decline in tension and confrontation between Tehran and Washington, but rather “it will equate to a transition to a more dangerous stage.”

the researcher in military affairs, Muhammad Mehdi Yazdi, rules out Washington launching a military strike against Iranian interests, explaining that despite the “brutal media campaign” against Tehran, American leaders avoid linking the attacks to it, because that will expose them to criticism and great pressure demanding that Iran be confronted in a serious manner. direct.

He believed - in an interview with Al Jazeera Net - that Washington does not want to confront Tehran at the current stage, because firing a coup de grace on their relations that fluctuate between the states of “no peace and no war” would be tantamount to setting fire to the region’s powder tank, which could endanger American interests.

In his reading of the attack on the American base, the military researcher believes that it comes to divert the American focus from the Red Sea region, and to reduce the attacks targeting Yemen from time to time in response to Houthi operations on ships heading to Israel.

He said that the Israeli aggression on Gaza brought the “Zionist-American axis” into a complex confrontation with the axis of resistance, and that the increasing attacks on American interests in the region send a clear message that there is no security for these interests following the occupation’s aggression, which enjoys broad American support, which opens the door to a settlement of the axis. The resistance has its calculations with Washington.

Operational Update

Israeli Army Radio reported that the Israeli army is expected to increase the scope of its military activity in the northern Gaza Strip in the coming weeks.

Israel’s defense minister said that a quarter of Hamas fighters have been killed and at least another quarter have been wounded, while he expects fighting in Gaza to last for months. “A quarter of Hamas’ terrorists have been killed and at least another quarter are wounded - the ‘hourglass’ has flipped against their favor,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said while meeting troops near the Gaza border.

“There will remain terrorists and we will fight in terror hot spots – and it will take months, not a single day. On the other hand, the terrorists don’t have supplies, they don’t have ammunition, they don’t have reinforcements,” Gallant said, according to a statement from his office.

Gallant also announced that Israeli troops will “very soon go into action” near the country’s northern border with Lebanon. He told troops near the border with the besieged Gaza Strip that others were being deployed to Israel’s north. “They will very soon go into action... so the forces in the north are reinforced,” Gallant said, according to video released by his office. He added that reservists would be gradually released “to prepare and come ready” for future operations.

Israel’s army chief Herzi Halevi said earlier this month that the likelihood of war on the northern border has become “much higher.” “I don’t know when the war in the north is, I can tell you that the likelihood of it happening in the coming months is much higher than it was in the past,” Halevi said.

IDF spokesman , Brigadier General Daniel Hagari: "136 abductees and abductees are still in Gaza. We will not forget you. No one has given up, and no one will. There is a tremendous national effort, our job is to create the conditions to return them all." "Four Hamas battalions operated under the Khan Yunis Brigade, and we dismantled two of them. We eliminated more than 2,000 terrorists in Khan Yunis and destroyed underground infrastructure. Three Hamas terrorists surrendered to our forces in the tunnel and they are providing important intelligence information."

"We thwarted dozens of rocket launch attempts, we will continue this effort. We will continue the attack in Khan Yunis. We will deepen the achievement. The Gaza Division is operating along the border, there is no change in the instructions to open fire. We will continue to refresh fighting forces in order to maintain competence."

Intense Israeli bombardment from air, land, and sea continued across much of the Gaza Strip on 27 and 28 January, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction. Hostilities were particularly intense in Khan Younis, with heavy fighting reported in proximity to Nasser and Al Amal hospitals, with reports of Palestinians fleeing to the southern town of Rafah, which is already overcrowded, despite the lack of safe passage. Rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel continued as well. Ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups were also reported across much of Gaza. Hostilities were particularly intense in Khan Younis, with heavy fighting reported.

The Israeli army announced - according to official sources - the withdrawal of two brigades from the Khan Yunis Governorate, south of the Gaza Strip, despite repeated statements by political and military officials about the intensification of operations there. In this context, the military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, says that the eastern region of Khan Yunis Governorate is twice the area of the city of Khan Yunis, and there are elite forces from the Al-Qassam Brigades and the Al-Quds Brigades , the military wings of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) and Islamic Jihad, respectively.

Al-Duwairi adds that the occupation destroyed the town of Khuza’a, east of Khan Yunis, and was unable to enter it. It is also facing great difficulties east of the areas of New Abasan and Abasan Al-Kabira, in which it suffers high human losses. “This is why it chose to go to the area most important to its strategic goals,” referring to focusing its attack on the city of Khan Yunis. The forces retreated to the eastern region.

Al-Duwairi means the presence of Hamas’ first-line political and military leaders and Israeli prisoners in the place, “which means that there is a surplus of forces.” In addition, these brigades have been fighting for months and need to recover and rehabilitate after suffering major losses.

Another scenario also emerges - according to Al-Duwairi - which is the withdrawal of these forces from Khan Yunis towards the northern front with the Lebanese Hezbollah in light of the escalation of the Israeli tone regarding the necessity of the latter retreating beyond the Litani River, otherwise this will be done militarily.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported the withdrawal of the 4th and 55th Brigades from the Gaza Strip after the end of their mission there, while Israeli Army Radio said that the 4th Reserve Brigade, known as “Kiryati,” includes thousands of soldiers and was fighting in the areas north and east of Khan Yunis.

As for the rest of the fighting axes in the Gaza Strip, the military expert confirms that there is a decision to withdraw Israeli forces from the northern region, and only enter to carry out specific military missions, indicating that the most important point for the occupation is the establishment of a buffer zone from the far northeast to the entire eastern strip of the Gaza Strip.

In the Central Governorate, where there are 3 brigades, the Israeli mechanisms partially succeeded in separating the camps from each other, but after the specific raid operation and the failure of the occupation to achieve any achievement in the Bureij camp, the forces retreated and maintained a buffer zone with the raids.

Al-Duwairi stressed in his daily military analysis that the Israeli occupation forces will not win the battle in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip , because the Palestinian resistance is managing the battle effectively. The Khan Yunis Brigade is historically considered one of the most ferocious Palestinian resistance brigades in fighting, and it was the one that used adhesive gaskets, according to Al-Duwairi, who added that this brigade has knowledge in battle management. He had initially prevented 6 Israeli brigades from going deeper into the Bani Suhaila area, east of Khan Yunis.

In his talk about the resistance’s performance, the military expert cited the new scenes broadcast by the Al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) - relating to battles between its fighters and the Israeli army in the west of the city of Khan Yunis. According to Al-Duwairi, the Israeli occupation forces insist on entering Khan Yunis, because they are looking for “deceitful targets” through the opening of the tunnels, which they believe will help them reach the tunnel network, noting that the occupation believes that the Israeli prisoners and Palestinian resistance leaders are present in the tunnel network in Khan Younes.

It is noteworthy that the occupation army withdrew yesterday evening, Sunday, two brigades from the area, because it was unable to employ the force with which it sent (8 brigades) there in the correct manner, according to the assessment of the military expert. Regarding the course of the battles in Khan Yunis, the same source suggested that the occupation army would reconsider and retreat in order to reorganize and increase combat readiness, if casualties among its forces increased.

He expressed his belief that the occupation will not win the battle of Khan Yunis, and even if it enters it, it will not be able to consolidate it, as happened with it in the Sheikh Radwan area in Gaza City, and "but it will cause great damage and losses to civilians, fighters, and infrastructure."

During the fighting in Khan Yunis, the combat teams of the 98th Division raided hundreds of terrorist infrastructures and Hamas positions. The infrastructures included the headquarters of the battalions, training complexes of the terrorist organization Hamas, a communications post, the commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade, the military intelligence building, a significant factory for the production of rockets and the offices of many senior officials, including the office of Yahya Sinwar.

"We are fighting a simultaneous maneuver - fighting above ground and underground at the same time, uniquely and professionally, with the cooperation of special forces, commandos and the divisional combat teams," said the 98th Brigade, Brigadier General Dan Goldfuss, "Hamas terrorists on the run, we hit them and hit their infrastructure Owner of land and sub-land".

An IDF soldier was seriously injured today as a result of a drive-by attack near an IDF base in the north of the country. The soldier was taken to a hospital for medical treatment, his family was informed. After that, the terrorist got out of the vehicle and tried to attack IDF soldiers with an ax. The fighters responded by shooting and an IDF officer neutralized the terrorist.

A team commander in the naval course, Capt. E., eliminated the terrorist who carried out the attack. "In the morning, I arrived at the gate of the base and heard cries for help from civilians. I identified the terrorist and acted to neutralize him quickly while protecting the civilians in the vicinity," he recalls, "as a commander in a cadet course, I stress to the cadets the importance of striving for contact, while maintaining a cool Spirit and determination - on the beach and at sea."

Further to the claims regarding the instructions to open fire at the Gaza border, the IDF clarifies that there is no change in the instructions to open fire, and the IDF forces are acting according to the instructions not to allow any party to reach the border fence. The instructions to open fire and the use of force policy allow the forces to fulfill their mission, while preventing incidents of our forces firing on our forces, or harming Israeli civilians, including hostages who may reach the area.

IDF forces are deployed along the border area, and are also fighting in the depths of the Strip. In the last month, dozens of terrorists were killed in the border area. The forces of Division 98 raided an underground tunnel located under the Bnei Suhila cemetery in the heart of Khan Yunis. During the exploration of the tunnel, the fighters came across explosives, sliding doors and top doors and eliminated terrorists who were inside. The forces located within the tunnel route the office of the commander of the eastern battalion from the Khan Yunis brigade from where he directed the attack on October 7, operations rooms and battalion combat management and bedrooms of senior officials of the Hamas terrorist organization. The tunnel was used by Hamas in conducting their fight against the above and underground forces. for all the details .

The Israeli army announced that it had raided the office of the head of the Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army said that the forces are continuing to fight in the region and dismantling the Hamas brigades affiliated with the Khan Yunis Brigade. The army stated that during the fighting in Khan Yunis, the fighting groups of the 98th Division raided hundreds of infrastructure and sites belonging to Hamas, including the brigades’ command headquarters, training complexes, a communications site, an operations room belonging to the “Khan Yunis” Brigade, the military intelligence headquarters, and a pivotal factory for the production of missiles. The missile system has offices belonging to several officials, including the office of Yahya Sinwar. The army reported that the forces and special units made significant progress inside the underground track in Khan Yunis.

As part of the operation in West Khan Yunis, the Air Force in cooperation with the fire complex of the commando formation attacked with aircraft two buildings that were used as terrorist infrastructures and in which there were a number of armed terrorists who were eliminated. The fighters of the commando formation identified and eliminated five terrorists, one of them armed with an RPG. The fighters raided terrorist targets and found many weapons, including RPGs, military equipment and technological means.

The launchers located by the fighters of the 5th Brigade and the means of warfare located by the fighters of the commando formation

Also in the Khan Yunis area, the fighters of the paratrooper brigade continued raids on targets and found weapons and military equipment inside a house of a Hamas terrorist. Also, the fighters identified and killed four terrorists who were preparing to attack our forces near the "El Amal" hospital. The fighters raided a building that was used as a hiding place for GAP terrorists and found weapons there.

In the center of the Gaza Strip, the fighters of the Nahal Brigade's combat team eliminated dozens of armed terrorists in the past day in encounters as well as with the help of tank fire directed by the fighters and observations in the field. Also, the fighters of the brigade located many weapons in the area. On the outskirts of Shati in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, the fighters of the 5th Brigade Combat Team in the last day eliminated a number of armed terrorists in various encounters and located many weapons in the area, including a Kalashnikov, an RPG, a charge, missiles and many launchers. The fire complex of the 5th Brigade in cooperation with the Air Force directed an aircraft that eliminated terrorists in the sector and fighter jets attacked several targets, including terrorist infrastructures, anti-tank positions, tunnel shafts, and observation posts.

The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), broadcast new scenes of what it said were battles between its fighters and the Israeli occupation army west of the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip. The scenes shown by Al Jazeera showed fighters from the Al-Qassam Brigades destroying Israeli tanks west of Khan Yunis.

Al-Duwairi, gave a detailed reading of the video presented by the Al-Qassam Brigades, and talked about 3 injuries that occurred in different ways. He said that one of the fighters came out from somewhere and ran. He was taking shelter next to a wall, and someone was helping him. He drew his attention to the presence of the target, so he hit him. He pointed out that there was cooperation between the launcher and the person responsible for reconnaissance and passing on information, stressing that the fighter caused a direct hit on the Israeli target. He said that the first shot showed the Qassam fighter in the street, while the second and third shots showed him inside a building, and the target was very clear and very close.

The Al- Qassam Brigades fired a missile salvo towards Tel Aviv and other cities, and sirens were heard, prompting the Israelis to take shelter in shelters. The Al-Qassam Brigades announced the bombing of Tel Aviv with a missile barrage in response to the Israeli massacres against civilians, according to its announcement. Al-Qassam Brigades fired the missile attack towards Israeli towns from the south of the Gaza Strip .

The Al Jazeera correspondent said that sirens sounded in the sky of Tel Aviv and the surrounding areas, and that the sounds of violent explosions were heard in the city as a result of air interceptions. Israeli Channel 12 reported that Israeli air defenses intercepted at least 12 missiles after sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and its suburbs. The same source also stated that cars in Rishon LeZion, south of Tel Aviv, were hit by a missile fired from the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian resistance created a complex network of underground tunnels to neutralize Israel's military and technical superiority. After nearly 4 months of war, the occupation failed to decode these tunnels in which Palestinian resistance movements are believed to be holding Israeli prisoners. International media estimates indicated that the Gaza Strip tunnel network includes 1,300 tunnels, extending about 500 kilometers, some of which reach a depth of 70 meters underground, and are divided into insurance, attack, defense, supply, and command tunnels.

Despite the Israeli army’s insistence on continuing its war on Gaza, it has not yet been able to reach the tunnel network, which was indicated by the Wall Street Journal, which quoted American and Israeli officials as saying, “About 80% of the resistance tunnels are still intact. “Which hinders Israel’s main objectives in the war.” The newspaper explained that Israel used several methods to try to destroy the tunnels, including “installing huge pumps to flood them with water, destroying them with air strikes and liquid explosives, searching them with dogs and robots, destroying their entrances, and raiding them.”

The number revealed by the American newspaper regarding the Gaza Strip tunnels attracted the attention of social media users, in comments and tweets, some of which were quoted in the episode (1/29/2024) of the “Shabakat” Al Jazeera program. Arwa wrote, “Hamas activity in the areas from which the Israeli army withdrew in northern Gaza raises concern in Israel. 80% of the Hamas and Gaza tunnels have not been destroyed yet.. The army is living in a maze searching for tunnels.” Ahmed commented on the issue, saying, "A failed, defeated paper army that was unable to crack the tunnel code... was unable to free a single prisoner... not even knowing the correct number or their whereabouts."

Ali Hamad believed that what the American newspaper reported were “deceptive statements. The Zionists want to justify their killing of civilians, their displacement, and the destruction of all of Gaza so that it becomes uninhabitable for living.” In this context, Samir asked, “Aren’t such reports intended to incite Western public opinion against Hamas, which, according to their propaganda, is terrorist and wants to wipe out the entity?”

Adnan Al-Dali wrote, "The truth that the enemy does not dare to say is that he was defeated in Gaza, that it has become a graveyard for him, and that military vehicles have become easy bait for Al-Yassin missiles."

In the second half of January, humanitarian partners continue to observe a declining trend in their attempts to access the northern and central areas of Gaza. The reasons include excessive delays for humanitarian aid convoys before or at Israeli checkpoints and heightened military activity in central Gaza. Threats to the safety of humanitarian personnel and sites are also frequent, impeding not only the delivery of time-sensitive and life-saving aid but also posing serious risks to those involved in humanitarian efforts.

A young Palestinian man was killed at dawn by Israeli occupation forces' bullets as they stormed a town in Jenin , while other cities and towns in the West Bank witnessed armed clashes. Al Jazeera's correspondent said that the young man was martyred while Palestinians confronted Israeli forces that stormed the town of Yamoun, west of the city of Jenin. Palestinian activists said that the martyr was Thaer Naim.

The occupation forces stormed the city of Jenin itself and arrested a young man in the Al-Hadaf neighborhood before withdrawing at dawn today. Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that clashes broke out between Palestinian resistance fighters and the occupation forces after they stormed Jenin and besieged residential neighborhoods in the city.

Palestinian platforms broadcast scenes showing Israeli military bulldozers demolishing and sabotaging infrastructure in the streets of Jenin. The pictures also show the deployment of military reinforcements of occupation vehicles in several neighborhoods of the city and Jenin camp. Armed clashes also broke out between resistance fighters and the occupation forces after they stormed the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin.

Also in the northern West Bank, Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that Israeli occupation forces stormed the Old City and the Balata and Askar camps in Nablus. Gunfire was heard in Balata camp, and a military bulldozer removed obstacles, destroyed facilities, and swept away some streets in the camp. In this context, the Israeli occupation forces arrested two young Palestinians in the Aida camp, north of the city of Bethlehem in the southern West Bank, during their storming of the camp. Foot soldiers from the occupation army deployed in the alleys of the camp and raided a number of homes before withdrawing from the camp.

The Israeli army had previously stormed the city of Tubas, causing armed confrontations. Pictures showed plumes of smoke rising after an Israeli military vehicle was targeted with an explosive device.

In the southern West Bank, Israeli occupation forces stormed the town of Nahalin, west of Bethlehem, from its northern entrance, erected barriers in the town and detained a number of young men. They also prevented citizens’ vehicles from passing and deployed their patrols in several areas and on the main street of the town of Husan. Israeli occupation forces stormed the town of Beit Kahil, west of Hebron, and the correspondent said that they raided a number of citizens' homes. In the central West Bank, at least one Palestinian was injured by Israeli occupation army bullets yesterday in the village of Beit Rima, northwest of the city of Ramallah.

IDF and MGB soldiers operated in a counter-terrorism operation in the Jenin refugee camp in the Menashe Brigade, during which engineering tools uncovered shafts in which charges had been planted with the aim of harming the forces. who responded by shooting. During an attempt to arrest a wanted man by Dovdban fighters in the village of El Yamoun, he opened fire at them and they killed him. At the same time, the reserve fighters operated in a number of terrorist centers in the city of Nablus, including the Kasbah, the Askar refugee camp and the Balata refugee camp, interrogating suspects and confiscating military equipment.

In the village of Akeb in Benjamin, the fighters confiscated weapons and in the village of Azon in Ephraim, the fighters confiscated additional weapons. The wanted persons who were arrested were transferred for further investigation by the security forces, there are no casualties to Israeli forces.

In less than two hours since the last attack in southern Lebanon, fighter jets once again attacked terrorist targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon. As part of the attack, a number of terrorist infrastructures of the organization were destroyed along with an observation post in the Markaba, A-Taiba and Maron al-Ras areas in southern Lebanon. Also, a number of launches were detected that crossed the territory of Lebanon towards the north of the country. IDF forces attacked the sources of the shooting along with other areas in Lebanese territory.

Fighter jets attacked two military buildings where a number of operatives of the terrorist organization Hezbollah were staying in the Yaron region of southern Lebanon. Also, earlier today, IDF forces attacked a launch site from which launches were made to the north of the country. In addition, during the day, a number of launches were detected that crossed from Lebanese territory to the north of the country, IDF forces attacked the sources of the shooting alongside other areas in Lebanese territory.

The spokesman for the Armed Forces of Yemen Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced that a US ship was targeted in the Gulf of Aden. The US ship, named Lewis B puller, was targeted with a Naval missile in support of the Palestinian people and in response to the American and British attacks on Yemen. The American ship was in charge of providing logistical support for the American forces that participated in the attacks against Yemen, Saree stressed. The Yemeni armed forces will continue their operations against Israeli ships and ships bound for the ports is occupied Palestine, according to his statement.

Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, met with the Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Shipping, Guy Platten, to discuss developments in the situation in the Red Sea region and their impact on global supply chains and the Suez Canal. During the meeting, Rabie stressed the Suez Canal Authority’s keenness to enhance cooperation with all international maritime organizations and institutions, consult with its customers about the repercussions of the current crisis, and present visions to confront the various challenges associated with the crisis and reduce its impact on the global trade movement.

He stressed that "the current crisis requires concerted all efforts, exchanging visions about its repercussions, and identifying its effects on global supply chains and all sectors related to maritime transport, including the marine insurance sector, which is witnessing a rise in the cost of insurance for ships that pass through the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab region."

For his part, Guy Plattin, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping, expressed his appreciation for the efforts made by the Suez Canal Authority in achieving effective communication with all active parties in the maritime community, stressing the positive impact that communication brings towards understanding the current conditions in the maritime transport market and what it is witnessing. Of successive variables.

Platin pointed to the continuation of consultation with the Suez Canal Authority as a major partner and an indispensable shipping lane for the stability and sustainability of global supply chains, expressing his aspiration for the crisis to end as soon as possible due to the challenges it poses to the sustainability of global supply chains.

Maps

All maps are lies. “Not only is it easy to lie with maps, it is essential,” wrote cartographer Mark Monmoneir in his book How to Lie with Maps. He showed that condensing complex, three-dimensional spaces onto a two-dimensional sheet of paper is bound to be reductive. But it is impossible to comprehend the war in Gaza without reference to maps, otherwise the entire conflict is reduced to an endless series of meaningless acts of random violence and the suffering of civilians. The first characteristic of guerrilla warfare is the loss of a front line. Evidently, different mappers have different ideas of how to depict the war in Gaza, notably those that seek to depict Israeli progress in the ground campaign. Part of the problem is latency. The news that forms the basis of the maps takes time to filter out to mappers, and the cartographers take time in crafting their maps, and it takes time to curate them. These processes are uneven among mappers, so their maps may differ in detail. Probably there is some ideological bias, or at least thematic apperception, which is understandable in wartime. It may come as no surprise that al-Jazeera maps depict rather less Israeli territorial progress than other sources. Finally, there remains the epistemological question of just exactly what are the colored in areas depicting. Naively, this might be understood as areas of Israeli control, that are no longer contested by the HAMAS. Or possibly these are areas of Israeli presence, in many of which the possibility of an RPG-wielding HAMAS militant popping out of a tunnel unexpectedly remains a live possibility. With the "zero-range" combat characterized by small unit tactics on both sides, maps may be prey to a fallacy of misplaced concreteness. Indeed, by late January 2024 mappers were rather less exuberant in their depictions of IDF advances. While by the end of 2023 maps suggested that it was "mission accomplished" in North Gaza which was depicted as entirely pacified, by late January 2024 enclaves of IDF elements were depicted at the margins of Gaza City, much of North Gaza was now depticted as either HAMAS-controlled, or "contested". Another noteworthy cartographic ambiguity was 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 was an IDF permissive corridor for nearly the full length of the Strip, much of adjacent territory was not. By 29 January 2024 Al-Jazeera had finally come around to some of the cartographic conventions of other mappers, indicating "occupied areas", and even providing a map of IDF ORBAT in the Strip.

Bystanders

The New York Times revealed details of the accusations leveled by Israel against some employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) of participating in the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation on October 7. According to the American newspaper, the accusations against a number of UNRWA employees were submitted in a file by the Israeli government to the United States, which includes the names and jobs of UNRWA employees and the allegations directed against them, according to the newspaper.

It said that the accused UNRWA employees “helped Hamas carry out the October 7 attacks” that led to the outbreak of war in Gaza, or “assisted it during the following days.” It was reported that one of the accused is a school counselor from Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, and he is accused of working with his son to kidnap a woman from Israel. A social worker from Nuseirat, central Gaza, was also accused of helping to bring the body of a dead Israeli soldier to the Strip, as well as distributing ammunition and coordinating vehicles on the day of the attack.

According to the newspaper, a third person was described as having “participated in a massacre” in a kibbutz in the Gaza Strip, in which 97 people were killed. The Israeli file stated, “The country’s intelligence officers were able to determine the movements of 6 men inside Israel on October 7 based on their phones, and others were monitored while making phone calls inside Gaza, during which they discussed their involvement in the Hamas attack. 3 others received text messages ordering them to attend.” To the assembly points on October 7, one of them was asked to bring rocket-propelled grenades stored at his home.”

The Israelis described 10 of the employees as “members of the Hamas movement,” while another person belonged to “Islamic Jihad” in Gaza, and “7 of the accused are teachers in UNRWA schools in Gaza, where they work to teach students subjects such as mathematics and the Arabic language, and work.” Two others are in schools in other capacities, and the remaining three are described as: clerk, social worker, and store manager.” In response to a question about Israel’s allegations, UNRWA told the New York Times that “two of its 12 employees accused of involvement in the attacks have died, but it cannot provide further information while the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services is still investigating the matter.”

Romania, Austria and Japan joined the list of countries that adopted the Israeli position and announced that they would stop supporting UNRWA. In 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for placing Palestinian refugees under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and ending the presence of UNRWA.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ) is being subjected to an unprecedented Israeli and international campaign, as several donor countries have stopped funding this agency, which is the lifeline of more than 5.5 million Palestinian refugees. Israel intensified its campaign against UNRWA during the war it was waging in the Gaza Strip , claiming that some of the agency's cadres had joined the Palestinian resistance factions, and that the Izz al-Din al -Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) - were using the agency's headquarters and schools in combat operations.

In parallel with these accusations, Israel launched a campaign to stop funding the agency, and donor countries responded by announcing their withdrawal, without waiting for the results of any official investigation, bringing the total lost funding to about 56% of the organization’s total budget. It is noteworthy that the withdrawal of donor countries came hours after a decision issued by the International Court of Justice , which ordered Israel to ensure the entry of relief materials into the Gaza Strip. The agency relies entirely on contributions from member states of the United Nations, and its budget in 2022 was estimated at about one billion and 200 million dollars. The United States provided the largest percentage, about 30%, followed by Germany and the European Union, out of 20 donor countries and the United Nations.

The United Nations rapporteur on the right to housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, told Al Jazeera that some countries’ suspension of funding for UNRWA constitutes collective punishment for the residents of the Gaza Strip, stressing that a people cannot be punished because of the alleged mistakes of individuals in the agency. For its part, the Hamas movement on Saturday denounced the Israeli "threats" against UNRWA and other international organizations, and called on "the United Nations and international institutions not to give in to the threats and blackmails" of Israel.

Following the allegations made by Israel against UNRWA, the United States was quick to suspend any funding for the UN organization, followed by Canada, Australia, Italy, the United Kingdom, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Japan. Switzerland waited to obtain more information before making a decision regarding its assistance to UNRWA, and Norway announced yesterday, Sunday, that it would continue to fund the agency despite doubts about the involvement of some of its employees in the Hamas attack on Israel, and thus the positions of those countries were proven.

International newspapers and websites focused - in articles and reports - on the most prominent events and developments in the Arab region, especially the repercussions of donor countries stopping funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ) in the Gaza Strip. The Wall Street Journal highlighted the United Nations warnings about the repercussions of countries announcing their suspension of funding for UNRWA on the residents of the Gaza Strip.

It was stated - in the newspaper’s report - that in other crises around the world, the United Nations relies on multiple agencies active on the ground, but the situation in Gaza is completely different, as UNRWA - the report adds - is the only agency working there and it will be difficult for another international body to compensate for its role in this circumstance. Briefly, while the conflict continues.

Liberation newspaper said that several Western countries took the initiative to suspend their donations to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ) immediately after Israel accused employees of the agency of participating in the attack on October 7, 2023, a decision that the political expert specializing in Middle East affairs, Jean-Paul Chaneloud, believes “has consequences.” “Severe.”

The newspaper explained - in an interview summarized by Maria Malagardes - that more than 10 Western countries, including the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom, have suspended vital funding for this organization that has been responsible since 1949 for the fate of Palestinian refugees, and which is the only source of humanitarian aid for the residents of the Gaza Strip who are being subjected to army bombing.

UNRWA immediately terminated the contracts of 9 suspected employees, another died, and the rest were not identified. It also opened an investigation to determine the precise responsibilities of dozens of targeted employees, but that did not seem sufficient, as the speed of the donor countries’ reaction coincided with the issuance of the International Court of Justice’s order to “accept.” The occurrence of genocide in Gaza, and its call to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians stranded in the Gaza Strip.

The Middle East affairs expert spoke about the indispensable role of UNRWA in the lives of 6 million Palestinian refugees, two million of whom are in Gaza, noting that the Israeli right has always been hostile to this agency, and former US President Donald Trump withdrew financial support for it, but he was succeeded by an atmosphere Biden brought it back.

But behind the financial aspect - as the expert says - there is always the political question: How do we make the issue of Palestinian refugees disappear? Because this is the logic that prevailed before October 7, when Israel was preparing to normalize its relations with Arab countries, before the ongoing war revived the idea of eliminating UNRWA.

The Middle East affairs expert pointed out that the Europeans took a fairly clear position supporting the implementation of the order issued by the International Court of Justice, but we have the impression that some countries such as Germany immediately wanted to “rebalance” this position by suspending funding for UNRWA in the wake of the Israeli accusations.

The two positions appear - to the expert - to be contradictory, as it is not possible to support the urgent need for more humanitarian measures on the one hand, and to cut off funds from UNRWA, which provides this aid on the spot, on the other hand, and because striking this agency contradicts what the Court of Justice requested.

At a time when the world has completely abandoned the Palestinian population, the presence of UNRWA on the spot hinders the Israeli strategy that wants to “destroy everything,” as the Israeli Defense Minister clearly said, especially since Israel today - as the expert believes - wants to liquidate the Palestinian issue and expel the Palestinians. From the Gaza Strip, UNRWA is a collateral victim of this strategy.

The Middle East affairs expert expressed his fear that the decision to cut funding for UNRWA would strengthen the idea of expelling Palestinians from Gaza, concluding that Western alignment with Israeli positions toward UNRWA is “a sign of our contradictions and weakness in defending the law.”

The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, indicated that the International Court of Justice requested “allowing effective humanitarian assistance” to the residents of the Gaza Strip, and therefore the suspension by several countries of their funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ), and said that it was a violation of the decision of the International Court of Justice, and could constitute a violation of the International Convention on Genocide . She said the decision of those countries amounts to “open disobedience to the decision of the International Court of Justice.”

A number of international law experts who Al Jazeera Net spoke to agreed on the importance of the International Court of Justice’s decision in the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel, accusing it of committing the crime of genocide against the Palestinian people, because of its many and varied repercussions. The experts pointed out that, based on the ruling of the International Court of Justice, it is possible to work to hold the Israeli officials complicit in these crimes accountable, and to work to stop supplying Israel with weapons and financial and economic aid, and to work to expel Israel from international organizations.

Professor Francis Boyle, professor of international law at the University of Illinois, confirmed in his interview with Al Jazeera Net that “the court’s decision is a huge and overwhelming legal victory for South Africa against Israel, in order to push it to cease and desist from committing all acts of genocide against the Palestinians,” based on his experience as an advisor to Bosnia and Herzegovina against the president. Former Serbian Slobodan Milosevic , on trial for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Professor Boyle pointed out that “the ruling of the Court of Justice, which includes judges from various corners of the world, by an overwhelming majority, of 15 votes to two, and 16 votes to one, confirms that South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel has clear justifications, otherwise this matter would not have been possible.” To go down like this."

Political commentator and international affairs expert Asal Rad said, “Although the International Court of Justice’s ruling did not amount to a call for an immediate ceasefire, it was a victory for South Africa’s case by refusing to dismiss the case, as Israel wanted, and by proving the reasonableness of the acts of genocide it committed.”

“The fact that the rulings of the 17-judge panel were close to unanimous support supports the validity of South Africa’s position, and the six urgent interim measures decided by the court demonstrate the urgent need for Israel to take action to prevent acts of genocide, and to publicly hold officials complicit in these crimes accountable,” Rudd added. The expert stated, "Given its history of impunity, the court's decision is historic for prosecuting Israel for genocide. However, given the lack of enforcement mechanisms, Israel is likely to continue its attack until action is taken by third countries to hold Israel accountable."

International law expert at New York University, Professor Robert Hawes, also pointed out in an interview with Al Jazeera Net, “The International Court of Justice’s ruling is excellent, both in terms of its legality and legitimacy, and from the point of view of legitimacy, the court’s order against Israel was partially supported by 16 judges out of 17 (including The Israeli judge Barak, in the rest of the articles, was supported by 15 judges out of 17, and the support of the American judge is very remarkable!”

Heidi Matthews, a professor of international law at York University School of Law in Canada, who previously worked with the International Court of Justice in the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and worked on the prosecutor’s team at the Special Court for Lebanon , believes that “the court’s ruling is historic, even though it was fabricated by the United States and others.” However, it is merely a repetition of the demands of Hamas and Israel to act in accordance with international humanitarian law.”

She confirmed in her interview with Al Jazeera Net, "The most important thing that can be concluded from the temporary measures order is that the court found that South Africa had presented an argument that the allegations of genocide in Gaza were at least plausible, and this effectively puts all countries on notice that there is - at least - "There is a serious danger that Israel is participating or will participate in acts of genocide with the specific and clear intention of completely or partially eliminating the Palestinian people in Gaza." The professor stated, "The court's decisions create a positive international legal obligation for all states to take measures within their authority to prevent genocide. This may include, for example, stopping arms exports, or providing other types of material assistance to Israel."

International law expert Professor Hawes also asserted that “the Court clearly found that Israel is in violation of the Genocide Convention, and there is an immediate and continuing danger of continued violation, which requires urgent action. The Court widely cited statements of genocidal intent by Israel’s leaders and senior officials, Such as the Minister of Defense, its Prime Minister and its President.”

“The court clearly accepted that the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the forced displacement of almost the entire population, and the risk of widespread famine and disease, was as presented by South Africa, and confirmed by numerous UN reports,” Hawes said. “The court ordered that Israel ensure with immediate effect that it ceases actions that risk causing "Severe harm to the population of Gaza, cited by the Genocide Convention." The expert stated, “Indeed, the court declared that there must be a cessation of hostilities against the residents of Gaza, but perhaps did not use the word ‘ceasefire’ to allow Israel to respond to specific attacks by Hamas fighters, albeit with a strict commitment to avoid causing harm.” "With civilians."

International law expert at the German Max Planck Institute, Julia Imtseva, considered that, “Although the International Court of Justice refused to grant a temporary measure to Israel to immediately suspend its military operations in and against Gaza, the matter should still be viewed and encouraged as a victory for South Africa.” Emtseva added, "The court said that Israel must take all measures in its power to prevent the commission of all acts of genocide that may be committed with genocidal intent. Israel is now required to submit a report within one month, and is likely to do so, as it must defend... itself against the substance of the charge of genocide, when the time comes for the court to consider the merits of the case.”

Professor Emtseva pointed out that “the court’s decision has the potential to change the discourse not only in the international arena, but also within Israel, and those Israeli jurists and politicians who disagree about how their country conducts the war against Hamas are likely to gain more support and legitimacy in the process.” Local departments. She added, "The political and social implications of such orders are often much broader than the legal implications. For example, arms companies will be subject to more serious scrutiny regarding compliance with international and national laws prohibiting complicity in genocide, and the same applies to states making military aid decisions." ".

Professor Craig Martin at Washburn College of Law at Kansas State University also shared the very common opinion among international law jurists, which is that the International Court of Justice’s decision on provisional measures was extremely important. In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, the professor indicated that “the decision is likely to have some impact.” On discourse and decision-making within Israel, as well as among its allies, the decision is also very important for the rule of international law.”

He commented, “The Court followed well-established precedent and legal reasoning to reach a decision consistent with its findings in Gambia v. Myanmar and Ukraine v. Russia, among others, but had it done otherwise, in clear accordance with political pressures, it would have severely damaged the court’s integrity and sovereignty.” “International law in general, it would have fueled narratives about international law being merely an instrument of power exercised by the Global North at the expense of the Global South, and in that sense, the decision is very important.”

Columnist Lydia Polgreen stated in her article in the New York Times criticized the West's selectivity in applying the standards of the international system based on laws and regulations, and its reluctance to impose them specifically on the State of Israel. She noted that last year the world witnessed an “astonishing and high-stakes” international drama taking place in the Dutch city of The Hague, the seat of the International Court of Justice.

There, a group of poorer and less powerful countries - the so-called Global South, led by South Africa - managed to drag the Israeli government, along with its allies, rich and powerful countries, into the “highest judicial body” of the Western rules-based system, accusing Israel of waging a brutal war in the Gaza Strip. Gaza is characterized by " genocide ".

The article described the responses of the leading countries in this global system to the lawsuit filed against Israel as being quick and clear, rejecting the accusations directed against Tel Aviv. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak considered it a “completely unjustified and wrong” step, while the US National Security Council spokesman, John Kirby, described it as “worthless, counterproductive, and completely baseless.” As for the German government spokesman, he said: His country opposed the "political exploitation" of the genocide law.

The International Court of Justice issued a temporary ruling on Friday, requiring Israel to take “measures to prevent acts of genocide, including preventing irreparable harm to the people of Gaza, including easing the almost complete blockade of humanitarian aid,” but the decision did not call for a complete cessation of military operations. Israeli in the Strip. According to some, the court's decision was characterized by sobriety and accuracy, and entailed a rebuke of countries that reject the charges against Israel.

The writer pointed out that accusing Israel is a necessary step, as it is the state that was established in the wake of the Holocaust, which the Jews were subjected to at the hands of Nazi Germany during World War II, after which - ironically - the term genocide was coined. Whatever the final outcome of this case, it ignites - in the opinion of the author of the article - an epic battle over the meaning and values of the so-called rules-based global order. If these rules are not applied when powerful countries do not want them to be applied, are they in this case considered rules? Polgreen wonders.

The writer quoted Thuli Madonsela - a jurist and lawyer well-versed in South Africa, who contributed to drafting the post-apartheid constitution in her country - saying: “As long as those who set the rules impose them on others while they believe that they and their allies are above those rules, the international governance system is in dilemma". The lawyer added: “We say that the laws are the laws, whether when Russia invades Ukraine, or when the Rohingya (the Muslim minority) are killed in Myanmar, but if Israel is now slaughtering the Palestinians, depriving them of food, and working to displace them en masse, then the rules do not apply to it.” “Anyone who tries to enforce them is anti-Semitic, and that puts those rules in jeopardy.”

While Polgreen acknowledges, in her article, that investigating the charges against Israel will take years, she describes Israel’s war in Gaza as “the most heinous crime” that a state can commit, “and it has a special resonance,” noting that the one who coined the term “genocide” is the legal researcher. Raphael Lemkin, a Polish Jew, was used during the Holocaust to give a legal definition to the massacre and ensure that it would not happen again.

Although the International Court of Justice lacks mechanisms to implement its decisions, this case - in Bulgreen’s view - is of great importance because it is directly related to the challenges facing the rules-based global order led by the United States, which has persisted since World War II, despite some obstacles that Get in his way.

According to the New York Times article, the wealthy Western countries that set the terms of that system are retreating on several fronts as China’s global ambitions rise. While Russia under its President Vladimir Putin threatens Europe, and liberal democracy is declining in many parts of the world; While emerging powers of strategic importance - such as Türkiye and India - tend towards authoritarianism.

All the caveats warn that the world risks rushing “recklessly” into a new era of realpolitik whose slogan is “might makes right,” where everything is permissible, and international laws and norms are disdained. The writer said that all the warnings warn that the world risks rushing “recklessly” into a new era of realpolitik whose slogan is “might makes right,” where everything is permissible, and international laws and norms are disdained.

What does a rules-based system mean, if rules are applied selectively, and if trying to apply them to specific countries is seen as clearly prejudiced? According to Polgreen, it is short-sighted in these times that President Biden's administration has chosen to overlook the carefully documented case prepared by South Africa.

In her assessment, one of the biggest threats to the rules-based international order is the growing consensus in the poor world that the rich world applies those rules selectively as it sees fit and when it suits the powerful states that make up the Global North, as happened when Russia invaded Ukraine. The writer quotes the legal researcher in South Africa, Dan Mavura, as saying that this kind of evasion that we see happening regarding Gaza, the underestimation of the scale of the humanitarian crisis, and the cowardice in criticizing the Israeli government for its actions, all of this has undermined the moral authority of the United States in the eyes of many. From the people of the world.

She concludes by saying that the only way out of this “tragedy” is to include the Palestinian people in the family of self-governing states that live, imperfectly, under the rules that have maintained an unstable but continuous peace for many generations, as she puts it.

The HAMAS-leaning Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory said that it documented that the occupation army continued at the same pace to kill civilians, forcibly displace them, and starve them in Gaza, three days after the issuance of the International Court of Justice’s decision , which obligated Israel to take measures to prevent the commission of the crime of genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The Observatory indicated that it documented the Israeli army’s killing of more than 373 Palestinians - including 345 civilians - in addition to more than 643 injuries since the court’s decision was issued. It explained that in addition to the non-stop bombing operations - including the destruction of residential homes on the heads of their residents and the killing of displaced people after they were terrorized and responded to illegal Israeli evacuation orders - Israel continues its attack on what remains of the health system in Gaza and besieges and targets the hospitals that remain partially functioning in Khan . Younis, south of the Gaza Strip.

According to the Observatory, the process of systematic and widespread destruction of civilian objects continued, including homes, residential complexes, and neighborhoods, and certain areas witnessed horrific crimes, which comes within the framework of destroying evidence of the crime of genocide being committed. It said that Israel is still deliberately obstructing the arrival of humanitarian aid to Gaza in general, and placing more stringent restrictions on its entry into the northern Gaza Valley in particular, where the famine situation is worsening 115 days after the start of the war. The Observatory stated that during the past few days, settlers obstructed the entry of humanitarian aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing , east of Rafah, with the approval of the Israeli police and based on instructions from the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir .

It confirmed that the number of aid trucks decreased to only 87 trucks during the past two days compared to the previous days, which witnessed an average of 100 trucks per day, which was criticized because it only meets less than 10% of the needs of the population of the Strip.

The Observatory also said that the Israeli army issued new evacuation orders in a new number of areas of Khan Yunis, with a total area of ??more than 4 square kilometers, and published them on social media despite the ongoing outage of electricity, communications and internet services in the Strip. It stressed that the occupation army continued to destroy entire residential squares, although it was not possible to accurately estimate this destruction, in addition to destroying all buildings at a depth ranging between 1,000 and 1,500 meters from the border fence east of Gaza, with the aim of establishing a buffer zone that would cut off more than 15% of the area of the Strip.

Axis of Resistance

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kan'ani reacted to the recent attack carried out on a US base on Jordan border which resulted in the death and injury of several American troops. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kan'ani says that Tehran is not seeking to get involved in any tension with any party, even with the United States. The senior Iranian diplomat made the remarks speaking at his weekly press conference. "We used our maximum capacities regarding the issue of Palestine and ending the (Israeli) regime's war against Gaza. Iran's opinion is still clear; Stability in the region is in the interest of all parties. There must be an end to this war crime, an end to the siege of Gaza, and an end to the evil policy of displacing the people of Gaza," he emphasized.

"We believe that these positions of Iran are completely principled and logical. We must pay attention to the root (cause) of the crisis. We do not want tension with any side, not even America," Kan'ani further cited. Saying that what is witnessed in the region is not the result of the tension between Iran and the US, the senior Iranian diplomat stressed that unfortunately, the international community and the Security Council failed to fulfill their responsibility in ending the crisis due to the non-constructive actions of the United States.

Kan'ani said that the Resistance groups in the region do not take orders from the Islamic Republic of Iran in their decisions and actions. Iran monitors developments in the region with readiness and vigilance, and the responsibility for the consequences of provocative accusations against Iran rests with the perpetrators of such baseless claims, he added.

"Since the beginning of the current crisis in Gaza, the Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly warned about the danger of expanding the scope of the conflict in the region due to the continued attacks of the Zionist regime against the Palestinian people, as well as the all-out support of the United States for the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank," Kan'ani said on Monday morning.

The senior Iranian diplomat went on to say that Tehran considers the repeated violation of the national sovereignty of Iraq and Syria by the American forces and the US attacks against Resistance groups as an intensifying factor for this cycle of instability. "Re-emphasizing the importance of maintaining peace, stability, and security in the region, the Islamic Republic of Iran believes that war in Gaza is not the solution and ending the attacks of the Zionist regime on Gaza and an immediate ceasefire can be the basis for the return of peace to the region," he stressed.

Once again, Kan'ani reiterated that the Resistance groups in the region do not take orders from the Islamic Republic of Iran in their decisions and actions, adding that Iran does not interfere in the decisions of the Resistance groups on how to support the Palestinian nation or defend themselves and their people against any aggression and occupation. The foreign ministry spokesman emphasized that the baseless accusation leveled against Iran is a conspiracy made by those who see their interests in dragging America into a new conflict in the region and inciting it in the expansion and escalation of the crisis. "Iran monitors developments in the region with readiness and vigilance, and the responsibility for the consequences of provocative accusations against Iran rests with the perpetrators of such baseless claims," he concluded.

The representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran at the United Nations said that Iran had no connection and had nothing to do with the attack on the US base. The Iranian mission in the UN issued the statement as some of the critics of the administration of the US President and hawkish Republicans were in their efforts to link the attack on the Al-Tanf base to Iran.

The representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran at the United Nations on Sunday night told IRNA that Iran had no connection and had nothing to do with the attack on the US base. It further clarified that there is a conflict between US forces and Resistance groups in the region, which reciprocate retaliatory attacks.

The Iranian mission in the UN issued the statement as some of the critics of the administration of the US President and hawkish Republicans were in their efforts to link the attack on the Al-Tanf base to Iran.

An Iraqi Islamic Resistance official has also announced that if America continues to support Israel, such attacks will intensify. Resistance groups based in Iraq have repeatedly hit US bases on Iraqi and Syrian territories with missiles and drones over the past weeks in retaliation for the Israeli regime’s crimes against Palestinians in Gaza. The groups are also "outraged" at the US military presence in the region, which they see as a source of instability, as well as Washington’s support for Israel in its ongoing war on Gaza.

Iran condemned the suspension of funding by some Western countries for the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), saying such a move is an endorsement of war crimes and genocide by the Israeli regime. “Putting pressure and restrictions on the humanitarian activities of UNRWA or hindering the delivery of humanitarian aid to a nation facing the harsh conditions of war and the imminent threat of genocide is essentially nothing but an endorsement of the narrative of a criminal regime accused of committing genocide,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kan'ani said.

Kan'ani said the Israeli accusations against UNRWA was “another malicious act” by the occupying regime to complement its inhumane actions against the Palestinian people, and also to justify the restrictions it has imposed on humanitarian organizations in Gaza. “It is also an attempt to absolve the Israeli regime of committing unprecedented and horrifying crime of the massacre of around 150 employees of these international institutions, including UNRWA, over the past 113 days,” he added.

Mehr News reported "Officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran had repeatedly warned that supporting the crimes of the Zionist regime could lead to the spillover of conflict, insecurity, and war in the region, and will also affect the United States. American officials have repeatedly claimed that they do not want to widen the conflicts in Gaza and turn it into a bigger regional war, but this claim mostly meant that the Axis of Resistance should not respond to the crimes of the Zionist regime and the United States against Gaza....

"One of the policies of the Zionist regime in the West Asian region is to directly force the United States to enter war, and especially a direct war against the Islamic Republic of Iran. America can take direct military action against Iran. However, the American governments (Trump and Biden administrations) have avoided falling into the trap and have refrained from any direct military action against Iran.

"Even now, it seems that the American government is not looking for action against Iran on Iranian soil. The Pentagon also announced that Iran was not involved in the attack against the United States. The fact is that basically, the Islamic Republic of Iran has an "independent" view of its regional allies and considers them as independent actors who do not coordinate many of their policies and actions with Tehran."

The Zionist regime’s threat of military action against Lebanon would jeopardize international peace and security, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry warned. In comments at a press conference, Nasser Kanaani decried the Zionist regime for threatening to attack Lebanon in case the Hezbollah forces do not withdraw from the Lebanese southern border areas. He said the international community must be aware that the region does not need any new crisis and the spread of crises would not fulfill the interests of any side.

Describing Lebanon as a strategic country in West Asia and a pillar of security in the region, Kanaani warned that the Zionist regime is pursuing a new act of adventurism. He also cautioned against Israel’s “perilous policies” that jeopardize international peace and security, saying the Zionist regime, already stuck in Gaza, sees its survival in the spread of war and getting other countries involved in clashes. He called on the sponsors of Israel to advise the regime to abandon evil acts and stop its crimes in Gaza. The Israeli regime is hammering more nails in its own coffin with its desperate attempts in the Gaza Strip, the spokesman stated.

The Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) considered the ruling coalition’s call in Israel during a conference yesterday, Sunday, to annex the West Bank and Gaza “a revelation of the hidden intentions to implement the crime of displacement and ethnic cleansing against our people, and a disregard for the recent decisions of the International Court of Justice, which demanded that it take all measures to stop the genocide in Gaza.”

Hamas called on the international community and the United Nations to take a firm stance and condemn this conference, as it is based on the idea of ethnic cleansing, and to take the necessary measures to protect the Palestinian people in implementation of the decisions of the International Court of Justice. A dozen Israeli ministers - some of them from the Likud Party led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - and more than 15 members of the Knesset participated in yesterday's conference on returning settlements to Gaza, amid calls by participants from far-right supporters to "displace" Palestinians from the besieged Strip. Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said in a speech during the conference, "I am addressing you from this podium, Prime Minister. It is time to return home to Gush Katif and North Shomron. It is time to encourage Palestinian migration, and it is time for victory."

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the conference, and said in a statement, “The colonial meeting in Jerusalem is a blatant challenge to the decision of the International Court of Justice, and a public incitement to forcefully displace Palestinians.” It is noteworthy that the United Nations considers settlement activity in the occupied territories illegal, and calls on Israel to stop it, but to no avail, warning that it undermines the chances of resolving the conflict in accordance with the principle of a two-state solution, Palestinian and Israeli.

Allied for Democracy

The leader of the opposition in Israel , Yair Lapid , criticized the conference held by the extremist "Jewish Power" party, led by Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir , in the city of Jerusalem, to call for the restoration of settlement in Gaza and the northern West Bank . The "Jewish Power" party organized a conference entitled "Victory Conference", to promote the restoration of settlement in the Gaza Strip and the northern West Bank, in response to the events of October 7. Ministers and representatives of the Knesset (Parliament), and about 20 Israeli ministers, Some of them are from the ruling Likud Party led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , according to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

Commenting on the conference, Lapid said that this causes international harm to Israel and exposes army soldiers to danger, and will also harm a possible prisoner exchange deal. Lapid added, in a post on his account on the “X” platform, that organizing the conference is a terrible irresponsibility, and Netanyahu and his government are not qualified, and this government is the most harmful in the history of Israel, as he put it. He explained that the settlement conference of the "Otzma Yehudit" party, with many ministers from the Likud Party, is a disgrace to Netanyahu and to the party that was once at the heart of the national camp, and is now lagging helplessly behind the extremists.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir rejected the criticism directed at the “settlement conference,” calling for the return of settlements in “the entire Gaza Strip.” Ben Gvir said, "The correct solution is not only to return to the Gush Katif settlement, but more importantly to the entire Gaza Strip."

Member of the Israeli emergency government and head of the National Unity Party, Benny Gantz, said that the participation of coalition ministers and members in the “Victory Conference harmed our legitimacy in the world and efforts to find a framework for the return of the kidnapped.”

Gantz believed that the participation of ministers and members of the coalition in the conference organized by the far-right “Jewish Power” party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, to promote the restoration of settlement in the Gaza Strip and the northern West Bank, in response to the October 7 attack, “harmed Israeli society in times of war.” They harmed our legitimacy in the world and harmed efforts to find a framework for the return of our abductees.”

He made a direct appeal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying: “This is not the time to talk to Al-Qaeda, but to work for the entire people. This is the time to support the soldiers of the IDF, the Shin Bet, the Mossad, and the police, regardless of their opinions and regardless of where they come from.”

He stressed, "This is the time to show the power of the world, and to act as one fist against the enemies in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran. There will be a time for struggles. Not now, not when we are fighting, and not when 136 kidnapped families raise their eyes to leadership. This nation deserves leadership that acts responsibly."

He added: “My friends and I warned the Prime Minister before the conference... It is important for us to know and for the world to know that whoever runs the decision-making process is the war government and the political and security government as a whole. Whoever dances and swears does not decide, and whoever stays silent and walks away is not a leader.”

On more than one occasion, Netanyahu stated that re-settlement in the Gaza Strip at the present time is unrealistic. On December 11, 2023, 15 Israeli organizations held a conference to prepare for settlement projects in Gaza, in the event that the army was able to extend its control over the Strip, while an Israeli contracting and real estate marketing company had already opened the door for reservations for residential units there, according to what Hebrew media revealed at the time.

The Jerusalem Post said that reports - indicating the possibility of reaching a new agreement with the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) to stop the fighting in Gaza and enable the release of Israeli detainees - raise concerns because the apparently weakened movement is asking for more from the new deal than it got in the first deal.

The Israeli newspaper explained - in a report written by Seth J. Franzma - that the deal includes stopping the fighting for several months in exchange for the release of most of the remaining detainees, noting that Hamas had misled Israel in the past, as the first deal was supposed to include elderly hostages, women and children, and it did not turn out to be the case. The word “women” means only older women and mothers.

The newspaper's report claimed that Hamas lied about the release of the Bibas family, claiming that they were being held by other groups or private civilians in Gaza, noting that these are merely allegations raised when talks about detainees begin so that Hamas can prolong the talks and pretend that it does not know their whereabouts.

The writer wondered: Why are talks being held with Qatar, which hosts Hamas, if Hamas is not holding all the hostages? Pointing out that what is presented to the Israeli public is that Hamas will make a deal, but the movement does not hold all the hostages, but it will find them, and if it does not find them, it will get a halt to the fighting to search for them or pretend to search for them, and when the agreement is violated, it is because it was known that Hamas was unable to find them. Or that Hamas was lying, as the newspaper put it.

Hamas misled Israel the first time - as the writer says - and after another two months of fighting, it is now back in the driver’s seat in an attempt to secure more than it did last November, although it is not logical for Hamas, which has become weaker, to seek Which would have resulted in a much longer deadline for the release of a smaller number of detainees.

He mentioned what the Israeli army says about killing a large number of Hamas army members, disabling 60% of it, and taking control of the tunnel areas, and that 80% of them have not been found. However, he admits that Hamas still has some command and control, as it controls Rafah and Humanitarian aid entering Gaza, and perhaps trying to infiltrate Gazans still in the north.

The writer believed that if Hamas obtains a ceasefire for a period of months, it will regain its claws, return to the tunnels, recruit more people and exploit the aid coming to Gaza in order to become rich and powerful again.

Israel was told - according to the author - that when the war ended, Hamas would not be in Gaza, and this was reduced to saying that the Hamas threat would not be there. So far, Hamas's leadership remains mostly intact, and its infrastructure is also intact, if somewhat damaged. The writer concluded that Hamas expects an influx of money and humanitarian aid so that it can continue to control civilians in Gaza, believing that time is on its side, and its pursuit of a long ceasefire is evidence of that. Here lies the danger of a long ceasefire, because time is not on its side.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that his country continues to focus on its basic goals in the region, whether related to the conflict in Gaza or efforts to build lasting peace. Blinken added that he discussed with the Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani the ongoing efforts to release the hostages and reach an expanded truce.

Jean-Pierre Filho said in his column in Le Monde newspaper that the evangelical right offers its unwavering support for the United States to destroy Gaza , in the name of the war on what he calls “evil” forces in the Palestinian Strip. The university professor explained in his column that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recklessly threw himself into the trap set for him by the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), and he hopes that the current catastrophe, if it continues, will allow him, even at Israel’s expense, to avoid accountability before the judicial system in his country.

As for US President Joe Biden , he - as Pierre Filho sees it - blindly rushed into a similar trap by granting unconditional support to the Israeli campaign. Far from working for his own interests, he played into the hands of his worst enemies, namely those radical Christian Zionists who have taken control of the Republican Party and are enthusiastically preparing for the return of Donald Trump to the White House . They believe that an all-out war must be waged against the “absolute evil” that he represents. Palestinian terrorism.”

The writer reviewed the history of Mike Johnson, one of the most extreme figures in Christian Zionism in Congress , and said that he is an ardent evangelical and is convinced that the “return” of the Jewish people to their “land” Israel contributes to the fulfillment of prophecies, even if that means that two-thirds of the Jews are slaughtered during these “ordeals.” As for the remaining third, he is saved by converting to Christ.

When Johnson was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives last October, his first gesture was to pass a resolution of unconditional support for Israel “which is defending itself against the barbaric war waged by Hamas,” and to refuse to vote in favor of the aid package for Ukraine prepared by the White House. Johnson allocated about $15 billion in immediate aid to Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza, accused the New York Times of providing a "platform" to Hamas, and suggested "firing" any federal employee who showed solidarity with Gaza.

The writer also referred to Franklin Graham, the preacher who inherited from his father, Billy Graham, a real “television missionary” empire. Netanyahu received him on November 20, 2023, and asked all his followers to pray for him, because he leads “Israel, the people of God.” In “this war of good against evil.” For her part, Michelle Bachmann, a former Tea Party inspiration in Congress, and now the dean of Regent University, an evangelical stronghold in Virginia, claimed that the population of Gaza “is mainly composed of mercenaries created by terrorism,” and says: “It is time to end Gaza. The two million people who live "There are nothing but cunning murderers who must be removed from this land. This land must be turned into a national park."

As for the very evangelical Mike Pence, former Vice President Trump, he did not hesitate during his recent visit to Israel to sign his name on a missile prepared to be launched at Arab targets in Lebanon.

The writer pointed out that the Christian Zionists, who strongly opposed the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005, are also still hostile to the slightest “division of the Land of Israel” in order for the prophecies to be fulfilled, which is an act of faith for them, and this entire land must remain under the authority of Israel, according to what they believe.

Pierre Filho concluded that the Christian Zionists, having linked their individual and collective salvation to crushing Palestinian nationalism, will do their utmost to sabotage any diplomatic solution to the conflict in the Middle East, relying on the differences raised by the Gaza war within the Democratic Party itself, which further weakens the US President. In the face of Trump's "great return."

Butcher's Bill / Oasis of Martyrs

Between the afternoons of 26 and 28 January, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 339 Palestinians were reportedly killed (165 people on 28 January, 174 people on 27 January), and 600 Palestinians were injured (290 on 28 January and 310 on 27 January). Between 7 October 2023 and 12:00 on 28 January 2024, at least 26,422 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 65,087 Palestinians were injured, according to the MoH. Between the afternoons of 26 January and 28 January, no Israeli soldier was reportedly killed in Gaza. As of 26 January, 218 soldiers were killed, and 1,269 soldiers injured in Gaza, according to the Israeli military.

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 26,637 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 65,387. The Palestinian Government Media Office in Gaza had said much earlier that the number of missing people had risen to more than 8,000, including including 4,700 children and women, amid expectations that the toll will be double thi figures.

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

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

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

The total number of Israeli deaths has risen to 559 [557?] since the start of the war on October 7, including 229 [220?] 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 1,276 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 2,771 officers and soldiers were injured since the seventh of last October, 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

Israel estimates that there are about 136 prisoners in Gaza, while it holds at least 8,800 Palestinians in its prisons. A mini-ministerial council met, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu , to discuss proposals related to a prisoner exchange deal, while the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) confirmed that the release of any detainees depends on ending the war in Gaza. The mini-ministerial council meeting comes a day after a four-way meeting held in Paris to discuss the features of a new exchange deal. Al Jazeera’s correspondent said that the Israeli Prime Minister’s estimates indicate that the Paris discussions were constructive.

NBC News reported that US, Israeli, Egyptian, and Qatari officials have reached an agreement in Paris outlining the framework for a new prisoner swap agreement. According to the source, the agreement involves a phased release of the remaining Israeli captives and will be accompanied by incremental ceasefires, humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners.

A draft is being presented to the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas today according to NBC News. Historically, the resistance group has insisted on an immediate permanent ceasefire as a prerequisite, which could potentially be a deal-breaker. The negotiating team comprised the Qatari Prime Minister and the heads of intelligence agencies from the countries involved, including the CIA's Bill Burns, Mossad's David Barnea, and the head of Egyptian intelligence, Abbas Kamel. The Israeli prime minister's office stated that discussions around a second potential Israeli captive swap and a temporary pause in hostilities were "constructive" but that "meaningful gaps" are left.

The Israeli Channel 12 broadcaster stated that the Israeli leadership considers this meeting crucial, as its goal is to unify the path of Qatari and Egyptian mediation in order to exert joint pressure on the Palestinian resistance. It added that the main red line for "Israel" so far is not ending the war once the prisoner exchange is completed.

Israel reportedly offered to implement a two-month ceasefire on the condition that the Palestinian resistance releases all remaining captives in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners. As part of the proposal, Yahya al-Sinwar and other high-ranking leaders in Gaza would have the opportunity to relocate to other countries. A source who spoke on condition of anonymity told the Associated Press that leaders of the Palestinian resistance refused to leave Gaza and are insisting on Israel's complete withdrawal from the territory, along with the allowance for Palestinians to return to their homes.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority said earlier that the Paris talks, which were held with the participation of Israel, the United States, Egypt and Qatar, ended with progress in the talks on the exchange of prisoners, and it quoted an Israeli political source as saying that the summit discussed the plan to release Israeli prisoners in stages. The source added that the parties discussed a ceasefire for approximately two months, in exchange for the release of about 100 Israeli prisoners, with priority given to children, women, and the sick, with Israel releasing a large number of Palestinian prisoners.

On the other hand, the Hamas movement said that the release of detainees is linked to ending the Israeli aggression against Gaza and the withdrawal of all occupation forces. Sami Abu Zuhri, head of Hamas’s political department abroad, told Reuters: “The success of the Paris meeting depends on the extent of the occupation’s response to stopping the comprehensive aggression against Gaza.”

The Wall Street Journal, citing Egyptian officials, revealed a new offer to Hamas from the countries playing a mediating role, stipulating a 4-month ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of all Israeli prisoners. The newspaper added that the new offer includes stopping Israeli attacks for 6 weeks as a first stage in order to release Israeli prisoners, including children, women and the elderly, who need urgent medical care, in exchange for Israel releasing a large number of Palestinian prisoners and increasing the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

In its second phase, the offer also included Hamas releasing the captured Israeli female soldiers, then the captured soldiers, and handing over the bodies of the dead Israelis in Gaza to Tel Aviv. According to the Wall Street Journal, the new offer also includes Hamas obtaining international guarantees, including from the United States of America, of the possibility of reaching a comprehensive agreement that would stop the attacks on Gaza once and for all.

The New York Times quoted American officials as saying that a prisoner exchange agreement could be concluded within the next two weeks.

The issue of Palestinian prisoners is an open confrontation front with the occupation from the era of the British Mandate until today, as it is the subject of a struggle of wills with the Israeli occupier and a national commitment to perpetuating resistance work. The basic idea in the matter is that there is a national and moral commitment between the general population on the one hand and those who risk themselves in order to achieve their freedom and preserve their dignity on the other hand. An equation like this enhances the continuity of resistance work and delivers a message of reassurance and encouragement to everyone who wants to follow this path.

The content of this equation is for the people to reward these people and protect their deeds, so they honor their martyr, take care of his family after him, treat their wounded, and expend everything to save those who fall into captivity, care for them, and take care of their families. On the other hand, the occupation seeks to break this equation by damaging the relationship between the people and their resistance, holding them responsible for the crimes it commits against the general population, criminalizing and prosecuting forms of sympathy and support for the resistance, and being strict in any prisoner exchange negotiations.

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 6,305. 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, over 2,960 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria Division and the Bekaa and Valleys Division, over 1,350 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."