Operation Iron Swords - Day 122 - 05 February 2024
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NEW - War Termination NEW - Operations NEW - Operations Maps NEW - By-Standers NEW - Axis of Resistance NEW - Allied for Democracy UPDATED - Oasis of Martyrs UPDATED - Hostages |
The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran warned allied forces in Iraq that the attack on the American base in Jordan, which resulted in the death of three American soldiers, “exceeds the limits” of what is acceptable. A source told the newspaper that Iranian officials visited Iraq after the drone attack in Jordan, to inform their allies that the attack “crossed the borders” because it led to the killing of American soldiers.
On February 2, the New York Times reported, citing sources, that the Supreme Leader and spiritual leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ali Khamenei, ordered avoiding direct war with the United States and distancing Iran from the actions of the groups involved in the killing of Americans. The American authorities had previously said that American forces in Jordan were attacked by the Iraqi Islamic Resistance, and according to the Pentagon, this strike resulted in the death of 3 American soldiers and the wounding of more than 40 others.
The United States blames Iran for what happened, and according to CBS, the US administration approved, as a retaliatory measure, plans to strike Iranian targets and military personnel stationed in Iraq and Syria.
The Egyptian government has strengthened the security of its closed borders with the Gaza Strip under the pretext of preventing the displacement of the Palestinian people from the Strip to Sinai. A video published by a Palestinian journalist in Gaza showed Egyptian workers constructing a cement wall on the border with the Palestinian Strip.
The population of Rafah is estimated at 300,000 Palestinians, but it became 1,700,000 after the recent displacement, and 300,000 of them set up their tents along the border with Egypt. It is clear from the video - published by Palestinian journalist Ahmed Al-Madhoun - that the Egyptian workers were building the new wall on top of the old wall that already existed, meaning that their work was to increase the height of the wall, not to build a new wall.
Pictures taken earlier showed that the Egyptian authorities carried out new restoration work on the fence separating Egypt and the Gaza Strip, east of Rafah, where heavy equipment transported sand and strengthened the watchtowers and concrete fence along the border with the Gaza Strip. The video of the construction of the concrete wall between Egypt and Gaza sparked many comments on social media sites, some of which were reported on the episode of the “Shabakat” program.
Ezzat wrote, "The declared one will complete the encirclement of Rafah and ensure that there are no tunnels with Egypt. The undeclared one will turn the corridor into a war zone, and stray shells are expected to target the Egyptian border wall." Amir al-Din asked, "Doesn't the groan of one hungry child in Gaza deserve a thousand walls to be demolished for him? And a thousand fences to be removed for him?" Tamer Lokman also raised the following questions: “What if Israel struck the border fence around the Rafah crossing just as it strikes near the gate and on the roads leading to it in Gaza? What would Egypt do with those fleeing the hell of bombing in Gaza?”
The Egyptian moves come in light of talk about an Israeli military move towards the Philadelphia axis. Israeli Army Radio reported that Tel Aviv and Cairo were close to reaching understandings regarding the city of Rafah and the Philadelphia Corridor, on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
War Termination
Israeli Channel 13 said that the administration of US President Joe Biden is pressuring Netanyahu to agree to a truce for at least 4 months. This came at a time when the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that 4 ministers from the Likud Party attacked the approach of the exchange deal during the weekly government session. Other ministers said that the ministers’ public attack and statements against the deal were behind Netanyahu’s office. These positions may be part of Netanyahu's negotiating strategy, with the aim of saying that there are parties opposed to the deal on the Israeli side.
The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth quoted a source familiar with the ceasefire negotiations as saying that the head of the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, had not yet given the green light to begin negotiations. A source about the ceasefire negotiations: Israel and the mediators are waiting for a green light from Sinwar, who is adhering to guarantees to stop the war. The source said, "The negotiations are not at a standstill, but rather very active behind the scenes. However, there is still no green light... We must be patient. We will get a response, and the mediators are working around the clock."
He stressed that "Sinwar is the one who has not yet given the green light to start the negotiation process, but the two sides are not wasting time and there are attempts to close the gaps in some points of the ceasefire proposal." The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth says, "Sinwar conveyed messages stating that he will not abandon his demand for guarantees to stop the war completely." The newspaper adds, citing its sources, that “once approval comes from Sinwar, it will be possible to immediately delve into the negotiations.”
The deal proposed by the United States requires a cessation of fighting in the Gaza Strip for a period of 6 weeks, with the exchange of prisoners held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. According to the newspaper, the leader of the movement, Yahya Sinwar, says that he is “ready to accept the truce offer for a period of 6 weeks,” as is the case with other senior Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip, but Hamas leaders, according to the report, are demanding more concessions from the Israeli army, and want Negotiating a permanent ceasefire.
Disagreements escalated between Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the White House administration due to the failure to reach understandings regarding a long-term truce in the Gaza Strip, which includes a prisoner exchange deal.
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir called for exchanging humanitarian aid to Gaza for the release of Israeli detainees. Ben Gvir also spoke - during a press conference in Jerusalem - about the existence of a problem in the dealings of the mini-ministerial council in Israel with the American administration, as he put it.
An Israeli media report stated that the attack by a number of ministers on the terms of the new deal with the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) - which according to informed sources includes an exchange of prisoners and efforts to cease fire in the Gaza Strip - was planned in advance. Maariv newspaper reported - from unnamed sources - that the attack against this deal was planned before the cabinet meeting held yesterday, Sunday, adding that a number of ministers from the Likud Party - which leads the government - were asked to speak publicly in the media against the parameters of the deal, despite the fact that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads this party.
The sources explained that this did not mean that the ministers were asked to say things they disagreed with, but essentially they were asked to highlight and announce their position, while publicizing the attack on the deal at the Cabinet meeting well. They pointed out that the Likud members of the government who opposed the deal were the Ministers of Economy Nir Barkat, Diaspora Affairs Minister Emhai Shikli, Foreign Affairs Minister Yisrael Katz, Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, Justice Yariv Levin, Education Yoav Kisch, and Transportation Miri Regev.
The Israeli newspaper quoted Levin as saying - during the cabinet meeting - that the number of prisoners scheduled to be released for each hostage is unacceptable, without details, considering that “it is also impossible to release them to the West Bank. We must find a solution to this,” according to the same source. As for the Minister of Education, he said at the meeting, “This cannot be the deal. What was published in the media does not look good at all. It is disturbing.” In turn, the Minister of Economy said, "The idea of a ceasefire day for every hostage is fictitious. In the previous round, they got a ceasefire day for every 10 hostages."
Maariv did not explain the reasons for asking the ministers to attack the deal. While Israeli reports previously stated that the United States is pressing for the parties to accept this deal. The deal includes the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons in exchange for Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip, and a ceasefire in the Strip, according to unofficial reports and statements.
Qatar and Egypt are mediating between Israel and Hamas in order to complete this deal. On January 28, a meeting was held in the French capital, with the participation of Tel Aviv, Washington, Cairo and Doha, to discuss a prisoner exchange deal and stop the war in Gaza, which will take place in three stages, according to Palestinian and American sources.
Israel estimates that it has about 136 prisoners in Gaza, while it detains at least 8,800 Palestinians in its prisons, according to official sources from both parties, but there is no confirmation of the final number from both parties.
International newspapers - as part of their follow-up to the Israeli occupation war on the Gaza Strip - highlighted Israel's targeting of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ) and the occupation's efforts to create a buffer zone inside the besieged Strip, and imposed a major blackout on information about the conditions there.
The Financial Times quoted the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, as saying that eliminating the agency had become one of the goals of the Israeli war, stressing that he would continue in his position as long as the agency was able to support people and convey the voice of Palestinian refugees. Lazzarini said that while UNRWA takes seriously the allegations regarding the involvement of its employees in the attack of last October 7 (the Al-Aqsa flood ) , Israel has not provided evidence of these allegations so far, adding, “We may pay the price for raising our voice in drawing attention to the plight of the UNRWA.” The people of Gaza, and the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding before our eyes.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Hamas has “unacceptable demands” regarding the release of Israeli detainees in the Gaza Strip , amid divisions among members of his government over the potential deal, and reports of American pressure to reach a long-term truce. Israeli media quoted Netanyahu as saying during a meeting of his Likud party, “We have already recovered 110 of our kidnappers and are continuing to work on this issue, but Hamas has demands that we will not accept.” He added that the terms should be similar to the previous agreement, stressing that the deal would not be concluded “at any price.” Netanyahu said that he would not end the war on Gaza before eliminating Hamas leaders, and that it would take several months, not years.
In other statements during his inspection of an armored forces base in the Latrun area, west of Jerusalem, the Israeli Prime Minister said that “absolute victory” would open the door to achieving more of what he called historic peace agreements.
Operational Update
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said that the American-British attacks on Yemen will lead to an expansion of the war, stressing that Tehran is not about to escalate with any country. In his weekly press conference, Kanaani pointed out that “the focus of tension in the region is the Gaza war and the killing of Palestinians with the support of the United States and its allies, and the only solution is a ceasefire in Gaza,” stressing that “whoever wants calm must stop the war in Gaza.”
He pointed out that "the American-British military attacks on Yemen, Iraq and Syria contradict the statements of Washington and London and their unwillingness to expand the scope of the war. Rather, they threaten international and regional peace and lead to expanding the scope of the war," noting that "America and Britain prefer to secure Israeli interests rather than support Security and stability in the region."
He stressed, "We are not about to escalate with any country, and Iran does not have military forces to fight on its behalf," noting that "the factions in the region originate from those countries to support Gaza and the Palestinian people." He added: "America is not part of the solution, but rather part of the problem by supporting Israeli crimes and obstructing international efforts to end the war in Gaza."
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said on Monday that the leader of the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, is “moving from one hideout to another” and is “unable to communicate” with his circles. The minister, who was speaking at a press conference, revealed: “In recent days, Israeli army forces have found large materials in the places where he had recently been,” according to what was reported by “The Times of Israel.” Galant added: "Sinwar does not lead the forces. He is busy with his personal survival. He has now become a fugitive terrorist after being the leader of Hamas, and the Israeli army forces continue to pursue him."
The minister considered that there are disagreements between Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip and those abroad, which indicates a state of "panic" within the movement. The Israeli Defense Minister did not provide any details regarding the supposed current location of Sinwar.
He stressed that "the ground operation is progressing and achieving its goals, and our forces are working on the ground in most of the Gaza Strip," adding that this operation is one of the most complex operations in the history of wars. He reiterated that the military pressure exerted by the Israeli army on Hamas will promote the return of hostages held by the movement.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said that Tel Aviv is ready to resolve the conflict in southern Lebanon , through diplomatic understandings, days after he threatened a “very close” move by the Israeli army on the northern front, where the escalation continued. In a statement issued by his office, Gallant met on Sunday with Amos Hockstein, chief advisor to US President Joe Biden , and informed him that Tel Aviv is ready to resolve the conflict in southern Lebanon (with Lebanese Hezbollah ) through diplomatic understandings. But he added, "But we are also prepared for any other scenario."
Gallant added that Israel is "committed to improving the security situation along Israel's northern border, including removing infiltration and shooting threats from Lebanon." According to a statement from Gallant's office, the two parties discussed "the necessity of changing the security situation in the northern arena, and discussed ways to return displaced Israelis to their homes in the north."
The minister informed Israeli reserve soldiers stationed near the border with Gaza that they would leave the area to move to the north, in preparation for future operations on this front. Earlier, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, General Herzi Halevy, said that "the possibility of war breaking out in the coming months in the north of the country is today much higher than it was in the past."
Hezbollah announced the killing of two of its members in clashes with the Israeli army in southern Lebanon , bringing its death toll to 179 since last October 8.
Mutual bombardment continued between Hezbollah and the occupation forces. The party said - in a statement - “We targeted two buildings in the Al-Manara colony with appropriate weapons, and achieved a direct hit,” and “Al-Marj site was targeted with appropriate weapons, and achieved a direct hit,” without any reports of losses.
The party also confirmed that it had targeted with missiles the Ruwaisat al-Alam site in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms, and had also targeted enemy soldiers south of the al-Abad site with appropriate weapons, and stated that it had achieved a direct hit. Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that missiles were fired from southern Lebanon towards Israeli positions in the Galilee Finger, the Shebaa Farms, and the occupied Kfar Shuba hills. The correspondent also stated that missiles were launched from southern Lebanon towards the Israeli Zibdin barracks in the occupied Shebaa Farms.
Al Jazeera's correspondent also reported that Israeli fighters, in return, launched a raid on the town of Mays al-Jabal, and an Israeli drone targeted the town of Blida with missiles. Before that, Israeli fighters targeted the towns of Al-Taybeh, Aita Al-Shaab, Yaroun, Umm Al-Tut, and the Jabal Balat area.
Former commander of US Central Command, General Frank McKenzie, described Israel's success in achieving its goals in Gaza so far as "very limited." According to what the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported, McKenzie told the American CBS network, “They set themselves a goal of removing the political level and the military leadership level of Hamas when they entered, and they have not yet succeeded in doing either of them.”
McKenzie also noted that the big issue in his opinion is that “you have to have a theory of what it will look like when you finish,” stressing that “you need a vision of the end state when you start a military campaign because everything is then discounted or added to your ability to reach.” To that point." The American general also considered the Israeli occupation to be the least preferred option among all outcomes, saying that Arab countries would need to support efforts in Gaza after the war.
Western writers - in articles and reports published in international newspapers and websites - focused on Israel's inability to resolve matters in the Gaza Strip , and some of them said that the war it is leading without a vision has made it lose international support and has plunged it into global isolation.
Foreign Affairs magazine stated that Israel “will not be able to resolve the situation in the Gaza Strip as it wishes,” and writer Colin Clark warned of the possibility that Gaza could turn into a quagmire - in his opinion - that will last for years. According to the writer, “The Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) can adapt to its new reality by relying on the tunnel network and using the destroyed infrastructure and hills of rubble to its advantage. It can also, along with other fighting groups inside Gaza, begin deploying suicide bombers targeting Israeli soldiers.”
The British newspaper "The Guardian" focused on the situation in Israel, and said that it is witnessing a stage that it described as brutal due to an internal and external war. Simon Tisdale believes that the international isolation to which Israel is exposed is “real and growing,” and that what he called “ Netanyahu’s eternal war” heralds deeper divisions and greater ostracism.
In the same regard, Jean-Pierre Filiu, in the French newspaper Le Monde, touched on the erosion of international support for Israel, and compared it to what happened to the United States, which he said benefited from the world rallying around it following the attacks of September 2001, but quickly lost that momentum due to the invasion of Iraq. In the writer's opinion, Israel "benefited from great international support after October 7, 2023, but it began to lose it because of the Gaza war that it is waging without a vision."
On the other hand, Amira Hass wrote in the newspaper "Haaretz" that the West is punishing Gaza collectively by suspending funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ). The writer pointed out that 15 countries, led by the United States and Germany, are underestimating the seriousness of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. In order to please Israel.
Fierce clashes continue between Palestinian resistance factions and the Israeli occupation forces in various axes of the Gaza Strip , as 10 Israeli combat brigades are active in the Strip, half of which are in the city of Khan Yunis in the south, 3 in the central region, and two in the north. According to satellite images presented by Al Jazeera, it seemed clear that the occupation forces deliberately bulldozed and built dirt berms in the eastern regions of the Gaza Strip without a large concentration of Israeli military vehicles, similar to what is happening east of Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip, and the town of Al-Qarara in the northeastern part of Khan Yunis.
With an analytical view of what is happening, the military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, says that the re-pushing of Israeli forces into the southwestern areas of Gaza City is based on new goals and information that the occupation claimed to have obtained. Al-Duwairi explained to Al-Jazeera that the occupation says that the new information relates to tunnel networks and the presence of prominent leaders who are considered a valuable catch, adding that the Israeli army believes that the commander of the Gaza Brigade of the Al- Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) - (Izz al-Din al-Haddad) is present in this area. In addition to a network of tunnels that may lead to a network of combat tunnels.
For these goals, the occupation - according to the strategic expert - pushed its forces to the areas of Tal Al-Hawa, South Al-Rimal Al-Gharbi, the University and Passports Complex, all the way to the extension of Al-Nasr Street, explaining that the occupation imagines that the operation will last a week or 10 days. However, Al-Duwairi confirmed that there is a complete network of tunnels in which leaders and combat elements can move according to the requirements of the current situation, pointing out that there are 1,300 tunnels in the Gaza Strip - according to reports - even in soft areas such as north of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia, and east of Al-Maghazi, Al-Bureij and Juhr Al-Dik in the Central Governorate. The occupation began bulldozing the entire land in the hope of finding tunnel openings.
The military expert added that whenever indicators appear to the occupation regarding targets - some of which are presented by the resistance for the purpose of luring them - it will push forces towards them, which is what the resistance favors in order to avoid continued aerial bombardment and incurring human losses, and for the occupation forces to remain in areas close to the border fence. He gave, for example, what happened weeks ago when the occupation forces were lured into ambushes in the Al-Tuffah and Al-Daraj neighborhoods, east of Gaza, and Jabal Al-Rayes, east of Jabalia (north of the Gaza Strip), before they withdrew.
As for Khan Yunis, Al-Duwairi confirmed that the prolonged battles occurring there are due to a misreading of the combat capabilities of the Khan Yunis Brigade, supported by elite forces from the rest of the resistance factions. He added that the occupation believed that Khan Yunis contained the first row of the military and political leaders of the Hamas movement and the detained Israeli prisoners, but with the failure of the main effort east of Khan Yunis and the double secondary encirclement in its west, the occupation was forced to transform the latter (maneuver to the west) into a main effort and the battles began to the east. Preservation is secondary.
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority revealed that Israel is working with Egypt to find broad lines for a possible ground military operation in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip , while noting that the occupation army has set a deadline of one week to complete control of Khan Yunis. In this context, the military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, said that military operations in Khan Yunis have been restricted and the number of combat brigades has been reduced to 5, one of which is in the eastern region.
He explained during his analysis for Al Jazeera that the occupation army now has a surplus of strength after withdrawing the brigades outside the border fence after the failure of the main effort east of Khan Yunis. He indicated that there is an intention to expand operations in Rafah, but his calculations are dangerous there because this governorate has a specificity and a different situation with political borders with Egypt, and a military operation cannot be launched without coordination and there is no final agreement on that.
He pointed out that the Philadelphia axis (the Salah al-Din border axis between Rafah and Egypt) has an average width of between 400 and 500 meters and a length of 14 km, and there are 1.3 million people in it, according to him. It is believed that the occupation is trying hard to search for a mechanism and approach to manage the battle so as to ensure the displacement of the Palestinians in Rafah to the north of the Gaza Strip, noting that the Al-Mawasi area in the south and what is known as “Gush Qatif” is full of displaced people.
He stressed that this approach will only be achieved by the end of the Battle of Khan Yunis, pointing out that in order for the Battle of Khan Yunis to end, the occupation army must declare its victory - at least on its part - as it did in the northern Gaza Strip and then begin withdrawing its forces and military equipment. He pointed out that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began repeating his talk about Rafah and the Philadelphia axis, in translation of his desire to prolong the war on Gaza for the longest possible period of time.
Abu Ubaida, spokesman for the Al- Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), announced the complete or partial destruction of 43 Israeli military vehicles, the killing of 15 Israeli soldiers, the bombardment of Tel Aviv and its environs with an intense missile barrage, and the bombing of a tunnel with a number of Israeli soldiers, during the past days.
Regarding this, the military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, says that Abu Ubaida’s numbers are a partial description of the fierce clashes taking place on the field in the southwest of Gaza City and the southwest of the city of Khan Yunis. Al-Duwairi pointed out - during his analysis for Al Jazeera - that the ongoing battles are not easy and the fighting is fierce in the two regions, indicating that the videos broadcast by the resistance provide a small picture of what is happening.
He considered Abu Ubaida's numbers to be "a pressure card on the Israeli entity, in light of the ongoing movement against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the prolongation of the war, with the need to accelerate the conclusion of a prisoner exchange deal."
Regarding the implications of the bombing of Tel Aviv, Al-Duwairi believed that it carries a message and a political content more than a military one, noting that no one can determine when the war will end. He added that the presence of contradictions in Israel casts a shadow on the way the battle is being managed, while the resistance in Gaza is managing its battle in the long run and is still militarily capable of striking Tel Aviv, in a clear response to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant ’s allegations of dismantling the Qassam’s organizational frameworks.
The military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, said that the Israeli occupation is searching, through its operations in the northern Gaza Strip , for valuable targets, based on intelligence information that is likely to be incorrect, pointing out that the recent resistance clips reflect a performance beyond imagination. Haaretz newspaper quoted Israeli military, media and political sources as saying that reports have increased in recent days about renewed fighting in Gaza City and the northern regions of the Strip, indicating that the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) and the rest of the Palestinian factions have renewed their ability to move in those areas.
In a military analysis for Al Jazeera, Al-Duwairi explained that the battles that intensified in the northern Gaza Strip and Gaza City, especially in the areas of Tal Al-Hawa and Al-Nasr Street, came after the entry of a mixed force of the occupation, in order to search for hidden targets, such as senior leaders of the resistance brigades, or openings leading to a network of operational and combat tunnels.
He explained that it is possible that this operation came after the availability of information indicating the presence of these targets in those areas, and he expected it to continue for a week or more. If any of these targets are found, it is possible for them to continue, but if they are not found, that force will withdraw again. He pointed out that the Al-Qassam Brigades , the military wing of the Hamas movement, relied on small groups to confront that force, and its defensive performance differed from what it was when there was a density of occupation forces in the region.
Regarding the field reality in the city of Khan Yunis , south of the Gaza Strip, Al-Duwairi says that the battles are occupying a large sector of the area and the fighting is still raging weeks after it began, stressing that the occupation forces have not yet been able to achieve their goal of entering deep into the city. He pointed out that there is a tendency among the occupation forces to turn the confrontation into a war of attrition and bypass decisive battles, and they are trying to impose an appropriate vision for them in managing these battles with the aim of exhausting the efforts of the factions by remaining on alert for long periods during which they lose their combat capabilities.
In this context, the military expert indicated that the occupation is also looking for a mechanism to manage its efforts to move the battle to the city of Rafah in the far south of the Strip, but before that it is trying to end the Khan Yunis battle by tightly controlling it, which is not expected to happen. Regarding the last clip broadcast by the Al-Qassam Brigades of battles fought by its fighters against the occupation forces in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, Al-Duwairi believes that it reflects a performance that exceeds conception and imagination, and that graduates of the most prestigious military institutes are unable to achieve.
Al-Qassam had published a clip showing its fighters blowing up tanks in a fiery ambush, as well as targeting other vehicles with “Al-Yassin-105” missiles. It also included scenes of the effects of those targeted vehicles. Al-Duwairi adds that these operations reveal the success of the fighters in correctly assessing the situation, building on accurate expectations, possessing the ability to extrapolate the event, and being highly skilled in doing so, stressing that the Khan Yunis confrontations are bone-breaking battles and the performance of the resistance in them depends on thinking outside the box.
Amnesty International said that Israel unleashed a brutal wave of violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank , carrying out unlawful killings. A report by the organization concluded what it described as a shocking increase in the use of unlawful lethal force by Israeli forces against Palestinians in the West Bank.
The report added that with the world's eyes focused on Gaza , Israel carried out unlawful killings, including through the unnecessary or disproportionate use of lethal force during protests, raids and arrests, and deprived the wounded of medical assistance. The organization investigated 4 prominent cases in which Israeli forces used unlawful lethal force, 3 of which occurred in October and the fourth in November, resulting in the killing of 20 Palestinians, including 7 children.
Amnesty International's research also found that Israeli forces obstructed the provision of medical assistance to people with life-threatening injuries, and attacked those who attempted to help wounded Palestinians, including medics. Over the past few months, Israel has escalated deadly raids across the West Bank, and tensions have escalated dramatically. Amnesty noted that Israel has a well-documented record of using excessive and often lethal force to crush dissent and impose an apartheid regime against Palestinians, leading to a historical pattern of unlawful killings committed with impunity.
At least 507 Palestinians were martyred in the West Bank in 2023, including at least 81 children, making it the bloodiest year for Palestinians since the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs began recording casualties in 2005.
Since the resistance launched the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle and the start of the Israeli operation in Gaza, the occupation had intensified its military operations in the West Bank and increased the pace of incursions and raids into Palestinian cities, towns and camps, leaving hundreds of martyrs and thousands of wounded, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
On the other hand, the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission issued its report regarding attacks by the occupation forces and settlers during last January. The head of the commission , Moayed Shaaban, said that the occupation authorities and settlers carried out 1,593 attacks (of which 186 attacks were carried out by settlers), and the violations were concentrated in the Hebron Governorate, followed by occupied Jerusalem and Nablus.
The Israeli occupation forces stormed several towns in the West Bank , and the raids were concentrated in the towns of Ya`bad, south of the city of Jenin, Ramin, east of the city of Tulkarm, and Bidya, west of Salfit Governorate. The occupation forces also raided several homes and beat young men, leading to clashes with resistance fighters during which they threw explosive devices at occupation soldiers and vehicles. Israeli occupation forces arrested 3 Palestinians in the city of Halhul, north of Hebron in the West Bank. The occupation forces stormed several homes, searched them, and damaged one of the vehicles, before withdrawing from the city.
In the city of Jenin , the occupation forces arrested a number of leaders of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements in the town of Arraba, southwest of the city. This comes after the occupation forces stormed the town, raiding homes, searching them, and tampering with their contents. Local Palestinian platforms published scenes documenting the Israeli occupation forces storming the town of Bidya, located west of the city of Salfit in the West Bank. The scenes documented the presence of occupation vehicles in the neighborhoods of the town and their pushing of reinforcements towards it.
Local Palestinian platforms also published video clips documenting the occupation forces’ storming of the town of Halhul, located north of the city of Hebron, and other clips documenting the escalation of clashes between resistance fighters and the occupation forces following their storming of the town of Sarra, located west of the city of Nablus in the West Bank. The sounds of gunshots are clearly heard in the video clips.
The Palestinian News Agency (Wafa) said that a young man was injured during the clashes that broke out in the town. The agency quoted Ahmed Jibril, director of the Red Crescent Ambulance and Emergency Center in Nablus, as saying that a young man (29 years old) was shot in the foot during confrontations that broke out after the occupation stormed the town.
The Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" said that the European Union is considering imposing sanctions on "extremist" settlers in the West Bank , following the executive order issued by US President Joe Biden , which includes sanctions against 4 of the toughest settlers in Israel. The newspaper notes that European sanctions are likely to include a ban on entry into the European Union and a freeze on assets, adding that it is unclear whether the countries that have stood by Israel since the outbreak of the war will support such a step.
Maps
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All maps are lies. “Not only is it easy to lie with maps, it is essential,” wrote cartographer Mark Monmoneir in his book How to Lie with Maps. He showed that condensing complex, three-dimensional spaces onto a two-dimensional sheet of paper [in old days] 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.
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Bystanders
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, appointed an independent review group to evaluate whether the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ) ensures impartiality in its work and to respond to Israeli accusations of committing violations, while Spain announced its intention to send additional funding to the agency, and the Israeli Knesset called for a halt. Permanent financing.
The United Nations stated that the appointment of the evaluation group came in consultation with the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, and that it will be headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna. The United Nations statement indicated that the appointed group will begin its work on February 14, and will submit an initial report to the Secretary-General of the United Nations in late March, and a final report in late April.
The statement pointed out that the work of the independent external review will be carried out in conjunction with the investigation conducted by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services into allegations of the involvement of 12 UNRWA employees in the attack of last October 7. The statement explained that Colonna will work in cooperation with 3 research organizations in Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
For his part, Lazzarini welcomed Guterres' appointment of an independent review group to evaluate the agency's neutrality.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that his government has evidence of UNRWA's connection to what he called terrorism, and that it will present it to the new committee formed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to evaluate the agency's work. “We will present all the evidence that shows UNRWA’s links to terrorism and its harmful effects on regional stability,” Katz wrote on the “X” platform. “It is necessary for this committee to reveal the truth.”
In a related development, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albarez announced that his country would send UNRWA additional aid worth 3.5 million euros ($3.8 million). Manuel stressed that UNRWA is working in a miserable situation, and that there is a real danger that threatens its humanitarian activities in Gaza with paralysis during the next few weeks, according to his description. Madrid provided direct contributions worth 18.5 million euros to UNRWA last year, including 10 million euros approved last December after the decision to triple development and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territories.
In Israel, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that a member of the Knesset from the Likud Party, Dan Illouz, sent a letter to parliamentarians in countries that froze their funding to UNRWA, calling for the funding cessation to become permanent. The newspaper reported that 20 other members of the Knesset signed the letter, demanding that alternatives to UNRWA be found, and accused it of "terrorism and undermining the principles of peace and security." The letter claimed that the distribution of aid in the future must be in line with the Israeli approach to “promoting peace and stability” in the region, amid Israel’s continued targeting of UNRWA aid convoys and obstructing its work in the besieged Gaza Strip .
Last week, 14 countries - the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Japan, France, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Romania, the Netherlands and New Zealand - announced the cessation of funding for UNRWA following Israeli accusations against 12 employees out of 30,000 working in Gaza of participating in the Al-Aqsa flood. The European Union had warned that stopping funding for UNRWA would put the lives of thousands at risk, following UNRWA's announcement that it would likely stop its humanitarian operations in the Middle East - not just Gaza - at the end of this month.
The Intercept website published a report highlighting how Israel ignores the International Court of Justice's order to prevent and punish acts leading to genocide. The report, written by Prem Thaker, stated that Israeli atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza , the West Bank and prisons continued during the week that passed after the court's decision. He explained that Israeli forces killed at least 874 Palestinians and wounded at least 1,490 in Gaza during the aforementioned period, not to mention other Israeli acts of violence in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem .
The report says that the horror continues, noting also that a mass grave containing 30 bodies, handcuffed and blindfolded, was found in a school in northern Gaza. The report quotes a 6-year-old girl who saw Israeli forces in Gaza shooting and killing her family inside the car she was traveling in. It talks about an Israeli soldier filming himself in the city of Khan Yunis, echoing Netanyahu’s speech about the biblical “story of Amalek.” Where “God commands the killing” of an entire community are comments that helped South African lawyers demonstrate Israel’s genocidal intent.
The report indicated that a young Palestinian man was chained, forced to wear a military uniform, and used as a human shield during a raid on a refugee camp in occupied Jerusalem, and that Israeli soldiers stormed a hospital in the West Bank and executed 3 sick Palestinians by shooting them “in the head at close range.” He also referred to the testimonies of the Palestinians who were released about being subjected to humiliation at home and showing signs of torture on their bodies. One of the clips showed an Israeli soldier forcing the kidnapped Palestinians to praise his family and say that they would be their slaves. The report pointed to what it described as the broader misery faced by the entire population; 19,000 children were orphaned, and famine forced Palestinians to eat grass and drink polluted water.
The report cited American statements that support Israel’s continuation of committing the same crimes that it was ordered to stop practicing, referring to what US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that the ministry believes that accusations of genocide are unfounded, stressing its continued support for “Israel’s right.” “In taking measures to ensure that terrorist attacks are not repeated, but in a manner that is fully consistent with international humanitarian law .”
The writer added that when Miller was asked about Israel receiving aid even at a time when Israeli government officials are calling for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, he replied that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken made clear in his recent visit to Israel that he believes it is important for the Israeli government to speak out publicly against these matters and that. Comments, and to reiterate that forcing Palestinians to leave Gaza is not the policy of the Israeli government.
Thacker concluded his report with what Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that allowing aid to enter Gaza conflicts with the goals of the Israeli campaign, and with a call from Ministers Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot to also limit humanitarian aid, and the Israelis congregating at aid crossings trying to prevent aid trucks from entering Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of starvation and malnutrition every day since the International Court of Justice ruling.
Axis of Resistance
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Israel is holding Gaza residents hostage, noting that Tel Aviv appears “unenthusiastic” about a permanent ceasefire in the Strip. In statements he made to a local channel, Fidan confirmed that the people of Gaza are now hostages, as Israel detains them in a specific geographical area and does not allow humanitarian aid to enter, bombs some of that aid, destroys infrastructure, and cuts off electricity, water, and communications.
The Turkish Foreign Minister pointed out that more than two million people in Gaza face the risk of hunger and epidemic diseases. On the other hand, Fidan said that Israel does not seek to achieve security, but rather to obtain more lands, and stressed that it "will be safe on the day it gives the Palestinians their state."
He stressed that the temporary measures decision issued by the International Court of Justice against Israel in the case of genocide is very important, stressing the need to stop the massacre in Gaza in the first place, otherwise if the violence is not stopped, the tragedy will repeat itself. Fidan said that there is currently a proposal on the table for a ceasefire agreement, and the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) is now evaluating it, noting that one of Hamas’ goals is to mutually release prisoners and detainees in exchange for a permanent ceasefire.
The Turkish minister added, "However, Israel does not seem enthusiastic about a permanent ceasefire." He stated that Turkey is holding intelligence and diplomatic talks with the parties in various formats, pointing out that it gives priority to a ceasefire as soon as possible. He stressed the need to take action to support the two-state solution. The Turkish Foreign Minister called for sparing the region the dangers of a widening clash between Iran and the United States of America. "The situation is not good," he said.
In another context, Fidan pointed out that the process of normalizing relations with Egypt has been “largely completed” and that the two countries “have benefited from it,” adding that the Turkish and Egyptian peoples are linked to each other by historical ties. He stressed that bilateral relations between Turkey and Egypt are very important in terms of regional security and trade relations. He pointed out that there are many Turkish investors in Egypt, and said that Ankara has a desire to increase investments there.
Fidan also stressed the importance of the Egyptian role at the regional level, especially with regard to the Palestinian issue. He pointed out the importance of normalizing relations so that Cairo can obtain specific support and specific technologies, adding, "We have an agreement that stipulates that Turkey will provide drones and other technologies."
He stressed the importance of the two countries' cooperation in Africa as well, especially in Libya, noting that whenever relations with Egypt were normalized, this would have important positive repercussions, especially on policies in Libya. He also stressed the importance of achieving serious cooperation between Turkey and Egypt regarding “the security of the Mediterranean.”
Fidan also touched on the talks that take place between his country and the Syrian regime from time to time through various channels. He explained that "the Syrian regime's attempt to take a diplomatic step by setting preconditions on Turkey is the wrong way." The Turkish minister stressed his country's support for the territorial integrity of Syria, as two neighboring countries, adding that Turkey did not make any attempts that contradict the Astana process . He stressed that "the Syrian regime is still unable to meet with Turkey for various reasons, and even when they meet with us they are not as usual."
The Turkish Foreign Minister added, "There was no opportunity to hold a bilateral meeting with the Syrian regime, and there is always another country on its side."
Allied for Democracy
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is causing widespread controversy in Israel because of his statements in which he expressed his strong opposition to the prisoner exchange agreement with the resistance that is being negotiated., Ben Gvir is trying to mobilize opposition against the completion of the agreement, which has made him the focus of great attention in the Israeli media. Before that, he threatened to leave Netanyahu's government and dismantle it.
In an interview with the Jerusalem Post newspaper, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, saying that the latter directed Israel and its government, describing the matter as "dangerous." Lapid told the newspaper: The Minister of National Security and head of the far-right Otzma Yehudit Party, MK Itamar Ben Gvir, is “the face of Israel and the government that people in the world see, and this is not only shameful but also dangerous.”
Lapid's criticism came in response to an interview published by the Wall Street Journal on Sunday with Ben Gvir, in which he said: “Instead of offering us his full support, Biden is busy providing humanitarian aid and fuel to Gaza , which in turn goes to Hamas, even if Trump were in power.” "The behavior of the United States would have been completely different."
Asked whether Ben Gvir's comments were actually harmful to Israeli politics since he is not a member of the Israeli war cabinet and does not have significant contacts with American officials, Lapid said: "Unfortunately the outrageous things he said to the Wall Street Journal affected a little bit. I think people... They take him seriously because they know his size and his influence on the government, and that he represents a great political force .”
Lapid warned in his statement to the press that the month of Ramadan is approaching and that Ben Gvir’s behavior will lead to another disaster, as the month of Ramadan is considered a period of increasing security tension. He added: "I consider it my duty to warn the government. We have neither preparation nor a systematic plan to confront the tensions that occur during the month of Ramadan in light of the current tense conditions , and there have not been sufficient discussions at the operational and diplomatic levels. We are on the way to another disaster."
Lapid concluded that while Ben Gvir wants to ignite tension in the region, this is not the policy that Israel needs, calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "isolate Ben Gvir's authorities, and immediately form a large team to prepare the country for what is coming."
The internal disputes in the Israeli government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu , regarding a possible prisoner exchange deal with the Hamas movement , reflect the features of the divisions in Israeli society and the differing positions regarding the continuation of the war on the Gaza Strip , which has failed to achieve its goals.
Opposition to the potential exchange deal includes the head of the “Religious Zionism” coalition, Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and the head of the “Jewish Greatness” party, Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, as well as other ministers and members of the government, as Netanyahu faces at this stage his weakest political position in the right-wing camp in his political career. Despite Netanyahu's experience in the field of political marketing and the alleged achievements during his tenure as prime minister, this task is not simple at all at this stage, with the strengthening of the Israelis' convictions that the war on Gaza has failed to achieve its goals. Perhaps this is the source of concern among the Israeli opposition over the fate of Exchange deal.
According to readings from Israeli analysts, Netanyahu is no longer able to provide guarantees to settlers that he will annex the West Bank or parts of the Gaza Strip, as well as sign more “Abrahamic Agreements” without paying any price, and remain on the horse of the prime minister’s chair.
Analysts' estimates unanimously agree that if Netanyahu actually reaches an exchange deal, he will take a risk that he has not taken since his first term, which includes a clear departure in a sharp issue against the extreme right, and it appears - according to Israeli estimates - that Netanyahu has no other choice or alternative.
Regarding the Israeli disputes and division regarding the exchange deal, Haaretz political affairs editor Ravit Hecht says, “It is very difficult to predict the Israeli political scene, when the main players are a prime minister who excels in the art of evasion and procrastination, in order to preserve his political career and remain in the prime minister’s chair.... All indications indicate that reaching an agreement to release most of the kidnapped people in exchange for a ceasefire has become closer, as Netanyahu will have to take a risk against the far-right coalition partners that he has avoided for years, but it does not seem that he has another choice."
She explained that Israel is ultimately a point in the Middle East, even if at this stage it is a “weak point,” noting that the dynamics of regional and international discussions regarding a ceasefire have risen to high levels, as it has become clear that America, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia have clear and immediate interests in ending the ceasefire. War and completing an exchange deal regardless of the position of the extreme Israeli right.
Hecht believes that the real challenge for Netanyahu will be to reach a deal with the right, and to promote the exchange and ceasefire deal as a “complete victory,” or rather a decisive step on this path, in contrast to the complex situation that Netanyahu is trying to impose, by continuing the war on Hamas until the end, and refusing to liberate thousands of Palestinian prisoners.
As for political affairs analyst at the Walla website, Tal Shilo, she believes that Netanyahu is using the swap deal negotiations in his upcoming election campaign, and is seeking that the deal - if completed - will boost his popularity, which has fallen to its lowest levels due to the war on Gaza. It is likely that the disagreements within the government regarding the exchange deal or the ceasefire reflect signs of a rift in the far-right coalition, and the matter would contribute to the dismantling of the government and heading to early elections, according to consensus between the various political parties in the Knesset.
Shilo considered that Netanyahu's promises of "complete victory" aimed to dispel Israelis' awareness of the disaster and failure that Israel suffered under his leadership, and also to delay and carry over the scenarios of the day after the war on his political career. However, Shilo says, “Commitment to complete victory guarantees that the war will not end soon, delays the political scenarios that threaten Netanyahu’s career, may overthrow the emergency government, and postpones the investigation into the failure of the events of October 7, and this is what will push the Israeli public to go out for widespread protests and demonstrations until the overthrow of the Netanyahu government.”
For his part, spokesman for the “Peace Now” bloc, Adam Clare, said, “Netanyahu is seeking, through evasion and procrastination regarding the exchange deal, to escape forward and gain more time, and he may do the impossible in order to maintain the state of fighting and postpone the deal.” He pointed out in statements to Al Jazeera Net that Netanyahu, who is looking for any manifestations of achievements from the war on Gaza, and to avoid the repercussions of the protests calling for early elections for the Knesset , will continue to evade in an effort to succeed in penetrating the position of his partners in the government coalition from the far-right parties, and he will work to convince them not to dismantle and overthrow his original government.
Despite the disagreements and divisions within Netanyahu's government coalition, which relies on 64 members of the Knesset, regarding the exchange deal and ending the war, Clare expects that if a deal is concluded and the ceasefire enters into force, Ben Gvir may not carry out his threats, and the settler parties and the extreme right may refrain from dropping The government because of a meeting of interests.
The Israeli spokesman does not rule out dismantling the war council and overthrowing the emergency government with the withdrawal of the head of the "National Camp", Benny Gantz , if Netanyahu continues to exploit the war for his goals and personal political reconciliation, as well as being dependent on the policies and agenda of the partners in the coalition from the extreme right parties and the Haredi religious parties. It is believed that the war on Gaza, which “enjoys Israeli consensus due to the shock of the events of last October 7, and if it continues without achieving any of its goals of overthrowing Hamas’ rule, freeing the kidnapped Israelis, and Netanyahu’s evasion with the exchange deal, may lead to the dissipation of this consensus.”
Clare believed that "the practices and approaches of the far-right government with regard to the issue of kidnapped Israelis and the opposition of coalition partners to a possible deal will contribute to bringing the division and rift in Israeli society back to the forefront, as Israel will witness unprecedented protests in an indication of the rift of the far-right government, and the protests will escalate until it is overthrown and early elections are held."
Disagreements and conflicts are worsening within the corridors of government in Israel regarding the position on an agreement to stop fighting and exchange prisoners with the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip. Will Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s extremist partners succeed in obstructing the deal?
According to the academic and expert on Israeli affairs, Dr. Muhannad Mustafa, Netanyahu faces a real dilemma. If he accepts the exchange deal with the Palestinian resistance, it will mean the overthrow of his government, as his extremist partners will withdraw from it, especially Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir , and if he opposes it, the minister will withdraw. In the Israeli war council, Benny Gantz .
But what is happening - as the expert says - is that everyone has common interests in the Netanyahu government, and they do not want to overthrow this government because they know that it constitutes a historic opportunity to achieve the ideological goals of the extreme right in Israel
Regarding Ben Gvir’s statements in which he attacked the administration of US President Joe Biden , William Lawrence - a former US State Department official - acknowledged that Ben Gvir is a problem for American foreign policy, and for a long time Washington has been frustrated with him and Smotrich, but Netanyahu has not taken action regarding them. He described Ben Gvir and Smotrich as the worst face of Israeli policy.
Lawrence pointed out - in his interview with the program "Gaza... What's Next?" - that American support for Israel has moved over the past decades from the left to the Zionist and fanatical right such as Ben Gvir and others, recalling in the same context Netanyahu's position with former US President Barack Obama , where he stood Against him and addressed Congress behind his back, he said.
The former US State Department official considered that Ben Gvir's statements regarding the United States constitute a disaster for US foreign policy and its reputation in the world, and called on US ambassadors to communicate with the Israeli opposition, saying that his country is ready to deal with any government that comes after Netanyahu's government.
Ben Gvir said - in an interview with the Wall Street Journal - that Biden, “instead of providing full support to us, is providing humanitarian aid and fuel to Gaza, and that goes to Hamas ,” and he considered that American behavior would be completely different if former President Donald Trump were In the presidency. On the other hand, the former American official believed that Washington must be clear about the settlers, many of whom he said are American citizens who have obtained Israeli citizenship, and that it must end the war on the Gaza Strip. The academic and expert in Israeli affairs confirms that the elites in Israel believe that Ben Gvir is sabotaging Israeli-American relations, especially since Washington provides great support to Tel Aviv in its war on the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli leaders from the government coalition and the opposition refrained from directing public and direct criticism at the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir , and his statements in which he again called for encouraging Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to “voluntary immigrate,” but they directed their criticism at him and his statements from the angle Harmful relations with the United States. The Israeli leaders unanimously agreed that his statements harm relations with the American administration, and also harm Israel's strategies and national security, targeting its international standing, and undermining its future war effort.
In contrast to the double standards of Israeli politicians in dealing with Ben Gvir’s statements, Israeli analysts agreed that the idea of ??“voluntary immigration” is unrealistic and harms Israel, exposes it to accountability from international human rights institutions and establishes judicial procedures against Israel, with everything related to suspicions of genocide and ethnic cleansing.
Ben Gvir's statements to the Wall Street Journal come at a time when Israel is preparing to submit its first report to the International Supreme Court in The Hague, which asked it to determine procedures to prevent suspicions of genocide, as well as to avoid targeting Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, and to ensure the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized Ben Gvir’s statements, and wrote on his account on the “X” platform in a comment in which he said, “The interview that Ben Gvir gave to the Wall Street Journal is a direct attack on Israel’s international standing, and also harms the Israeli war effort.” It also harms the security of Israel.”
The same position was expressed by the head of the “National Camp,” Minister in the War Council, Benny Gantz , who denounced Ben Gvir’s statements, saying that “there may be disagreements, even with our largest and most important ally, but they must be resolved through the relevant institutions, and not through Irresponsible statements in the media, which harm Israel’s strategic relations, the state’s security and the war effort at this time.”
Contrary to what is usual, the head of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party and member of the War Council, Aryeh Deri, broke his silence and directed indirect criticism at Ben Gvir, and chose to thank the American administration for its support and its pro-Israel position in the war on Gaza, saying, “Even among friends and acquaintances there are differences in opinion and viewpoints.”
Regarding these criticisms from the opposition and the coalition that were directed at Ben Gvir, the Prime Minister was forced to comment during the weekly government session, where he said, addressing Ben Gvir, “I do not need help in knowing how to manage our relations with the United States and the international community, while standing firmly on our national interests.”
Contrary to the position of Israeli politicians, who deliberately did not directly criticize Ben Gvir's statements regarding "voluntary immigration," the editor of the Zaman Yisrael website, Bernit Gorn, directed criticism at Ben Gvir, describing him as the "Minister of International Harms." Gorn pointed out that Ben Gvir's statements regarding "voluntary immigration" come at a time when international forums and the Hague Court continue to direct suspicions attributed to Israel of committing violations that suggest genocide, saying that "these statements and silence about them further implicate Israel."
Since October 7, Israel has been dealing with several fronts in addition to the military fronts, with increasing hostility in the diplomatic arenas, and with real threats in the field of international law. Despite this, Horon says, “Ben Gvir, and apparently not alone, insists on the plan that aims to encourage Gazans to voluntarily migrate to other parts of the world” in exchange for a fee, describing it as “the true humanitarian solution.”
The same editor believes that in the next session of the International Supreme Court in The Hague, the interview with Ben Gvir and his statements regarding “voluntary migration,” from petitioners against Israel to the court, will be presented as further evidence of suspicions of genocide, and that Israel did not implement measures to avoid harming civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Dr. Or Lavie, commented in an assessment of a position he posted on his Facebook account on the Israeli calls to encourage Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to “voluntarily immigrate,” saying that “these calls harm Israel and put it under accountability in international forums, in every way, related to suspicions of genocide and ethnic cleansing.”
It is believed that the problem with this idea, which seems very attractive on paper, is that the chances of its realization are zero or even less than that, and because it is a populist and attractive idea, it occupies a leading position in Israeli discourse, and perhaps a consensus among politicians. 2,20,000 Palestinians currently live in the Gaza Strip. “The head of the Religious Zionism Alliance, Bezalel Smotrich , promised that Israel will achieve a situation where only 100-150 thousand Palestinians will remain in the Gaza Strip, a number that Israel can live and coexist with,” Lavie said.
The mass deportation of the population against their will, the Israeli lecturer added, “is a measure that will be met with a harsh international response that includes economic sanctions and a loss of American support. This is also clear to Ben Gvir, Smotrich and others like them, and for this reason none of them talk about such deportation, but rather about “voluntary immigration.”
Lafi recalled the “voluntary migration” project after the Six-Day War in June 1967, which ended in failure and effectively left Israel, against its will, in complete control of the population of Gaza, at that time, as 450,000 Palestinians were living in the Strip. Lafi pointed out that the main idea at the time was to “encourage the migration” of the population of the Gaza Strip to other countries, and then annex the Strip to Israel, as Prime Minister Levi Eshkol proposed drying the Strip to the point of humanitarian distress and the collapse of the little remaining agriculture, a step he believed it will force some residents to migrate to other countries.
The American Al-Monitor website said that the extreme right in Israel defends without deterrence the return of settlers to Gaza, adding that the Israeli extreme right - as part of preparations for the upcoming elections - has already begun a campaign to resettle the Jewish communities that were evacuated during the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005. The article points out that for such a step to take place, the Knesset must repeal the Gaza Disengagement Law of 2005.
The Daily Beast website said that Thomas Friedman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, encourages a bloody conflict in the Middle East using obscene metaphors that compare Muslims to insects and parasites, and described him as a lover of war, whether justified or ill. The site explained - in writer Ben Burgess's column - that Friedman was the most enthusiastic supporter in the New York Times of George W. Bush's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, until his reputation worsened due to his constant calls that the United States needed "another six months" to change the course of the war and achieve a "result." "Decent" until the six-month period was called "Friedman's Unit".
The writer said that - knowing Friedman's record - he should not have been surprised by his recent contribution to making the American discourse on foreign policy more bloodthirsty and more naive, but he was surprised nonetheless.
Thus, Friedman wrote in one of the most prestigious newspapers in the world that he “prefers to think” about the complexities of war and politics in the Middle East, and he went on to say, “According to Science Daily, the wasp injects its eggs into a live caterpillar, and the small wasp larvae slowly devour the caterpillar (the second larval stage of "Insect growth stages) from the inside out to explode once those larvae are satisfied."
After narrating this scientific fact, Friedman wondered: Is there a better description of Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq today than that they are caterpillars, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is a hornet, since the Houthis , Hezbollah , Hamas , and Kataib Hezbollah are the eggs that hatch inside the host, and eat it from the inside out? the outside? “We have no counter-strategy that can safely and efficiently kill the hornet without setting the entire forest on fire,” he commented.
On the other hand, the writer, who found the analogy extremely ugly, imagined “if a widely circulated newspaper wrote an editorial comparing Israeli soldiers and settlers to termites, for example, and saying that the difficulty facing Iran and Hamas is that they are trying to figure out how to kill termites (safely and efficiently) without detonating.” "The entire house. Would this be worse than what Friedman already wrote?"
The writer described Friedman's speech as no worse in this hypothetical situation than in the context of the real world, because it goes back to this type of inhumane colonial metaphors, at a time when Israel caused the displacement of 1.9 million residents of Gaza , and the International Court of Justice issued a temporary ruling against it concluding the existence of a danger. "Real and imminent" genocide .
In such harsh conditions in Gaza and the possibility of “genocide” referred to by the International Court, Friedman likens the United States and Israel to people facing the sad dilemma of how to kill “the hornet and its eggs,” including the “egg” Hamas in Gaza, without burning the entire area. Although Friedman - as the writer says - is not a fan of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sees him as too extremist, and although he is a supporter of a two-state solution when all this is over, he does not call on Israel to agree to a long-term ceasefire, and he does not see the United States backing down completely. Critical to a broader regional war on the verge of breaking out.
In his last article in the New York Times before he thought about the Middle East as a jungle full of hornets, Friedman said that the problem with Netanyahu's positions is that he makes it more difficult for Washington. He called on the United States to bring together “the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) and the Arab and Muslim allies it needs to confront Iran in a more aggressive way,” hoping that this “more aggressive” action would not turn into an all-out war.
Because Tehran is in a much stronger position than the Taliban or Iraq were when George W. Bush launched his wars in the early 21st century, this war will be much worse, and therefore if the United States imposes its will in the “jungle” of the Middle East and “confronts Iran in a more aggressive manner,” how much? What horrors will Friedman's units inflict on ordinary people trying to live their lives in that "jungle"? This is what the Pulitzer Prize winner might have to stop to think about if he allows himself to remember that the inhabitants of the countries where the United States and Israel are waging war are humans, not caterpillars hosting the eggs of parasitic wasps.
An opinion article published by the Wall Street Journal, known for its conservative tendencies, sparked widespread anger among American Muslims and many Democratic politicians at the same time. The newspaper published an opinion article entitled “Welcome to Dearborn, the American Capital of Jihad,” in which the writer incited against the Muslims of Michigan in one of the most important and influential American newspapers.
Following the publication of the article, which was inflammatory par excellence, the Mayor of Dearborn , Michigan, Abdullah Hammoud, ordered the intensification of police patrols near places of worship and major infrastructure sites in the city.
President Joe Biden also entered into the controversy over the article, and said in a tweet on the X website, “Americans know that blaming a group of people based on the words of a small few is wrong. This is exactly what can lead to Islamophobia and anti-Arab hatred, and it should not.” "If this happens to the people of Dearborn or any American town, we must continue to condemn hate in all its forms." The city of Dearborn is located in Wayne County, Michigan, and is an extension of the city of Detroit, where the headquarters of the Ford automobile manufacturer is located.
The city is home to one of the largest communities of Middle Eastern origins, as the city has the largest Arab community in the United States in terms of number, and also in terms of their proportion to the population, as the city’s population of Arab origins is about 40 thousand, and their percentage is approximately 40% of the total city population.
The Wall Street Journal article claimed that thousands of city residents support the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas ). The article written by Stephen Stalinsky, Executive Director of MEMRI, the Middle East Media Research Institute, stated that imams and politicians in the city, which has a large Arab and Islamic community, stand with Hamas against Israel, and with Iran against the United State.
The record of the institute, which the writer heads, raises many questions, as it is widely known for its closeness to Israeli government circles, even though it is officially registered in Washington as an American non-governmental organization that was founded in 1998 by Colonel Yigal Kamron, a former intelligence officer in the Israeli army. He worked as a security advisor to combat terrorism for both Israeli Prime Ministers Yitzhak Shamir and Yitzhak Rabin .
The institute periodically publishes translations of a number of videos and parts of articles in which Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian media figures, politicians, and activists attack the United States or the West, and sends them to a mailing list of several thousand people interested in Middle Eastern affairs inside and outside the United States.
However, the content published by the Institute focuses on everything that offends Arabs, Palestinians, and Muslims, including media materials, political statements, or societal scandals, with the aim of distorting the image of Arabs and the Islamic religion, and branding them with terrorism and extremism.
“Thousands are demonstrating in support of Hamas, Hezbollah , and Iran,” Stalinsky wrote. “ The demonstrators, many of them wearing keffiyehs, are chanting Intifada, Intifada, and from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free, and America is a terrorist state. Local imams are giving fiery anti-Semitic speeches, and this does not happen in The Middle East, but rather in a suburb of Detroit in Dearborn, Michigan.”
After the writer attacked the city’s mayor and a number of the imams of the city’s mosques for what he saw as support for Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, he says at the end of his article that “public support for Hamas is spreading. Since October 7, similar protests have occurred in American cities.” "The major included pictures, chants and slogans in support of the jihadists. The marches now also express their support for the Iran-backed Houthis, who are firing missiles at Israel and trying to sink commercial ships in the Red Sea ."
The writer urged law enforcement agencies to intervene, and said, "What is happening in Dearborn is not just a political problem for Democrats. Rather, it is likely a national security issue that affects all Americans, and counterterrorism agencies at all levels should pay close attention to what is going on."
“In response to a blatantly anti-Islamic, anti-Arab and racist opinion article published by the Wall Street Journal today, we have increased our law enforcement presence throughout Dearborn,” Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said in a statement. "Dearborn Police continue to monitor social media for threats. This is more than just irresponsible journalism. Publishing such inflammatory writings puts our residents at increased risk of harm," he added.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer also expressed her anger, saying in a tweet on the X website, “Dearborn is a vibrant city full of citizens who contribute day after day to building our state. Islamophobia and all forms of hatred have no place in Michigan, or anywhere.”
In a statement issued by the Council on American-Islamic Relations ( CAIR ), Dawud Walid, director of the Michigan branch of the largest Islamic organization in the United States, said that he “welcomes the intensification of police patrols,” and added, “We welcome the proactive approach taken by Mayor Hammoud to protect the Muslim community from a possible attack based on the allegations.” "The lies in this inaccurate and inflammatory article."
It is worth noting that during his visit to the state of Michigan, President Joe Biden was met with protests opposing his position on supporting the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip , and Biden’s visit did not include any meetings with Arab American leaders. Mayor Hammoud wrote on the X platform during the visit, saying, “The lives of Palestinians are not measured by opinion poll numbers. When elected officials view the atrocities in Gaza as only an electoral problem, they reduce our untold pain to narrow political calculations.”
Democratic Congressman from California, Roy Hanna, also tweeted in support of the city and its mayor, saying, “Not only is Dearborn a center for innovation in America in partnership with Silicon Valley, but its mayor is one of the most dynamic mayors! He has provided the working and middle class with more From what the Wall Street Journal Board of Directors recommends is empty policies!.
The New York Times said that the presence of demonstrators angry at Israel's war on Gaza in front of the residence of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken , in northern Virginia, has become regular, as some of them staged a sit-in for several days in the streets and set up tents.
Butcher's Bill / Oasis of Martyrs
Haaretz newspaper said that 11,500 children were killed in Gaza , and children who witnessed the death of their loved ones, parents who buried their children, people who recovered bodies from fire and rubble, thousands of disabled children and tens of thousands remained in a state of shock forever. The Israeli newspaper explained - in a column by its writer Gideon Levy - that the Al Jazeera network published the list of names that it learned over the weekend, and they represent half of the 11,500 children who were killed, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, where a child is killed every 15 minutes, 1% of them. in Gaza.
The newspaper said that thousands of names of children killed by the Israeli army in Gaza during the past four months are flowing one after another like the credits at the end of a long movie, with a sad tone in the background, including 260 names of children who have not and will not celebrate their first birthday or anything else, and no one will know what they were. Their dreams.
Although the writer does not find any explanation, justification, or excuse for this horror, he does not think that the Israeli propaganda machine should try to search for it, as “the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) cannot be responsible for all of this,” and therefore it cannot be The only explanation is the existence of an army and a government in Israel that does not abide by any law or morals.
There are children who died in their beds - as the writer says - and children who tried to escape for their lives to no avail, and there are 10,000 small bodies lying in mass graves and crowded emergency rooms. All of this is happening not far from Tel Aviv without it being reported in Israel, and without any public discussion. About the violent rampage that Israel allowed itself to wage this time, without anyone thinking about what would come from this mass killing and what Israel might gain from it, and what price it would pay for it.
It takes only 7 minutes to view the list of thousands of dead children, which passes as quickly as their miserable lives, minutes that make one feel suffocated, sad, and extremely ashamed. The justifications seemed trite and pathetic - as the writer says - “they started it” and “there is no choice” and “what do you want us to do?” “The Israeli army is doing everything in its power to avoid killing innocent people,” but the truth is that Israel does not care. “They will only grow up to become terrorists.”
Meanwhile, Israel is erasing generations in Gaza, and its soldiers are killing children in numbers that rival the most horrific wars, and this is what cannot be forgotten, because how can a people forget those who killed their children in this way? How can people of conscience around the world remain silent about this mass killing of children? The writer wonders.
The writer concluded that it is impossible for people to remain silent, and even Israel, immersed in its grief and concern over the fate of the detainees, cannot ignore what is happening in Gaza, where it takes only 7 minutes to display the list of thousands of dead children, passing at the same speed as their miserable lives, which is Minutes that make one feel suffocated, sad, and extremely ashamed.
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."
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant considered 05 February 2024 that half the number of Hamas militants were killed or seriously injured by Israeli army forces. The HAMAS Ministry of Health in the besieged sector announced that the number of victims of the Israeli operation its beginning had risen to 27,478 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 66,835. 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 380 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 563 [557?] since the start of the war on October 7, including 233 [220?] killed since the ground invasion as a result of the ongoing clashes with the Palestinian resistance. 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.
It was announced that soldiers wounded in the Gaza Strip battles numbered to 2,815 since the beginning of the war, including 1,296 who had been wounded since the start of the ground attack on October 27, 2023.
The Israeli army reported that 407 who are still receiving treatment for their injuries in the Gaza battles, and the condition of 48 of them is serious. The number of injured among the Israeli army since the start of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip on October 27 included 602 minor cases, 430 moderate cases, and 264 critical cases.
The Israeli army published new data about those wounded in the military operation in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army announces that 540 soldiers were injured in the Gaza StripThe Gaza government announces that the Israeli army committed a “horrific massacre” in an area it claimed was safe According to army data, 540 soldiers, including 27 seriously injured, were injured in operational incidents since the start of the bombing of the Gaza Strip. There were also 21 accidental shooting incidents in the Gaza Strip, 54 bilateral shooting incidents and 31 traffic accidents. In addition, 388 incidents occurred, including ramming anti-tank rifles, anti-aircraft guns, weapons and machine guns.
At least 13,794 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
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 6,500. 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."
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