Operation Iron Swords - Day 134 - 18 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 |
Religious messianism has been and continues to be an extremely powerful force in world history and that many of the external conflicts related to Jews and Israel can only be understood by appreciation of their messianic roots. Similarly, much antisemitism, and conversely love of Jews, have messianic underpinnings.
"Iran, Hamas, the P.A., the Houthis and Hezbollah are united against Israel for religious, not political reasons. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is primarily religious, not political. Admittedly, the Palestinians and their supporters have successfully persuaded much of the world that this is a political conflict... The genocidal goals of fundamentalist Islam were first expressed in then-Palestine by the Mufti of Jerusalem Amin al-Husseini, who in 1920 organized the first Arab riots against Jewish immigration to British Mandatory Palestine.... As the Nazis’ spokesman to the Muslim world, Husseini was instrumental in organizing the planned genocide of the Palestinian Jews.... Iran and its protégés Hezbollah and the Houthis are seeking to bring about [the return from occultation of] the twelfth imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, [who] will remain hidden until the End of Days... Israel’s existence is a challenge to this messianic ideology." according to Dr. Arnold Slyper, author of the newly-released book The Struggle for Utopia: A History of Jewish, Christian and Islamic Messianism.
The Jewish People Policy Institute’s monthly Israeli Society Index shows that the Israeli public would clearly prioritize toppling Hamas over returning the hostages. If the choice were between ousting Hamas and returning the hostages, 47% of Israeli Jews would choose to oust Hamas, 25% to return the hostages. There is heated debate in Israel over which of the two goals takes precedence; the debate itself includes many tactical aspects about which decision makers do not necessarily agree (e.g., whether additional military pressure would increase or decrease the chances of returning the hostages, whether there would be a realistic chance of renewing the fighting after a lengthy pause for the sake of a hostage deal, and more).
Only the secular are evenly divided between preferring the return of the hostages and preferring the ouster of Hamas. The strongest preference by far among Masortim (traditionalist), Datiim (religious), and Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jews is the ouster of Hamas. Among Religious Zionist Party voters, two-thirds of these voters chose ousting Hamas, while a third chose “can’t answer.” None chose the return of the hostages.
Confidence that Israel will win the war has fallen since October by 20%; only slightly more than half of Jewish respondents are currently confident of victory. The share of Jews who place high trust in the government (very or somewhat high) dropped from 38% to 34% over the last month. Among Israeli Arabs, only 16% place high trust in the government. Most coalition supporters (66%) want elections “at their scheduled time (in 2026),” while more than half of opposition voters want elections to occur within the next three months (55%). A very significant rise in the share of Arab Israelis who feel that many or most Jewish Israelis are “politically extremist” (62%).
Among secular Jews, the dominant sentiment regarding the ultra-Orthodox (Haredim), settlers, and religious Jews (Datiim) is “anger.” Ten percent express “hatred” toward Haredim and settlers. A major subset of traditionalist (Masorti), Religious (Dati), and Haredi Jews (about a quarter of the respondents) express feelings of “anger” and “hatred” toward “Tel Avivim” (the primarily secular and liberal residents of Tel Aviv).
As expected, the opinions of Jews regarding Arab “extremism” are strongly influenced by political outlook and religiosity level. Among the secular, 35% feel that many Arabs are politically extreme, while 72% of Datiim and 88% of Haredim hold that view. Among those who vote for the Jewish opposition parties, 23% feel that many Arabs are extremist, but among those who vote for the Jewish coalition parties, the share is 74%.
Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) Monthly Israeli Society Index, released January 15, 2024, founds Israelis and the American government are on a collision course. Only 5% of Jewish Israelis agreed with the American proposal: Palestinian Authority control in Gaza along with others. 44% of the Israeli public believes that Israel should open a second front against Hezbollah as soon as possible. 36% of Jews in Israel believe that Israeli control over the entire Gaza Strip should be established, and 26% support the reconstruction of the Gush Katif settlements.
Initial data from the Jauary “Monthly Israeli Society Index” predicted a possible full-on clash between the majority of Israelis and the policy advanced by the U.S. administration. In the Gaza context, there is a noticeable gap compared to the American position; 36% of Israeli Jews believe that Israeli should take control of the entire territory, and 26% advocate reconstruction of the Gush Katif settlements. Only 5% (!) of Jews in Israel agree with the American proposal – Palestinian Authority control in Gaza.
The survey indicates that a significant percentage of Israeli Jews (44%) believe that Israel should open a second front against Hezbollah as soon as possible. This contrasts with the government’s attempts to prevent a wider confrontation with Hezbollah (the Arab position is different:44% of Israeli Arabs prefer an internationally supported agreement to resolve the crisis in the north).
The biblical holidays for the Jews this year intersect with the second week of Ramadan and Tarawih prayers, which may open the door to a new battle in Al-Aqsa Mosque. Ramadan is celebrated Mar 10, 2024 – Apr 9, 2024. Tarawih, also known as Taraweeh, is a voluntary (nafl) night prayer performed by Muslims during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Tarawih prayers are a sunnah of the Prophet, which means that it was his practice to perform them. Purim is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the survival of the Jewish people from annihilation in the 5th century BCE. The story is told in the Book of Esther and is known as the Feast of Lots. Purim dates are March 23–24, 2024.
Internal Israeli disputes regarding the position on the entry of Muslim worshipers from the occupied West Bank into the Holy Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan have come to light. The Israeli Broadcasting Authority said, "The police proposed deploying a permanent force in Al-Aqsa Mosque Square during the month of Ramadan, with the aim of immediately dealing with what it described as 'incitement campaigns', or raising the flags of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ).
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that the proposal was not accepted by the Israeli Internal Security Agency ( Shin Bet ), which recommended that worshipers enter without restrictions, for fear of escalation in occupied East Jerusalem .
This comes after the Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, called for a complete ban on the entry of Palestinians from the West Bank into the Temple Mount during the month of Ramadan, while Arab citizens are allowed to enter starting at the age of 70. On the other hand, the police position indicates “allowing entry to the Jewish community starting at the age of 60, and from the age of 45 for Arab citizens.”
The Shin Bet’s position indicates that entry is allowed from the age of 45, with no restrictions on Arab citizens. Israeli media reported that the security establishment warned that Ben Gvir's policy would lead to provoking sectors that are already under control.
The Israeli government was scheduled to discuss the security policy for the entry of Palestinians from the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem into Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan. Israeli Channel 12 quoted sources yesterday as saying that a political battle was taking place behind the scenes before the security policy in this regard was discussed.
A high-ranking Israeli source who participated in the discussion about restricting Palestinians’ access to the Temple Mount during the month of Ramadan said after the decision was taken, that “the month of Ramadan could lead to an explosion.” Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted the source as saying: “Ramadan could lead to an explosion. What Ben Gvir wants are crazy things that could set fire to the Judea and Samaria Strip (the Israeli name for the West Bank).” He added: "There is a prime minister here who does not understand the magnitude of the event."
Israeli Channel 13 revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the proposal of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to restrict the entry of Palestinians from inside and Jerusalem to Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan. The channel added that it is expected that an official final decision will be taken in this regard within the next few days.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that the proposal was not accepted by the Israeli army and the Israeli Internal Security Service ( Shin Bet ), for fear of escalation in Jerusalem and the West Bank and the occurrence of unrest between Palestinians inside and the Israeli police. The Shin Bet and the army proposed allowing Palestinians aged 45 and over to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque, while the police proposed allowing only those over 60 years of age to enter.
The broadcasting authority added that the police proposed deploying a permanent force in the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan, with the aim of immediately dealing with what it described as "incitement campaigns", or raising the flags of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ).
Military affairs correspondent for the Israeli Channel 12, Nir Dvori, quoted army commanders warning of the explosion of the situation in the West Bank, which is expected to reach its peak with the advent of the month of Ramadan, and that if this happens, it is possible to transfer forces from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank or re-call soldiers. Reserves who were discharged. Dafouri stressed the need to prevent the outbreak of violence that might result from what is happening in Al-Aqsa Mosque, pointing out that one of the reasons for the Hamas attack on October 7 was the violation of the sanctity of the holy places by Israeli officials, in reference to Ben Gvir entering Al-Aqsa Mosque.
These warnings came after Ben Gvir called on Friday for a complete ban on the entry of Palestinians from the West Bank into Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan. Since the beginning of the devastating Israeli war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, Israel has limited Palestinian access to Al-Aqsa Mosque - especially on Friday - in parallel with the escalation of incursions carried out by its forces in the West Bank.
The specialist in Al-Aqsa Mosque affairs, Nasser Hadmi, said that the current reality in the region imposes a dangerous situation on the occupation, and there is more than one factor that can affect this, most importantly the decisions of the occupation government regarding the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the city of Jerusalem in general.
He added - in exclusive statements to Al Jazeera Net - that the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and everything related to it has become a major trigger for the situation in the region, “and we should not forget that the Gaza war and the attack carried out by the occupation authorities today on the Gaza Strip was primarily caused by the attack on the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, so it was named this... The confrontation is the Al-Aqsa flood.
He pointed out that there are security factors related to the fear of things erupting in the West Bank “if its people, who used to come to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque every year, even in small numbers or large ages, are prevented, especially since it is currently boiling and extremely tense despite all the incursions carried out by the authorities.” The occupation, which in turn increased the existing state of tension and explosion.”
He also pointed to political factors that the occupation authorities fear that the circle of conflict will expand significantly as a result of any wrong decision, as it becomes difficult for many Arab governments and regimes surrounding the occupying state to control their people, especially Jordan, which has custodianship of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and all the holy sites in the city. Jerusalem.
Nasser Al-Hidmi did not ignore ideological factors, in the context, as “in the occupation government today there are many hawks who cling to the ideology that Jews have the full right to be in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, just as Muslims do, and that the occupation government is the first and last controller of what is happening in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.” Therefore, we see that this ideology will push towards extremism.”
He added, "If we take into account that what Hamas did in the Al-Aqsa flood was for the sake of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, the occupation government claims that it was able to break Hamas' nose and that it is in control of matters. Therefore, it cannot submit to Hamas' conditions and threats, and this will increase the state of challenge before the authorities." Occupation".
Nasser Hadmi explained the psychological factors of Ben Ghafir, who sees himself as the greatest protector of the rights of Jews in Al-Aqsa Mosque personally, and far from even ideology. He challenges the Palestinians in general and Hamas in particular, which is why he stormed Al-Aqsa as a minister in the occupying state, and caused many confrontations. .
Hedmi concludes that all of these factors lead to the decision being very difficult, as there are fears on one side and ambitions on the other. “I believe that the occupation authorities will be forced to take strict measures regarding prayer in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, which will push towards confrontation, and I am certain that the people of the West Bank and the people of the Palestinian interior will triumph for their mosque, and for their right to pray, which foretells very dangerous confrontations.”
Since the beginning of the devastating Israeli war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, Israel has greatly limited Palestinian access to Al-Aqsa Mosque in parallel with the escalation of incursions carried out by its forces in the West Bank. About 25,000 Palestinians performed Friday prayers in Al-Aqsa Mosque the day before yesterday, which is the largest number of worshipers the mosque has witnessed since the beginning of the war.
The Supreme Follow-up Committee for the Arab masses within the Green Line in Israel said, “The restrictions on our Arab masses from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan are a declaration of Israeli war against us.” The follow-up committee warned the Arab public of “the Israeli war government’s intention to accept the requests of the Arab settler minister, Itamar Ben Gvir (the Israeli Minister of National Security), to impose restrictions on the entry of Muslims from internal Palestinians and Palestinians from Jerusalem to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque during the blessed month of Ramadan, after... Imposing severe restrictions on the Palestinians of the West Bank, and of course banning the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip, in light of the ongoing war of genocide against our people.”
The committee added: “The holy month of Ramadan is a month of worship and piety, but the racist mentality that dominates the Israeli government has made it a month of provocations, threats, oppression, and deprivation of freedom of worship for the people of the homeland, the holy sites, the first two Qiblahs, and the third of the Two Holy Mosques,” stressing that “these conditions requested by Ben Gvir, His Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approves of it, according to what is published in the media. It is a declaration of all-out war against us, and it is a prelude to the emptying of the Holy Mosque in order for the settlers to take control of Al-Aqsa Mosque in preparation for its demolition, according to what the settlers and extremists in general have sought over the years.
Muhammad Baraka, head of the Supreme Follow-up Committee, told the Arab masses: “This decision will never pass, neither here nor in the world. Attempts to empty Al-Aqsa will fail, and with them the plans of these people will fail,” calling on the international community and the Arab and Islamic countries to work to stop this dangerous escalation alongside The war of genocide in Gaza.
In response to the decision to prevent Muslim citizens from praying at Al-Aqsa during the month of Ramadan, Knesset Member Walid from Ra’im (Mansour Abbas’s party) said: “Netanyahu has once again surrendered to Ben Gvir. This is another dangerous and racist decision that could add unnecessary fuel to the fire of violence.” He added: “The instigator Ben Gvir wants to set a fire in Jerusalem. Instead of putting an end to it and preserving the freedom of worship and prayer for Muslim citizens during the holy month of Ramadan, Netanyahu is cooperating with him, and I call on all the “responsible parties” in the government, led by Ministers Galant, Gantz, and Eisenkot, To move to cancel the shameful decision, the consequences of which may be difficult for all of us.”
War Termination
Hamas threatened to suspend its participation in the ceasefire negotiations unless urgent aid was brought into the northern Gaza Strip, as relief agencies warned of a looming famine as Israel prepares to invade the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip with the aim of "destroying" Hamas.
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani said that the negotiations that took place during the past few days to reach a framework agreement for a ceasefire in Gaza are “not very promising.” Al Thani considered that reaching a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza “should not be conditional” on an agreement on the release of the hostages. He added during the Munich Security Conference, "This is the dilemma we have fallen into, and unfortunately many countries have misused it, which is that in order to reach a ceasefire, it is necessary to reach an agreement on the hostages. This should not be conditional."
Al Thani said, "I think we can reach an agreement very soon. But the tone that prevailed in the past few days was really not very promising." Speaking in English, he added, "We will always remain optimistic and we will always maintain pressure." He continued, saying: "I cannot go into the details of the negotiations, but I believe that if we can address the humanitarian package within the agreement, we will be able to overcome the obstacles." The Prime Minister of Qatar stressed that "time is not on our side and the matter will be very dangerous for the entire region as the situation develops in Rafah."
The Israeli Cabinet approved a statement rejecting any unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood, amid reports the Biden administration is considering such a move. “In light of remarks that have been heard recently in the international community about an attempt to unilaterally force a Palestinian state on Israel, today I submit for government approval a declarative decision on the issue. I am certain that it will receive very broad support,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the beginning of Sunday’s weekly Cabinet meeting.
His office subsequently released the text of the statement:
1. Israel utterly rejects international diktats regarding a permanent settlement with the Palestinians. A settlement, if it is to be reached, will come about solely through direct negotiations between the parties, without preconditions.
2. Israel will continue to oppose unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. Such recognition in the wake of the October 7th massacre would be a massive and unprecedented reward to terrorism and would prevent any future peace settlement.
According to Ynet, Netanyahu coordinated the statement with War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz and Cabinet Minister Gideon Sa’ar. Energy Minister Eli Cohen, who was foreign minister until last month, told Army Radio that “if the price of expanding [the Abraham Accords] is a Palestinian state, then I’ll give up on the peace agreements.”
"Israel must be secure. This means that Israel must be responsible for defending itself, and there cannot be a militarized Palestinian state. At the same time, if the normalization conversation with Saudi Arabia is to be achieved, there must be an over the horizon process that includes a vision for a demilitarized Palestinian state." US Ambassador Jack Lew said, addressing the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations annual mission in Jerusalem.
Member of Knesset Benny Gantz, a key figure in Israel’s War Cabinet, the head of the National Unity party, and a former defense minister and IDF chief of staff, articulated a detailed strategy for Israel’s engagement with Gaza, focusing on achieving long-term peace and stability. In a pivotal address to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem, Gantz outlined a phased approach to resolving the situation. Gantz’s strategy involves an immediate military victory over Hamas, recognized as a terrorist organization by Israel, the US, and the EU, followed by the establishment of a civilian administration in Gaza led by Palestinians not affiliated with the terrorist organization. This administration would be supported by an international coalition aimed at the region’s development over the next decade.
The Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, warned against dragging the Palestinians into what he called empty negotiations, in light of the talk about a future Palestinian state that was rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Earlier, the Israeli government unanimously approved a draft resolution not to recognize a unilateral Palestinian state, and Netanyahu said that “Israel rejects international dictates” related to this file. This came in the context of Netanyahu's response to what the United States and European countries announced that they were considering recognizing an independent Palestinian state, in a proactive step that would pave the way for the implementation of the two-state solution .
Al-Barghouti asked - in his interview with the program “Gaza... What’s next?” Regarding the content of this future state, he warned against the model of the Oslo Accords , where he said, “May God not let us enter this calamity again.” He believed that Oslo's biggest sin was that it signed without stopping settlement. He added, "We will not be dragged into negotiations that are empty of substance and will not lead to results again."
Regarding the Israeli government’s refusal to recognize a unilateral Palestinian state, Barghouti wondered whether the American administration would take punitive measures against Israel and put pressure on it, or is “the story of the Palestinian state an illusion to justify Israeli normalization with the Arab environment?”
Professor of political science at An-Najah University and expert on Israeli affairs, Dr. Raed Nairat, was not surprised by the rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state by the Netanyahu government, who has repeatedly declared his rejection of this state, and confirmed in his book “A Place Under the Sun” that he does not recognize the existence of the Palestinian people as a culture and identity.
Nairat pointed out that there was a state of marriage between right-wing thought and Zionism, which led to the rejection of the Palestinian presence, pointing out that there were statements that explicitly said that the solution was to displace, exile, or kill the Palestinians. Even the Palestinian National Authority, despite its weakness, the Israelis are not satisfied with it because it “constitutes the title of sovereignty for the Palestinians.”
As for the former US State Department official, Dr. William Lawrence, he acknowledged that the administration of President Joe Biden is not putting enough pressure on the Israeli government, stressing that Netanyahu’s statements regarding the Palestinian state are not welcome to his country. In what was considered optimistic about a change in the Israeli position, the American guest said that Netanyahu announced in 2008 that he accepted the establishment of a Palestinian state despite declaring his rejection of it in his book.
While stressing the necessity of a ceasefire in Gaza , Lawrence believed that negotiations to establish a Palestinian state could be based on the Oslo model, “which can be revived,” saying that the Palestinians have the right to live in dignity, and that the president’s administration must press to achieve this.
Regarding the proposal of Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to restrict the entry of Palestinians inside Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan, the program’s guests unanimously agreed that this proposal - which Netanyahu approved, according to what was reported on Israeli Channel 13 - would lead to aggravation of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. The professor of political science at An-Najah University spoke about the Israeli policy towards the city of Jerusalem, where it is making attempts to Judaize and exploiting the “post-October 7, 2023” situation in order to intensify its attempts.
The head of the Hamas Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, stressed that the resistance will not accept anything less than a complete cessation of aggression, the occupation’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the lifting of the siege, and the provision of shelter for the displaced. Haniyeh added that the movement deals with the ongoing negotiations in a positive spirit and with high responsibility and will not neglect the sacrifices of the Palestinian people and the achievements of their resistance, holding the Israeli occupation responsible for maneuvering and procrastination in the issue of truce negotiations and prisoner exchange.
On the other hand, Israeli Army Radio reported, quoting Education Minister Yoav Kish, that the failure of the delegation concerned with the detainee negotiations to travel does not mean that nothing will happen. The Israeli minister added that there are ongoing talks, but as long as Hamas adheres to its demands, it is impossible to advance them. He said that military pressure will continue, because this is the only effective thing that will lead to reaching an agreement, as he put it.
In turn, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that work is continuing with Qatar, Egypt and Israel to reach a final agreement on the prisoners, and that this is now possible.
Algeria called on the UN Security Council to meet Tuesday to vote on a draft resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip , but the specter of an American veto awaits the Algerian draft resolution. Diplomatic sources reported that the UN Security Council will vote on a draft resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire for humanitarian reasons” in the Gaza Strip, at the request of Algeria.
Algeria launched consultations on the draft resolution following the International Court of Justice’s decision at the end of last January, in which it called on Israel to prevent any possible act of “ genocide ” in Gaza. According to the latest version of the Algerian draft resolution; The Security Council calls for "an immediate ceasefire on humanitarian grounds, respected by all parties." The draft resolution also rejects the "forced displacement of the Palestinian civilian population" and calls for an end to this "violation of international law."
Diplomatic sources at the United Nations said that Algeria requested that the Security Council vote Tuesday on the text in its current form. But the American delegate to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said that Washington does not support taking action on this draft resolution, and if it is put to a vote in its current form, it will not be adopted.
In her statement in early February, Greenfield saw Algeria’s initiative to issue a new resolution as a “threat to undermine” the ongoing negotiations between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) with American-Egyptian-Qatari mediation. To establish a new truce that includes the release of Israeli detainees in Gaza, and Palestinian prisoners imprisoned in Israel. The American delegate added that the UN Security Council must "ensure that any action it takes in the coming days leads to increased pressure on Hamas, so that it accepts the proposal on the table."
On the Palestinian side, the Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, said, “We believe that the time has come for the Security Council to adopt a resolution on a ceasefire for humanitarian reasons.” It is noteworthy that the American administration ignored all the pressure exerted by the international community, and used its veto power to thwart draft resolutions calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, in October, and then at the beginning of last December.
Israeli writer Gideon Levy called on the world to firmly and clearly present an unequivocal option to reach peace between the Palestinians and Israel , indicating that the world must ask Tel Aviv to choose between sanctions or ending the occupation, and between settlements or international support, lands or weapons, A democratic or Jewish state, apartheid , or ending Zionism.
Levy said in an article in the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" that now is the appropriate time for the United States and the international community to decide whether they want to continue the endless cycle of violence between Israel and the Palestinians, or put an end to it?
He wondered whether America would continue to arm Israel and then regret the excessive use of these weapons, or was it finally ready to take real steps, for the first time in its history, to change reality? Above all, will Israel's most brutal attacks on Gaza become the most senseless of all attacks? Or was the opportunity that came in its wake not to be missed, for a change?
The writer stressed that there is no point in appealing to Israel, adding that the current government, and the government that is likely to replace it, do not have and will never have the intention, courage, or ability to bring about change. He explained that the government expected to succeed Netanyahu's current government may be led by Benny Gantz , Gadi Eisenkot , or Yair Lapid , saying that it is painfully futile, as none of them believes in the existence of a Palestinian state equal in its sovereign status and rights vis-à-vis Israel.
He mocked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , who spoke of his rejection of what he called "coercive moves" on the American talks on establishing a Palestinian state, saying that he was the man who did everything in his power to thwart the negotiations, and used coercion as a policy towards the Palestinians. He added that Netanyahu called for a "non-coercive" solution similar to the Dayton Accords. The writer responded that Dayton was a coercive, incomplete agreement reached in Bosnia and Herzegovina that put an end to one of the cruelest wars and, contrary to all expectations, lasted for 29 years.
Levy continued to say that the world should not let the opportunity pass; Because he is the one who will have to rebuild the ruins of the Gaza Strip with his money, and he is the one whose stability is being undermined by the Israeli occupation. He pointed out that the world agrees that the occupation is bad for it, but it has never raised a finger to end it, and now, an opportunity has arisen to do so. “Israel’s weakness and dependence on others after this war must be exploited for Israel’s benefit as well.”
Levy criticized the rounds of talks, which he described as useless, conducted by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken , and the statements of US President Joe Biden , which he described as thorny, stressing that the two lead nowhere, and called on Biden to take action. He praised the statements of European Union foreign policy official Josep Borrell, describing his words as easy and true from which people could learn something, and conveying what Borrell said to Biden that if he believes that many people are being killed, “you should provide less weapons to Israel.”
Internal pressure has increased on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a prisoner exchange agreement with the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), and this coincided with the movement’s threat to withdraw from the negotiations unless urgent aid is brought into the northern Gaza Strip . Israel has witnessed demonstrations by families of Israeli detainees in Gaza, during which they demanded the head of the Israeli trade unions to announce a strike and paralyze the economy until a prisoner exchange agreement is reached.
The families urged the War Council to reach an immediate exchange deal that would guarantee the return of all detainees, and accused Netanyahu of ignoring the families and not listening to them, and affirmed their rejection of his decision to freeze the Cairo negotiations regarding reaching a prisoner exchange deal. The American newspaper "The Washington Post" quoted an Israeli source as saying that Netanyahu's rejection of Hamas's demands does not mean that he prevents the negotiators from engaging in the talks and working behind the scenes to reach an exchange deal.
For its part, Israeli Army Radio quoted Education Minister Yoav Kish as saying that the failure of the delegation concerned with the prisoner exchange negotiations to travel to Cairo does not necessarily mean anything, adding that the negotiations are continuing. Kish pointed out that as long as Hamas adheres to its demands, it is impossible to advance negotiations, referring to the movement’s demands to end the aggression and withdraw Israeli army soldiers from the Gaza Strip. This week, negotiations took place in Cairo in which mediators from Egypt, the United States, and Qatar participated to reach a truce agreement and the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas threatened to suspend its participation in the negotiations unless urgent aid was brought into the northern Gaza Strip, as relief agencies warned of a looming famine. A leading Hamas source told Agence France-Presse, "The movement intends to suspend negotiations until aid is brought into northern Gaza. Negotiations cannot be held while hunger is devouring the Palestinian people." The head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, had previously held Israel responsible for the maneuvering and procrastination in the truce negotiations and prisoner exchange.
Haniyeh said that the movement dealt in a positive spirit and with high responsibility with the mediators in order to stop the aggression and end the unjust siege on the Gaza Strip, and stressed that the resistance will not accept anything less than a complete cessation of aggression, withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, lifting the unjust siege on it, and providing shelter for the displaced and homeless.
Haniyeh stressed that it is not possible to skip over achieving a prisoner exchange deal under which veteran prisoners and those with high sentences will be released.
Operational Update
US Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner said that Israel has achieved only very little success in clearing and securing the Gaza Strip tunnels. CNN quoted Warner as saying that what Israel dealt with was only a small part of the length of the tunnels, estimated at 500 kilometers.
At the end of January, the Wall Street Journal - citing American and Israeli officials - said that about 80% of the tunnels of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) in the Gaza Strip were still intact after weeks of attempts to destroy them by Israel. Officials from the United States and Israel estimate that between 20% and 40% of Hamas' tunnels have been damaged or rendered inoperable, most of them in northern Gaza.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said that the army was surprised by the size of the tunnel network built by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, which exceeded the estimates of military commanders in Israel by about 600%.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant claimed that "the Hamas leadership abroad is looking for an alternative to Sinwar after losing contact with him." In an assessment of the situation in the Southern Command, Gallant claimed: “The Khan Yunis Battalion is disintegrated and does not function as a military entity in any way.” He added: "Hamas remains with a margin in the center camps and with the Rafah Brigade and is in complete military collapse," he said.
Gallant noted that Hamas' "station" in Gaza is "out of service," meaning that contact with them has been cut off. As part of the negotiations to reach a ceasefire agreement and a prisoner exchange deal, Israeli Channel 12 reported earlier that the head of the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, is insisting on his demands during the Cairo negotiations, and that there are no indications of reaching a compromise.
Israeli War Council Minister Benny Gantz said that the fighting in the Gaza Strip will continue during the month of Ramadan, and will expand to the city of Rafah , south of the Strip, “if the detainees are not returned.” This came during the opening of the annual conference of heads of Jewish organizations in America, in Jerusalem , according to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
Gantz considered that "after October 7, unilateral measures, such as recognition of the Palestinian state, are no longer the path to regional stability and political settlements," he said. He added, “The world must know, and Hamas leaders must know — if by Ramadan our hostages [ed : not "our kidnappers"] are not home, the fighting will continue everywhere, to include the Rafah area,” Gantz said. He continued, "We will do this in a coordinated manner, and we will allow the evacuation of citizens during discussion with our American and Egyptian partners to avoid harming uninvolved citizens."
Gantz said, "But to those who say the price is too high, I say clearly that Hamas has a choice. They can surrender, release the kidnapped people, and thus the people of Gaza will be able to celebrate the month of Ramadan." He added, "We will continue to fight, in any scenario, until we achieve our goals." Regarding his vision for the next day in Gaza after the war, Gantz said, “That will happen after at least a year, and we need to start building something new, a civilian government that cannot be Hamas, or Israel.”
He added, "I assume that these factions must be Palestinian factions not linked to Hamas. In any case, in the near future in Gaza, the question is not who will rule in terms of security, because it will be us."
Occupation aircraft launched fire belts in the middle of the Gaza Strip , specifically in the city of Deir al-Balah and the town of al-Zawaida. While the center of gravity of operations remains west of Khan Yunis, the Israeli bombardment of Rafah varied with artillery in the east and military aircraft in the centre. Commenting on the events, military and strategic expert Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi said that the border city of Rafah with Egypt is still outside the framework of ground battles, but the recent fire dams indicate future ground operations.
During his analysis of Al Jazeera, Al-Duwairi shows that the approach of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - which calls for continued military pressure on the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) in the hope of forcing it to make concessions - has the loudest voice and greatest presence in Israel , in the face of the other approach, which calls for avoiding... Ground battle in Rafah.
But the strategic expert goes on to say that the Chief of Staff of the occupation army, Herzi Halevy, set limits before implementing the Rafah operation, including the necessity of full coordination with Egypt, as well as implementing an operation prior to the ground operation. What is meant here is the voluntary evacuation and displacement towards the areas of Gush Katif and Al-Mawasi in the south of the Gaza Strip, where there was a limited response from the displaced, with the majority insisting on remaining in Rafah despite the dangers. Al-Duwairi added that the Israeli scenario at the time was to proceed with forced displacement.
At the conclusion of his analysis, the military expert concluded that all attempts call for stopping the war as we approach the month of Ramadan 1445 AH - which astronomically corresponds to March 11 - but based on Netanyahu’s statements, it is not expected that there will be a stop before the holy month.
The IDF reported fighters of the commando formation, the fleet of 13 Shin Bet forces and other special forces operating under the 98th division operated last weekend in the area of the 'Nazar' hospital. Before entering the hospital complex, the forces fought complex battles in the area, including face-to-face battles, terrorist fortifications and rocket fire at them from within the hospital complex, as published on January 14, 2024.
So far, hundreds of terrorists and other terror suspects who were hiding in the hospital have been arrested. Among the detainees, there are terrorists who participated in the massacre on October 7th, who are connected to the abductees and who are significant operatives in the terrorist organization Hamas. The arrested terrorists and suspects were transferred for further investigation by the security forces.
In the hospital, the fighters found many weapons, some of which were found hidden in a vehicle used by the Hamas terrorists to carry out the Shiv'a attack in October. Also, a vehicle belonging to Kibbutz Nir Oz that was apparently stolen was found in the hospital area. During the operation of the IDF forces in the hospital, boxes of medicine were found with the names of Israeli abductees on them. The packages of medicine that were located were closed and were not delivered to the abductees. The IDF continues to invest all efforts, operational and intelligence, to return the abductees, and will not let up until the mission is completed.
The entry into the hospital occurred after an early warning to stop the terrorist activity in the hospital and the scans were carried out while making sure to continue the ongoing management of the hospital, without harming the patients and the medical staff and in accordance with the values ??of the IDF and international law.
"The commando and the 13th Sheyat Unit simply formed together on the Nasser Hospital compound," declared the commander of a platoon of fighters in the 13th Sheyat, Lt. Col. During the combat, which was surgical and precise, many Hamas terrorists were arrested. The IDF will continue as long as necessary to defeat the terrorist organization Hamas and bring about its destruction."
"We arrived here at the Nasser compound," said the commander of the Aguz unit, Lt. Col. M., "we found here both an enemy, an army, and medicine for the abductees - which did not reach them, and they remained here completely packed."
The fighters of the 5515 Mobility Unit operating under Division 98 specialize in fast and covert mobility in a variety of tools deep into enemy territory, in cooperation with ground and air forces. During the fighting, mounted medical evacuation and rescue teams consisting of the soldiers of the Mobility Unit and the soldiers of Unit 669, provide quick and professional treatment to the wounded. So far, about 230 medical evacuations have been carried out under fire in the territory of the Gaza Strip. Also, the unit participates in dozens of special activities that take place in the Strip.
The forces of Division 98 continued to operate in the west of Khan Yunis in the south of the Gaza Strip and in the last day they raided terrorist infrastructures, eliminated terrorists and located many weapons in the area. The fighters of the 7th Brigade Combat Team located weapons and in the last day eliminated about 20 terrorists in the area of the city of Khan Yunis by firing tanks. In addition, we directed Air Force aircraft that attacked and eliminated terrorists in the area. The forces raided military buildings and found weapons including explosives and a number of RPG missiles intended for use against our forces.
The soldiers of the commando formation continued to operate in the 'Nasser' hospital and in the areas adjacent to it and located weapons of war. The fighters of the combat team of the paratrooper brigade eliminated a number of terrorists, located safes and confiscated weapons in a military structure of the terrorist organization Hamas.
The fire center of the 98th Division in cooperation with the Air Force carried out a series of attacks in Khan Yunis that included the elimination of about 15 terrorists, among them six terrorists who came out of a terrorist infrastructure and the destruction of a weapons warehouse.
In the center of the strip, the battle team of the Nahal Brigade eliminated over ten terrorists throughout the last day. In one of the activities, the brigade fire complex in cooperation with the Air Force identified a squad of terrorists loading weapons on a cart and moving in the sector of the forces, which directed a manned aircraft from a distance that attacked and eliminated a number of terrorists.
The Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" said that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and officials in his office granted licenses to carry weapons to workers in the media field in Israel. The newspaper reported that Ben Gvir and officials in his office had granted 14,000 weapons licenses without oversight since the Al- Aqsa Flood operation on October 7, and that Ben Gvir’s advisor personally approved hundreds of applications, some of which were submitted by media figures, to obtain a weapons license. Adding that the Israeli Attorney General's Office is currently considering opening a criminal investigation into this case.
Ben Gvir facilitated the procedures for obtaining licenses to carry weapons for Israelis in the wake of the Al-Aqsa flood, and many Israelis appeared walking around with weapons in public places. It is noteworthy that the Israeli Ministry of National Security rushed after the Al-Aqsa Flood operation to cancel the restrictive conditions, expand the minimum conditions for issuing a license to carry weapons, grant facilities for issuing them, and shorten the period for examining applications. The Parliamentary Security Committee had approved - in the first week of the war on Gaza - the regulations that expand the conditions and criteria for obtaining a license to carry weapons, as well as the population eligible for the licenses, which were prepared by Ben Gvir.
The security forces killed a senior wanted man in Tulkarm in the Menashe division. A senior Hamas official was arrested and three wanted for the activities of the forces in Judea and Samaria.
The raids and arrests continue in the cities and camps of the West Bank as part of a broad Israeli escalation since the resistance launched the Battle of Al- Aqsa Flood on the seventh of last October. Confrontations continued between Palestinian youth and the Israeli occupation forces in the Shuafat Camp, north of occupied Jerusalem , following the Kiryat Malachi operation carried out by a resident of the camp, while settler attacks on villages and towns were renewed throughout the West Bank. Medical sources reported that a young Palestinian man was injured by bullets from the occupation forces, who stormed the Shuafat camp, yesterday, Saturday, for the second day in a row, following the shooting attack carried out by Sheikh Fadi Jamjoom in Kiryat Malachi, east of Ashdod, where he killed two Israelis and wounded 4 others, before his martyrdom.
The occupation army deployed its forces in several neighborhoods in the camp, which led to the outbreak of confrontations, and the Shuafat checkpoint was closed to the movement of residents. In the same context, the occupation forces stormed, for the second time, a funeral home held in Hebron for the martyr Fadi Jamjoum, destroyed its contents, set it on fire, and evacuated the place. They also warned the Palestinians against opening the funeral home again.
Meanwhile, the occupation forces continued raids and arrests throughout the West Bank during the night. Al Jazeera's correspondent said that the occupation forces stormed the Balata camp, east of the city of Nablus , and also stormed the village of Bil'in, west of Ramallah, where they raided a house and arrested a young man.
The occupation forces also stormed the villages of Al-Majd and Beit Al-Rush, west of the city of Dura, south of Hebron Governorate. They conducted patrols in the area and raided citizens’ homes. They also fired sound bombs and poison gas before withdrawing from the place. The occupation soldiers also stormed the town of Al-Samou, south of Hebron, and raided several homes and confiscated a number of vehicles. Al-Samu' witnesses frequent raids, and it is the town where the occupation confiscated the largest number of vehicles in the Hebron Governorate recently.
Settlers' attacks on Palestinians were renewed, as a group of them attacked the town of Turmus Ayya, north of Ramallah, during the night. The settlers attacked the property of residents in the town, burned a car, and wrote racist slogans against Arabs on the walls. Earlier on Saturday, settlers from the Avigal settlement attacked Palestinian sheep shepherds in the village of Al-Mufaqara in the Masafer Yatta area, south of Hebron, and beat them.
Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that a child was injured as a result of being stoned. He was transferred to Yatta Governmental Hospital to receive treatment, and his brother also suffered bruises. Settlers' attacks in all their forms have escalated, including the construction of settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank coinciding with the war on Gaza, as the occupation army provides protection for the settlers during their repeated attacks on the Palestinians.
The commander of the Northern Command, Major General Uri Gordin met during the weekend with the security coordinators of the northern settlements. for further details. Fighter jets attacked Hezbollah terrorist infrastructures in the Yaron area. In addition, the IDF forces fired artillery to remove a threat in the Alma a-Sha'ab area and the a-Dahira area.
Lebanese Hezbollah announced that it launched 8 attacks on Israeli gatherings and sites off the Lebanese border, while the occupation aircraft launched air strikes on various areas in southern Lebanon, amid reports that the party had seized control of an Israeli march. Hezbollah said that its fighters targeted occupation soldiers in the Evin Menachem settlement, killing and wounding them. They also targeted another gathering of soldiers in Horsh Ramim, and achieved a direct hit.
The Lebanese party also twice bombed gatherings of Israeli soldiers in Shumira, the Al-Baghdadi site, the Tahit triangle, and the Al-Samaqa site in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms, confirming that casualties were reported. Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that missiles were fired from southern Lebanon towards the Al-Samaqa site and the Zibdin barracks, in the occupied Shebaa Farms. He also attacked with a "Burkan" missile the Ruwaisat Al-Alam site in the occupied Shebaa Farms.
The newspaper "Israel Today" reported that a tourist building was damaged in Kibbutz (agricultural settlement) Yaro'an in the Upper Galilee, northeastern Israel, as a result of the fall of an anti-tank missile launched from Lebanon. The newspaper also indicated estimates that Hezbollah took control of a march belonging to the Metula town council on the Lebanese border and transported it to Lebanon.
Israeli warplanes and drones launched a series of raids on the towns of Aitaroun and Yaroun in the Bint Jbeil district and the vicinity of Al-Adisa, targeting several homes, which led to their destruction. The official Lebanese News Agency reported that Israeli warplanes launched an air strike targeting the Abu al-Laban neighborhood in the town of Aita al-Shaab, in the coastal district of Tyre. It explained that an Israeli drone bombed Tallet Al-Awaida near the town of Kafr Kila, Marjayoun district, with a missile.
Israeli War Council Minister Benny Gantz said, “What happened in Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip, which no longer exists after the war, could happen anywhere in Lebanon.” The head of the state camp, Benny Gantz, was asked at the annual meeting of the Conference of Presidents of Jewish Organizations in America about a possible war on the northern border with Hezbollah, and he replied: “Nasrallah (Lebanese Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah) looks at Gaza and understands that what What happened in Beit Hanoun, which no longer existed after the war, could happen anywhere in Lebanon.” According to him, “If we have to use more forces, we are able to do so, and Lebanon will feel the price of war, which is what we do not want, but if there is no choice, it will happen, and I hope it will not happen.”
Last Friday, Nasrallah said in response to the Israeli threat to target Beirut: “The resistance in Lebanon has capabilities that the enemy is unaware of... its hand extends from Kiryat Shmona to Eilat,” adding: “We cannot tolerate the issue of harming civilians... the enemy must understand that it is gone.” This goes far, and his goal, by killing civilians, is to pressure the party to stop.”
He continued: “The screams of the settlers of the north are getting louder day after day, and the resistance has increased its presence on the front, and the response will be to escalate the military operations on the front, and he must wait for that and expect that,” adding: “Your killing of our women and children will increase our faith, strength, and presence on the front, as happened yesterday with the targeting of Kiryat Shmona.” And this is a preliminary response,” he continued: “Our women and children who were killed will pay the enemy a price for shedding their blood in blood... I will not specify or detail... Rather, we will leave it to the field... This blood will have a price in blood, and let the enemy make sure that he cannot harm civilians.”
The British Maritime Trade Authority said that it had received a report of an incident 35 nautical miles south of Mokha in Yemen. The authority said in a statement: “The British Maritime Trade Authority received a report of an incident 35 nautical miles south of Mokha, Yemen.” The statement added: “The captain reported that an explosion occurred near the ship, which led to damage,” noting that the main reports indicate that “all crew members are fine,” while “military authorities are investigating.” The statement added: “We advise ships to cross with caution and to report any suspicious activity.”
The US Central Command announced that it had carried out 5 interception strikes against anti-ship cruise missiles and drone boats in Yemen. Ansar Allah movement confirmed that the American and Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip will expand the circle of conflict in the region. The United States announced that it had carried out five new strikes on targets that “posed an imminent threat” in areas under Houthi control in Yemen.
The US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement published on the Mobile anti-ship cruise missiles, an unmanned underwater vessel (UUV), and an unmanned surface vessel (USV) in Houthi-controlled and Iranian-backed areas of Yemen. The statement noted, "This is the first notable use by the Houthis of an unmanned underwater vehicle since the attacks began on October 23." Central Command added that it had determined that these targets “represent an imminent threat to US Navy ships and commercial vessels in the region.” Centcom considered that these measures “will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for the US Navy and commercial ships.”
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie said on Sunday that China must play a role in keeping the Red Sea safe for trade movement because "Chinese ships are also at risk." She explained in an interview that she informed Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a bilateral meeting yesterday, Saturday, that Beijing must "help influence the Houthis to keep the Red Sea open." In statements to Reuters during the last day of the Munich Security Conference, Jolie said: “This is in China’s interest as an exporting country.”
China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, announced that the UN Security Council did not grant any country the right to use force against Yemen. He also stressed that the ongoing escalation and “ military actions of some countries against Yemen ” have exacerbated the situation in the Red Sea region.
Russia's First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyansky, also confirmed earlier that Western strikes on Yemen violate international law, and the right to self-defense does not apply to protecting shipping.
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.
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Bystanders
Israel is waging a coordinated campaign aimed at destroying the organization and the idea that Palestinians are refugees and have the right to return one day, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said. The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, accused Israel in an interview with a Swiss newspaper of having a “long-term political goal” of eliminating UNRWA, which was established more than 70 years ago to help Palestinians fleeing or who were forced to flee their homes in the 1948 war that Surrounded by the establishment of Israel.
Lazzarini added: “At this moment, we are dealing with an expanded and focused Israeli campaign aimed at destroying UNRWA.” He pointed out that Israel seems to believe that "if the agency is eliminated, the issue of the status of Palestinian refugees will be resolved once and for all, and with it the right of return."
The fate of Palestinian refugees and their descendants was a major point of contention between Israelis and Palestinians in previous peace negotiations that failed more than a decade ago, with Israel rejecting Palestinian demands to allow the refugees' descendants to return to what is now Israel, arguing that would eliminate the Jewish majority.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued new allegations against UNRWA, saying that Israeli intelligence had “important indications” that more than 30 additional employees of the agency participated in the October 7 attack, and claimed that nearly 1,500 employees, or 12% of The agency's workforce was either members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad, and more than 230 of them were in the armed wings of the two groups.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry responded to a question asked of him by former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni about the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) and the Palestinian consensus. Shoukry’s statements came during a dialogue session entitled “Towards Stability and Peace in the Middle East,” within the activities of the Munich Security Conference February 17, 2024. Munich Security Conference , yesterday, Saturday, February 17, 2024, where he spoke about the impossibility of peace in the presence of Hamas, saying that “the Hamas movement was outside the majority acceptable to the people and the Palestinian Authority,” pointing out their refusal “to give up support for violence and recognize Israel.” Shukri added, "There must be accountability for empowering Hamas in Gaza, and its financing in the Strip, to reinforce the division between the movement and the mainstream of other Palestinian peacemaking entities, whether the Authority or the PLO."
But former Egyptian Minister of Investment Yehia Hamed confirmed on the X platform that “Hamas and the resistance movement are the Palestinian, Arab and Islamic consensus for every free and patriotic person. But Sameh Shukri is of modest competence and he and those he represents are outside the popular consensus.”
A research paper entitled “Egypt and Gaza: Before and After October 7” believes that the current war on Gaza has weakened the Egyptian role and raised many questions about Cairo’s position on the new situation, most of which remain unanswered. The paper prepared by Egyptian researcher Naglaa Makkawi says that Cairo is required to reevaluate its vision and relationship with the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) if it wants to maintain its influence in any future regional arrangements.
Makkawi identifies the main issues in Egypt’s relationship with Gaza, in light of the current war, in the closure and opening of the Rafah crossing and the danger of deporting Gazans to Sinai, and in the relationship with Hamas on the one hand and the relationship between Egypt and Israel on the other hand, in addition to Egyptian mediation between Hamas and Israel and Cairo’s position in regional arrangements. Which emerged after the October 7 attack.
The research paper issued by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies monitors the development of the relationship up and down under three Egyptian presidents, until it achieved relative stability despite mutual suspicion. The paper recalls that the borders of Egypt and Gaza are the internationally recognized borders between Palestine and Egypt from the era of the British Mandate, and that while the Gaza Strip did not appear in its current form until after the 1948 war, the borders of the Gaza Strip and Israel were not determined by a political agreement, but rather by the Israeli-Egyptian wars and the subsequent ceasefire agreements. fire.
The border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip is 14 kilometers long, making Egypt the only Arab country bordering it and its only outlet to the world. The researcher notes that Egypt did not annex Gaza and did not claim sovereignty over it, and entrusted its administration to an Egyptian general until its Israeli occupation in 1967, noting that local geopolitical factors, security considerations, and the system of alliances of Arab countries in the region made Cairo the main influence in the Gaza Strip in the Palestinian context.
To understand the questions related to the relationship between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, the researcher suggests returning to three main events that shaped Cairo’s policy in Gaza and the Palestinian issue in general, which are:
- The 1956 War: When Israel occupied the Gaza Strip, which was then under Egyptian control, one of the pretexts was the activity of the guerrillas inside Israeli territory, noting that the guerrilla units were established on an Egyptian initiative and under the control of Egyptian intelligence officer Mustafa Hafez.
- The 1967 War: which removed Gaza from Egyptian control and created a new reality. Before 1967, the Nasserist regime treated Palestine as a part of the Arab nation that was important to the Egyptian nation. In this context, it played a fundamental role in the formation of the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1964.
- The 1978 Camp David Agreement: which took Egypt out of the circle of confrontation with Israel and shaped the features of its foreign policy, linking it to American and Israeli interests and strategies, so that the Palestinian issue was reduced from that date to a mere sector and the West Bank, and the ambition was limited to declaring a state on the borders occupied in 1967.
According to the author, the PLO integrated into the new Arab order and actively sought peace arrangements similar to the Egyptian-Israeli agreement, which was the Oslo Accords.
But what was applicable to Egypt does not apply to the Palestinian file. Israel sought to remove Egypt from the circle of confrontation in order to isolate the Palestinians and grant them self-rule without sovereignty over the land, so that the organization fell into the trap and paved the way for Arab countries to sign normalization agreements, the engine of which accelerated until the October 7 attack. First past.
According to the study, Egypt under the rule of President Hosni Mubarak maintained its position as a major force guaranteeing stability in the region, which made achieving an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement at the heart of its foreign policy, when the PLO was the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
Even after Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007 and the internal Palestinian conflict deteriorated, Egypt was keen to maintain its influence on many issues, especially Palestinian reconciliation, and although it supported the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, it kept channels of communication open with the resistance factions led by Hamas.
Egypt also maintained for years two pressure cards in managing the relationship with Gaza and the controlling forces there, namely:
- Rafah crossing: which remained a tool in the hands of Cairo. Its closure and opening reflects the extent of the improvement or deterioration of its relationship with Hamas, and it also remains a tool for pressure on the movement to accept a settlement or stop the escalation, to the satisfaction of Israel, which was effectively imposing its will and controlling the crossing.
- Tunnels: Egypt allowed the Palestinians to dig them between the Palestinian Rafah and the Egyptian Rafah under the eyes of the intelligence services led by the former head of the Egyptian Intelligence Service, Omar Suleiman. Although the tunnels were mainly used to bring goods and supplies to the residents of Gaza, they were also used to smuggle weapons to the resistance factions with the knowledge of the Egyptian authorities.
The research paper points out that Egypt's turning a blind eye to tunnel activity was not evidence of support for the factions or a security failure, but rather for reasons including easing the pressure of the siege on the Strip so that it would not have to deal with an explosive situation that would harm its security.
In addition, it allows arms smuggling to remain under the watchful eye of its intelligence services and gives it an additional pressure tool against Hamas in a way that serves its national security in the context of its role as defined by the Camp David Accords, a role that was severely shaken after the January 2011 revolution. The revolution had a great positive role on the sector, which began to breathe freely and its doors were opened to the outside world.
In the first Israeli attack on it after the revolution, Egypt also played a mediating role and successfully sponsored a ceasefire, with a transition from hostility to Hamas to fair mediation. With the advent of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi , the Egyptian authorities considered the Hamas movement an extension of the Muslim Brotherhood and were hostile to it.
The clash reached its peak in the period between 2014-2015, when the Egyptian state harnessed all its tools to demonize Hamas, which was portrayed as involved in the Brotherhood’s internal conflict with the regime in Egypt, and the demonization reached the point of declaring it a terrorist organization.
Two overlapping decisions were taken within the military and operational framework, the first of which was to establish a buffer zone on the border with the Gaza Strip, and the second to destroy the tunnels used to transport goods to the residents of the besieged Gaza Strip. The Egyptian campaign to destroy the tunnels began in August 2012, as part of Operation Saqr 2 against “terrorist organizations in Sinai” after the killing of 16 Egyptian soldiers in an attack in Rafah. It intensified in 2014, with the aim of completely destroying them, and one of the means of achieving this was flooding them with water. Sea and sewerage.
Thus, by the end of 2015, the Egyptian army destroyed more than two thousand tunnels, in a campaign that was accompanied by the evacuation of Rafah residents to other areas under the pretext of preventing weapons smuggling and the crossing of militants into Sinai, and was also accompanied by a reduction in the working days and hours of the crossing (which, for example, was closed for 344 days in 2015) and the cancellation of facilitating measures approved therein. after the Revolution.
However, despite this, Egypt continued to insist on being the only mediator between Israel and Hamas, as demonstrated by the 2014 war, and Egyptian-Israeli cooperation had intensified on security matters, especially around Sinai, and the source of this was Israel’s support for Sisi, whose regime received military and intelligence aid, which had continued to intensify since 2013. During and after the war on the tunnels.
The study notes that Al-Sisi publicly acknowledged this security cooperation in 2019 and classified it in the category of “war on terrorism,” describing it as the closest of its kind since the establishment of Israel. Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz even said explicitly that Al-Sisi flooded the tunnels in 2016 “at our request and because of the pressure we exerted.” ". The writer confirmed that Egypt knew with certainty that weapons entered Gaza and did not leave it and that there was no cooperation between Hamas and the Islamic State against it, and that the claim of the existence of this relationship was used to justify the regime’s policy against the Gaza Strip and Hamas.
But the researcher believes that President Sisi, after his success in defeating his opponents, including the Brotherhood, was forced to rearrange the relationship with Hamas, under the influence of Egyptian national security considerations, to begin another stage. Although mutual suspicion ruled this new phase, Hamas did its best to improve the relationship and avoid a conflict that would harm the interest of the movement, whose representatives intensified visits to Egypt beginning in March 2016, culminating in the “confidence-building steps” that Hamas took in the following month. That year, when it installed - at Egyptian request - 60 military sites on the border with Egypt, and strengthened its security deployment to enhance monitoring of infiltrators.
The relatively calm relationship continued until the Al-Aqsa Flood operation , which surprised Egypt, just as it was surprised by the violence of the Israeli aggression, to find itself facing dilemmas, the first of which was the Rafah crossing and its management. Although the Egyptian side of the crossing was supposed to be under Egyptian sovereignty, its management was completely transferred to the control of Israel, which also controls the quality and quantity of humanitarian aid entering the Strip. Egypt surrendered to Israel in the crossing issue, even if it tried to justify its laxity with its legal and international obligations, thereby losing - according to the author - a pressure and negotiation card that it had used against Hamas in the past.
The second dilemma is the Israeli proposal to deport the Gazans to Sinai. American and Israeli pressure appeared on the Egyptian president from the beginning to open Sinai to the Gazans. The author believes that the Egyptian position on this issue is not decisive enough despite the declared positions of President Sisi and his regime, but she also believes that the Egyptian army strongly rejects this proposal, because it believes that it will plunge the country into conflict with Israel and threaten the peace agreement with it.
The fluctuation of Egyptian positions can be understood in the context of the Camp David Accords, which since the 1970s has governed Cairo’s policy in the Palestinian file and the development of this policy in the Gaza Strip within the framework of American positions and interests and the regional partnership with Israel. Based on this, its positions in the current war are mainly governed by the consideration of maintaining relations with Israel. Israel and the United States.
The study concludes that the current war against the Gaza Strip revealed the need for Egypt to use a number of pressure cards in its hand, which could contribute to strengthening its Arab and regional influence, and even determine its position in any future arrangements.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva accused Israel of committing "genocide" in the Gaza Strip , likening what it is doing there to the "Holocaust" during World War II , while Israel described those statements as shameful and summoned its Brazilian ambassador. The Brazilian President told reporters in Addis Ababa, where he attended an African Union summit , that “what is happening in the Gaza Strip is not a war, it is genocide,” adding, “It is not a war of soldiers against soldiers, it is a war between a highly prepared army and women and children.” The Brazilian president added that this "did not happen at any other stage in history," before adding, "In fact, it had already happened when Hitler decided to kill the Jews."
This is one of the harshest statements made by the Brazilian President regarding the Israeli war on Gaza and the occupation’s confrontations in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian resistance factions since its outbreak on October 7 last year.
Angry Israeli reactions quickly followed, denouncing the Brazilian President's statements. The Israeli Prime Minister described the Brazilian President's statements as "shameful and dangerous." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Comparing Israel to the Holocaust and Hitler is crossing a red line,” and that “Israel is fighting to defend itself and secure its future, respecting international law until complete victory is achieved.” Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid also considered the Brazilian president's statements "disgraceful, anti-Semitic, and indicative of ignorance."
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Sunday that the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) cannot be eliminated because it is an “idea,” stressing that the conditions in “ the West Bank are the real obstacle to the two-state solution.” Borrell added - during his speech at the Munich Security Conference - that the only alternative is to make Israel and Palestine live side by side in peace, and that this will not be achieved by military means alone.
The European official stressed that the situation in the West Bank occupied by Israel constitutes a major obstacle to reaching a sustainable solution that establishes peace between Israel and the Palestinians, saying, "The West Bank is witnessing boiling... We may be on the verge of a bigger explosion." Borrell explained that the European Union must "support the Arab Initiative" which stipulates the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, pointing out, "We must end the war in Gaza, but no one has talked much about the West Bank."
Borrell's statements come in the wake of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of a plan for international recognition of a Palestinian state, reports of such an initiative reported by the Washington Post, and talk - according to the American newspaper - that the administration of President Joe Biden and a small group of Arab countries are working to "prepare a comprehensive plan for sustainable peace between... Israel and the Palestinians.
For his part, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi denied that the presence of Hamas was the problem in the Middle East. Speaking at a discussion session during the Munich Security Conference, the Jordanian minister stressed that the only problem in the region is the existence of an occupation that must end in the Palestinian territories. And there is no prospect of ending the occupation.
During a dialogue session within the Munich Security Conference, Ayman Al-Safadi called for “an end to war crimes in Gaza,” stressing that “there is no justification for destroying the lives of two million Palestinians in the besieged Strip.” Al-Safadi continued: “If we want peace, the path is the two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state living next to Israel,” stressing that “Israel cannot guarantee its security without guaranteeing the security of the Palestinians.” He continued: "We have to put things in their correct context, and the problem with Israeli policy is that Israel does not want to recognize the right of the Palestinian people to exist," noting that "the current Israeli government does not want a deal regarding the detainees and does not want to end the war."
The Jordanian Foreign Minister added: "The Israeli government ignored all possible political solutions to the conflict in the Middle East and destroyed hospitals and infrastructure in Gaza," adding that "Gaza was a besieged prison before the seventh of last October." Al-Safadi stressed that the forced displacement of Palestinians is “unacceptable and is a violation of international law and a war crime,” adding: “We cannot all enjoy peace until the Palestinian people obtain their legitimate rights to establish their state and obtain their freedom and dignity.”
In turn, Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh stressed that the Palestinian Authority does not have a “partner” with whom it can engage in dialogue in Israel. Shtayyeh said - speaking at the Munich conference - “We must move from talking about two states to establishing two states.”
Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina also said that Jerusalem and Palestine hold the key to the solution, and they shape the future and stability of the region. Abu Rudeina stressed that without the State of Palestine obtaining full membership in the United Nations and embodying its independence on Palestinian land with East Jerusalem as its capital, the region will remain on fire, in constant conflict and endless wars.
Abu Rudeina added that the war of extermination against the people of the Gaza Strip, the daily incursions into the West Bank, the policy of killing and execution, settler terrorism, the attempts to liquidate the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA ) , and to impose restrictions on those praying during the month of Ramadan, are all failed Israeli attempts to prevent... It brings nothing but destruction, violence and instability.
Axis of Resistance
An Iranian deputy foreign minister highlighted Tehran’s strategy for throwing the US out of the region, saying it needs collective efforts and stronger ties among the neighbors. Speaking to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) on Sunday, Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Baqeri said Iran’s main foreign policy agenda is de-escalation of tensions among the neighboring and regional states.
“By strengthening quite strategic and deep-rooted bonds with the neighbors, we are definitely resolved to create a stable region with concerted cooperation and collective security,” he added. Describing the eviction of the US forces from the region as the “Iranian administration’s strategic decision”, Baqeri said brotherly and friendly ties among the neighboring countries are needed in order for the expulsion of Americans from the region. Iran won’t allow the outsiders to drive a wedge between Iran and certain neighbors, he said.
The Palestinian Authority for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs expressed real fear for the life of the prisoner Marwan Barghouthi, a member of the Central Committee of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement ( Fatah ) . The Commission pointed to Israeli incitement against him, which coincided with his repeated transfer between solitary confinement prisons.
The head of the commission, Qaddoura Fares, said that the repeated transfers of Barghouti to solitary confinement - while lawyers are still prevented from visiting him - raise real fears for his life. Fares added that this transfer is accompanied by direct and continuous incitement against it in the Israeli media. He stated that the administration of the Occupation Prisons Service transferred Barghouti from solitary confinement in Rimonim Prison (central Israel) to solitary confinement in Ramla Prison (central).
A statement by the Palestinian factions called on the Palestinian people to be patient, steadfast, armed with awareness and unity of ranks, and to strengthen the internal front, to confront Israeli attempts to incite strife and divisions. The statement was issued by the Gathering of Palestinian National and Islamic Forces in Gaza , which includes all Palestinian factions, and spoke of "Israel's attempts to spread chaos and chaos, threaten national unity and provoke divisions in the Gaza Strip."
The factions said that the Israeli occupation is trying to "stir up strife and divisions through suspicious calls outside the national ranks, which come upon us at a stage in which we are most in need of unity in confronting the enemy, which does not differentiate between anyone and does not fight a specific party or faction." They added, "The occupation is targeting our people and our cause, and the evidence of this is what the leaders of the Nazi occupation clearly state, rejecting all solutions and proposals to end this war, and their public refusal to give our people the minimum of their inalienable rights, despite the demands of the whole world to do so."
The factions called on the people of Gaza to "be patient, steadfast, arm yourself with awareness and unity of ranks, strengthen its internal front, and block all attempts at tampering by the fifth column, as a free service to the enemies of our people, the killers of children and women." They stressed that "unity of ranks is a necessity and everyone: individuals, families, forces, movements and elites, must work with all resolve and determination to protect the internal front, stand behind the resistance and support the demands of the Palestinian people represented by ending and stopping the war of genocide, withdrawing the Zionist occupation forces from the entire territory of the Gaza Strip, and ending The siege, and stopping all forms of violations and aggression in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.
The Director-General of the HAMAS Government Information Office in the Gaza Strip , Ismail Al-Thawabta, warned that Israel’s implementation of its threat to storm the city of Rafah heralds the occurrence of a disaster and massacre that could leave tens of thousands martyred and wounded, noting that 50% of the Strip’s population currently resides in the border city.
Al-Thawabta said - in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera Net - that Israel is practicing a deliberate starvation policy against the population of the Gaza Strip in general, and in the Gaza and North governorates in particular. He stated that the occupation uses " genocide " policies to impose a policy of displacing Gazans abroad, and that the aid entering the Gaza Strip does not exceed 2% of the citizens' needs. Al-Thawabta added that the information available to him indicates that the occupation arrested approximately 2,600 Palestinians during the war, living in tragic conditions, while the occupation executed more than 137 detainees. The government official estimated the sector's direct losses at about $15 billion, without taking into account indirect losses.
"The occupation has a premeditated intention and clear threats to attack and invade Rafah Governorate (south of the Gaza Strip), which includes more than 1,400,000 citizens, the majority of whom are displaced from other governorates. This heralds the occurrence of a global catastrophe and massacre that may leave tens of thousands martyred and wounded, according to our expectations....
There are 600,000 citizens remaining in the Gaza and North Gaza governorates (25% of the population of the Gaza Strip), and there are currently more than 500,000 citizens in the Central Governorate, which is considered a second center for the current displacement, representing 21% of the population of the Gaza Strip. There are still 100,000 citizens in Khan Yunis Governorate, which is subject to invasion and mass killing, representing 4% of the population of the Gaza Strip.
"
Allied for Democracy
Those who currently support the establishment of a Palestinian state among Israelis do not exceed 25%, and those who agree to its establishment agree to a form of state that the Palestinians cannot accept, according to Dr. Leon Hadar, contributing editor at the National Interest website and senior researcher at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia. The Israeli "Peace Now" movement estimates that more than 700,000 settlers reside in West Bank settlements, including East Jerusalem.
The American academic stated that if the administration of US President Joe Biden wants to involve the Israelis in its diplomatic initiatives, it must reduce its diplomatic ambitions and focus its efforts on reaching an agreement to end the Israeli war on Gaza only instead of the two-state solution and the urgent departure of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu .
Hada explained that reaching an agreement to end the war on Gaza is very difficult, and that Israeli-Palestinian peace will not be achieved even if Netanyahu leaves office tomorrow. He said that Netanyahu's stepping down from power is not difficult, and there is a long list of reasons that make him resign from his position and retire from political life, starting with the 2019 indictment on charges of breach of trust, bribery and fraud, but his absence from the scene will not herald peace. He explained that some in Israel and “many” in Washington see Netanyahu as the main obstacle to a diplomatic solution and ending the war in Gaza, which, according to Biden and his aides, must be based on the so-called “ two-state solution ” and include the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
Hadar expressed his belief that the shock of the attack by the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) shifted Israeli positions towards rejecting the idea of an independent Palestinian state, and brought the majority closer to the right and largely to Netanyahu regarding the continued Israeli military control over Gaza and the rest of the occupied Arab territories.
Hadar noted "Netanyahu suggested in the past that he would be willing to accept the Palestinian state that he described in a 2009 speech at Bar-Ilan University, under conditions that no Palestinian leader could ever accept: not just de-militarization and Israeli security control over airspace but also an Israeli capital in an undivided Jerusalem."
Hadar commented by saying that most Israelis, with the exception of right-wing extremists and left-leaning peace supporters, today agree with Netanyahu’s vision for a Palestinian state, as does Benny Gantz, who is seen as the main successor to Netanyahu. He opposes the annexation of the West Bank and Gaza, but he also opposes any solution under which a Palestinian entity is not fully demilitarized and stands with a united Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The writer quoted the "Times of Israel" as saying that Gantz, as well as Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and even opposition leader Yair Lapid, expressed their annoyance at the renewed rhetoric of the administration of US President Joe Biden regarding the need for a two-state solution since the outbreak of the war, and specifically urged it to refrain from speaking out. We publicly announced the two-state solution after the attack of last October 7.
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said that Israel would prefer not to reach peace agreements with Palestinian factions, if they would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Cohen spoke in an interview with the Israeli Channel 14, which is affiliated with the settlers and the extreme right. The interview came after the US administration’s announcement of moving a plan to recognize the establishment of a Palestinian state, and the statements of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who said that Israel has an “exceptional” opportunity to normalize relations with Arab countries.
In response, Cohen said, “If the expansion of the peace agreements is conditional on the establishment of a Palestinian state, and if it is the proposed option, we will give up on expanding the peace agreements.” The Israeli minister justified his position by saying, "The first goal is to ensure the national security of the State of Israel, and a Palestinian state poses a threat to the security of Israel. We have seen these leaders who recommended to us the establishment of a state for the Palestinians and Gaza would turn into Singapore, and the result was the establishment of a state for Hamas."
The Israeli minister directed criticism at the leaders of Arab and Islamic countries who are pushing for the establishment of a Palestinian state, saying, "I have not seen any Arab or Islamic country calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state willing to absorb Palestinian refugees, and now they are giving us advice to solve the Palestinian problem at Israel's expense."
The Israeli minister concluded by saying, "We heard different opinions, we saw the facts... This is good, but we confirm that we have no intentions to establish a Palestinian state. Perhaps some circles and parties in Israel, due to political and electoral considerations, are talking about a state for the Palestinians. A Palestinian state will not be established. Enough is enough."
In addition to the United States, European countries announced that they were considering recognizing an independent Palestinian state, in a proactive step that would pave the way for the implementation of the two-state solution , but this was met with rejection from the highest political levels in Israel. In previous statements, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state, and said that Israel would not give up its full security control over the West Bank.
In turn, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that he would not agree in any way to a two-state solution, and considered that the Palestinian state “constitutes an existential threat to the State of Israel, as was proven on the seventh of last October,” in reference to the Al-Aqsa Flood operation. For his part, Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir said that the world wants to give the Palestinians a state and that this will not happen, while Diaspora Minister Amichai Shekli stressed that Israel must resist the American plan and threaten unilateral steps, such as canceling the Oslo Accords.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's talk of "total victory" coincides with a propaganda campaign he is leading against the families of prisoners, describing him as the worst official in Israel's history. The newspaper added in an analytical article by writer Yossi Verter that while officials are working “seriously” on the issue of the prisoner release deal, the Prime Minister is undermining the process to please his extreme right-wing base, to the point that when you ask those close to Netanyahu what he wants from the negotiations, they answer, “We do not know what.” Which he wants."
The article described Benjamin Netanyahu as the "worst leader" in the history of Israel and one of the worst leaders in the history of all nations, explaining that the issue of negotiations to release prisoners highlighted his experience in directing the positions of supporters. The writer mentioned that this week he asked some people involved in communications regarding the prisoner deal what Netanyahu wanted, and their answer was all, “We have no idea.”
He also asked them: Is the strict image in which the Prime Minister appears and presents his positions intended to help move forward towards an agreement or to ensure that an agreement is not reached? They repeated the same answer, “We have no idea.” The writer explained that if this deception had been practiced against the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), it would have been “reasonable,” but it is clear that Netanyahu is hiding his intention from his senior partners, including the two ministers in the war council, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot , who saved him by allying with him. Now he works behind their backs.
He added that those close to Gantz and Eisenkot - in private meetings - strongly criticize Netanyahu, and one of them was quoted as saying that instead of maintaining secrecy regarding the talks to release Israeli prisoners, he opens up about it during press conferences, and even the Egyptians, who play an important role in the talks. They are subjected to insults from Smotrich, an ally of Netanyahu.
Yossi said that the prime minister "acts like a politician conducting election campaigns, and not like a statesman seeking the public good." What matters to him is preserving his 64-seat bloc, while hundreds of soldiers risk their lives in order to release a hostage or two, he said. Writer. He revealed that he asked a member of the National Unity Party about the reason for Gantz staying with Netanyahu, and he replied that leaving now means letting him drive the ship however he wanted, noting that major issues have not yet been resolved, including the prisoner deal and the issue of Rafah and the northern Gaza Strip.
Gantz and Eisenkot confirmed that they will leave the government if Netanyahu rejects - for political reasons - the prisoner deal that prominent security leaders advise accepting if it agrees with the broad lines they recommended. Yossi Verter quoted a source familiar with the talks as saying, “Things are going well,” and added that Netanyahu is so afraid of his partners that he has not issued a statement on the progress made in the talks.
The head of the Histadrut (Israel's main labor union) Arnon Bar-David said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is responsible for the failure that caused the October 7 attack , and he must resign, vowing to join the protests against the government. The Israeli media quoted Bar-David as saying during a conference in the city of Beersheba on Saturday that this government “brought a disaster upon us,” calling for setting a date for holding elections and installing a new prime minister within a year.
The Israeli union leader said that he spoke with Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to adjust the budget and adapt to the war situation, including closing unnecessary government offices, but they did not take his proposal into consideration, he said. Bar-David warned that the Histadrut - which could disrupt a large part of the Israeli economy - may join demonstrations and anti-government movements if Netanyahu tries to cling to power.
For their part, the families of the Israeli prisoners detained in the Gaza Strip called on the head of the Histadrut to organize a strike to paralyze the economy, until an agreement is reached to exchange prisoners with the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ). On Saturday, thousands of Israelis demonstrated in several cities to demand that Netanyahu’s government step down, hold early elections, and return prisoners detained in Gaza, while police arrested a number of demonstrators in front of Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea.
Thousands of Israelis closed the street leading to the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, demanding that the Prime Minister conclude a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas. The police threatened to use force and arrest protesters in Tel Aviv if the streets continued to be closed.
The US envoy for humanitarian issues in the Middle East, David Satterfield, said that Israel “has not provided specific evidence that the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) has stolen United Nations aid entering the Gaza Strip .” This came in a rare public criticism of Israel, according to what the Associated Press reported. The American agency quoted Satterfield as saying, "We are working with the Israeli government and the Israeli army to find out what solutions can be found here (in Gaza), because everyone wants to see continued assistance."
In statements to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Friday, the American envoy indicated that with the killing of Palestinian police officers, who were guarding a UN aid convoy in the city of Rafah , following the Israeli strikes earlier this month, criminal gangs began increasingly targeting the convoys. He explained that the Israeli assassinations of Gaza police commanders, who guarded aid truck convoys, made it practically impossible to distribute goods safely.
Satterfield stressed that chaos and regular Israeli protests at crossing points by those who oppose the entry of aid into Gaza have also disrupted the delivery and distribution process.
The American ABC network quoted sources as saying that the US State Department had received warnings from its diplomats in the Middle East about growing hostility towards Washington, due to the US position on the war on Gaza and its absolute support for Israel. The network explained that the warnings received by the US State Department prompted a meeting with intelligence agencies to evaluate the repercussions, and noted that one of the cables issued by the Washington Embassy in Morocco confirmed that the US administration’s support for Israel after the Al- Aqsa Flood operation on October 7 is widely viewed as “ A blank check” to Israel in order to move forward with its response.
The cable - which was described as sensitive but not classified - stated that the criticism directed at the United States had not changed despite the amendments to the messages issued by Washington, which emphasized the need to protect civilian lives. The cable noted that the Moroccan media rarely covered American initiatives to aid the Palestinians “or diplomatic pressure on Israel to avoid civilian casualties,” and that the embassy’s social media accounts were flooded with waves of unfollows or “negative and offensive comments.”
The network quoted an official as saying that diplomats in Muslim-majority countries in other regions of the world, such as Indonesia, also expressed concerns about growing hostile sentiment toward the United States. The network noted that continued blows to US popularity in the Middle East "could have wide-ranging implications for US diplomacy, including efforts to build a coalition to help rebuild Gaza after the fighting stops and encourage the normalization of relations with Israel."
It quoted experts as saying that "the rise in anti-American sentiment could have negative effects on American companies operating in the region and may inspire extremism." But one official told the network that the White House and the intelligence community are still not convinced that the current situation will continue, although some State Department officials confirm that it may take an entire generation to rebuild the United States’ standing in some countries.
On the internal level, the network said that the White House has intensified its efforts to deal with the violent domestic reaction to the war in Gaza in recent weeks, in an attempt to repair relations with Muslim and Arab American voters, because their votes could affect President Joe Biden’s chances of winning a second term in the country's next elections. It explained that the White House sent its senior aides to Dearborn, Michigan, last week to meet with prominent members of the local community, and quoted sources familiar with the meetings as saying that the officials spoke in an “apologetic tone,” but many local leaders are still expressing their anger regarding Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza.
This coincided with the US administration slowly reducing the intensity of its statements in absolute support of Israel, and expressing sympathy for the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, according to the network, which stated that the most recent evidence of that trend was President Joe Biden’s statements during his meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, which stated, “In "For the past four months, as the war has raged, the Palestinian people have also suffered unimaginable pain and loss. A very large number of the more than 27,000 Palestinians killed in this conflict were innocent civilians and children."
The Israeli newspaper "Maariv" quoted sources as saying that Washington had set a condition related to freezing settlement in the West Bank in exchange for supplying Israel with precision-guided munitions. The Israeli newspaper reported that officials confirmed that there are government plans to disrupt settlement construction in a project between Jerusalem and the Red Sea.
According to sources, the value of the planned military shipment amounts to tens of millions of dollars. Officials indicated that the ammunition supply process is still subject to internal review, and changes may occur to the details before obtaining final approval from Congress .
The American Wall Street Journal reported that the administration of President Joe Biden is preparing to send thousands of bombs and ammunition to Israel with the aim of increasing its military power, in conjunction with Washington’s efforts to achieve a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The newspaper reported that the new shipment of proposed weapons includes “MK-82” bombs, “KMU-572” joint direct attack munitions, which add precision guidance to the bombs, in addition to “FMU-139” bomb fuses.
An official explained that the details of the deal may change before it reaches congressional leaders who must approve it. At the end of January, Israeli Channel 12 reported that an American arms shipment including a large number of F-35 and F-15 fighters and Apache helicopters would arrive in Israel. The channel indicated that this comes within what it described as a huge military deal between Israel and the United States .
Last December, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed that the United States had sent more than 230 cargo planes and 20 ships loaded with weapons to Israel since the start of the war on Gaza. Since the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza on October 7, the United States has established an air bridge to supply large quantities of weapons and military equipment to Israel.
A report published by Time magazine confirmed that the full support provided by President Joe Biden to Israel, despite its ongoing operation in Gaza , may cause great harm to his electoral path. The report added that indications are that Biden has lost significant support among Arab-American voters, progressive voters, as well as young people because of his handling of the war on Gaza and his full support for Israel. The report explained that observers believe that continued American support for Israel, despite what it has been committing for months in the besieged Gaza Strip, may cost Biden support in the swing states that usually decide the electoral outcome.
He continued that the perception that the United States is not using all the tools at its disposal will have dire consequences not only for the Gaza Strip (the death toll alone is close to 30,000), but also for the foreign interests of the United States. The report confirmed that Biden did a lot in favor of Israel, and he seemed firm in his position despite the warnings of those close to him, noting that Israel did not respond to this by responding to American requests regarding the course of the war on Gaza.
He also stated that despite the United States' influence over Israel, the Biden administration has so far proven that it is "unable or unwilling" to exercise that influence, a fact that has not gone unnoticed either at home or abroad. Time added that pressure has increased on Washington to impose conditions on its ally Israel in exchange for providing aid, but so far this does not appear to have been achieved.
He said that the public statements of American officials about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as well as the increase in civilian deaths, were not met with a change in Israel's strategy, which is moving forward with its plan to storm Rafah, despite the White House's warning about this.
Biden is trying to reduce the pressure exerted on him as the elections approach. He has issued an executive order aimed at punishing settler violence, and drafted a memorandum demanding that allies who receive American aid present a reliable and credible plan that guarantees their commitment to international law.
Time quoted Jonah Plank, a former foreign policy advisor to Biden during his time in the Senate, as saying that the tools to exert pressure on Israel exist, but the question is, will they be used? Adding that, with the elections approaching, it seems that the sand is moving inside the United States faster than the president’s initiatives.
Despite the passage of 135 days since its start of operations in the Gaza Strip, and the accompanying protests, lawsuits and demands to prevent the export of weapons to it, Israel is still receiving arms shipments from several countries. Germany and Britain top the list of European countries continuing to support Israel with weapons, even though Israel is facing trials on charges of genocide in Gaza by the International Court of Justice , amid increasing pressure from human rights organizations.
Although the United States is the largest traditional arms supplier to Israel, Germany and Britain have also provided significant support to Israel for many years. According to current data issued by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the United States provided 70.2% of conventional arms supplies to Israel between 2011 and 2020, followed by Germany 23.9%, then Italy 5.9%, according to what Anadolu Agency reported.
According to the British non-governmental organization “Campaign Against Arms Trade,” Germany and the United Kingdom do not provide arms export data “transparently.” However, according to the database created by the organization from information obtained from open sources, in the period between 2015 In 2020, the German government agreed to sell weapons worth at least 1.4 billion euros to Israel.
The United Kingdom also sent warplanes, missiles, tanks, light aircraft, and weapons to Israel in that same period, and military exports worth 426 million euros were achieved, including weapons and ammunition components. These figures do not include the export of German and British weapons to Israel via third countries.
According to data from the Campaign Against Arms Trade, Britain sells military equipment to Israel, and there are 6 different British companies within the F-35 fighter project, including two companies that sell missiles to Israel, and there are some companies - such as “Elbit” for the Israeli defense industry - that have a license to trade Military equipment in the United Kingdom.
The Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq and the London-based Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) filed a lawsuit against Britain in the Supreme Court on December 13, accusing it of “ignoring requests to suspend arms sales to Israel that violate International laws.”
As for Germany, its sales of weapons and military equipment to Israel last year increased 10 times compared to 2022, and reached 326.5 million euros, according to the “Federal Government Arms Export Policy for 2023” report issued by the Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection regarding approval of arms sales to foreign countries. In the first few weeks after the start of the Israeli war in Gaza on October 7 , the German government approved 185 additional requests for a license to export arms supplies to Israel.
While Berlin has so far agreed to send armored vehicles and protective equipment for soldiers to Israel, the German magazine Der Spiegel reported on January 17 that the government is reviewing the shipment of sensitive tank ammunition requested by Tel Aviv and plans to approve it.
According to data from the Ministry of Defense, between 2013 and 2022, France sold approximately 200 million euros of weapons to Israel. However, Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu answered the question: “Does France provide military support to Israel?” On October 16, he said that his country mostly provides intelligence support to Israel.
This was accompanied by activists organizing a demonstration in front of the headquarters of Dassault Aviation Defense Industries, saying that "all French companies that sell weapons to the government of Israel are complicit in the genocide committed in Gaza." Representatives from the opposition "France Proud" party also announced on February 14 that Paris should not be complicit in the "genocide committed by Israel" and signed a petition to stop selling weapons to it.
Last November 16, an Italian opposition leader and former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte called on the government to immediately suspend arms supplies to Israel. As these reactions increased, Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated on January 20 that they had decided to stop sending weapons to Israel as of October 7, and that they had not sent any type of weapons.
As for Spain, the Centro delas organization - which focuses on international peace efforts - examined foreign trade data and revealed that a local company sold military ammunition to Israel in November 2023 for 987 thousand euros. Following the strong reactions of Spanish public opinion to the Israeli massacres in Gaza, government spokeswoman Pilar Alegría stated that no military equipment had been sold to Israel since October 7, and that these statements were for an earlier period.
A group of prominent figures in French society confirmed - in an article in Le Monde newspaper - that Europe has become obligated to suspend its partnership with Israel, to stop Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the atrocities he is committing in the Gaza Strip . This group - which includes personalities, including the President of the Human Rights League, Patrick Beaudoin, emergency physician Raphael Petit, and Simon Susskind from the Mediterranean Action Foundation - made it clear that the attacks of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) on October 7 cannot be There is no way that can justify the horror of the war that Gaza has been suffering from for 4 months.
“Netanyahu’s action in Gaza will only lead to the death of thousands more innocent Palestinians and will endanger Israel’s security,” and no one will be able to build peace and security in this region of the world by increasing the list of dead, nor by consolidating the values ??of hatred, as the group believes. For this reason, the group urged European leaders - especially French President Emmanuel Macron , and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union - to act and work forcefully to release all detainees and all political prisoners, reach an immediate and permanent ceasefire, and establish a mediation force. Under the auspices of the United Nations, and organizing an international peace conference to implement the two-state solution.
The group's article asked: How can pressure be exerted on the Israeli government to force it to deviate from the logic that led to the killing of tens of thousands of innocents and prompted the International Court of Justice to confirm the existence of a "risk of genocide?" They stressed that Europe must do everything to stop the killings in which Israel has plunged.
The article stated that the European Parliament saw Israel's attack on Gaza in 2002 as disproportionate, and issued a resolution calling for the imposition of an arms embargo, the establishment of an adjudication force, and the suspension of the association agreement with Israel signed in the wake of the Oslo Accords to strengthen the peace camp. It is an agreement that affirms that “relations between the European Union and Israel must be based on respect for human rights and the democratic principles that govern their domestic and international policy.”
Unfortunately - according to the article - none of the sanctions requested by Parliament were implemented, and Israel continued to violate international law by not complying with any of the United Nations resolutions calling for an end to colonialism. Last month, the International Court of Justice - by a majority - asked Israel to take “immediate and effective” measures to protect the residents of Gaza, but the Netanyahu government is doing exactly the opposite, and is now planning a massacre in Rafah.
To avoid complicity in Israel's crimes, Europe - according to the group - must take action to push it to accept an immediate ceasefire and enter the path of peace. The group called on European heads of state and government to immediately suspend the Association Agreement and the arms embargo, send a force to enter Gaza under the auspices of the United Nations, and fully recognize the State of Palestine by the European Union and by each of its member states.
Butcher's Bill / Oasis of Martyrs
On 7 October 2023, Hamas and other armed groups present in the Gaza Strip carried out an attack in Israel, killing more than 1,200 persons, injuring thousands and abducting some 240 people, many of whom continue to be held hostage. It was the second largest loss inflicted on the Israeli forces after the 1973 war. Palestinian armed groups launched thousands of missiles at Israel Following this attack, Israel launched a large-scale military operation in Gaza, by land, air and sea.
The 1,200 Israelis killed on the first day would be the equivalent of 36,000 Americans killed in an attack, as a proportion to Israel’s population of 9.3 million people (compared to 332 million in the USA). Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated: “Not since the Holocaust have so many Jews been killed in one day". PM Netanyahu stated "On October 7th, Hamas murdered 1,400 Israelis. Maybe more. This is in a country of fewer than 10 million people. This would be equivalent to over 50,000 Americans murdered in a single day. That’s twenty 9/11s. That is why October 7th is another day that will live in infamy."
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.
As of 15 February 2024, The Director-General of the HAMAS Government Information Office in the Gaza Strip , Ismail Al-Thawabta, stated "the toll of the aggression had risen to about 35,500 martyrs and missing persons, including 28,663 martyrs and 68,395 injuries. There are about 2,493 massacres committed by the occupation army. Among the martyrs were about 12,400 children, 8,450 women, 340 medical personnel, 46 civil defense personnel, and 126 journalists. There are approximately 11,000 wounded people who need to travel for treatment.... we received live testimonies stating that the occupation army committed field executions against more than 137 Palestinian civilian detainees in the Gaza and North governorates."
The HAMAS Ministry of Health in the besieged sector announced that the number of victims of the Israeli operation its beginning had risen to 28,985 martyrs, "including 12,300 dead children, 8,400 women, 340 medical personnel, 46 civil defense, and 124 journalists." He pointed out that "7,000 people are missing, 70% of whom are children and women, The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The number wounded was 68,883. 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 394 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 202 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 announced number of Israeli officers and soldiers killed had risen to 573 since the start of the war on October 7, including 241 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.
Haaretz newspaper quoted the Israeli Ministry of Defense as saying that the Medical Rehabilitation Department has treated more than 5,500 wounded since the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip on October 7. Israeli Army Radio reported that the Rehabilitation Department of the Ministry of Defense is preparing to receive 20,000 wounded this year, compared to 5,500 wounded received last year since the start of the war. It was announced that soldiers wounded in the Gaza Strip battles numbered to 2,918 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 Strip. 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 14,070 Israelis were injured, according to i24 TV.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper had reported that 5,000 soldiers had been wounded since the beginning of the war on October 7, and that the Ministry of Defense had recognized 2,000 soldiers as disabled so far.
An estimate by the Israeli Ministry of Defense expected that the number of soldiers with disabilities in the war taking place in the Gaza Strip since October 7 of last year would reach 12,500 soldiers. The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said that the Soldiers' Rehabilitation Department of the Ministry of Defense has dealt with 3,400 soldiers who were classified as disabled in the army since last October 7.
The Israeli army revealed that about 9,000 of its soldiers have received “psychological assistance” since the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, and about a quarter of them have not returned to combat. This came according to a new statement revealed by the Army Medical Corps, according to Channel 12 and the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. According to the statement, nearly 9,000 soldiers have applied for psychological assistance since the beginning of the war, and approximately a quarter of them have not returned to combat.
The statement continued, "In total, about 13,000 regular and reserve soldiers required accompaniment or medical treatment at some level during the fighting, and thousands of them were injured in the battles."
Al Jazeera military and strategic expert Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi expressed his conviction that the numbers of dead and wounded announced by Israel “cannot represent the truth,” due to a discrepancy between the Israeli army’s data and the Walla website, which is close to the army itself.
In an interview with RT, Military strategist retired Tunisian Brigadier General Tawfiq Didi said that the number of Israeli army deaths in the Gaza battles is much greater than what Israel announces. Didi explained in an interview with the “Best Saying” program on RT channel, “The number of people killed in battles can be easily known, as the equation in wars is that for every 3 wounded there is a dead person, and the numbers now in Israel hover around 12,500 wounded and disabled people, and when we divide by Three, we find that the death toll exceeds 4,000, especially after eliminating more than a thousand tanks and armored vehicles, and I know what happens when Kornet missiles hit a tank. Its ammunition explodes and no one is left alive.”
He added, "The Israelis announce their dead only of those of Jewish origin and of the first race, meaning all Arabs, Falash, and those who are among them. They are not counted because they are of the second category. So I am sure that the number exceeds 4 thousand dead, and this is a very easy military calculation."
He pointed out, "The Palestinian resistance documented everything it did, unlike the Israelis. The resistance documented shooting at tanks and armored vehicles and destroying the houses in which the Israeli soldiers were holed up, and we saw them being killed... We saw the Kornet hitting the tanks, we saw Al-Yassin 105, so the difference is clear."
Hostages
Israel announced 12 February 2024 that the total number of prisoners that the army was able to recover in exchange deals and through military operations was 126 people, including 91 Israelis, 11 bodies, and 24 foreign workers.
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.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari announced on 07 February 2024 that 31 hostages detained in Gaza had died. He added in a press conference, "We informed 31 families that their detained relatives had died, and thus we announce their deaths."
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 Al-Qassam Brigades announced on 11 February 2024 that the continuous Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip during the past 96 hours led to the death of 2 prisoners and the serious injury of 8 others.
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 7,000. The total number of prisoners in Israeli prisons exceeds 9,000 Palestinians. Palestinian prisoner institutions said 661 were classified as “unlawful combatants” from Gaza, and this is the number available only as a clear given.
The Palestinian Prisoners' Club said that there has been a significant increase in the number of Palestinian administrative detainees in Israeli prisons since October 7, with 3,484 detainees recorded, including children and women. The club added in a statement that "this number was not actually recorded even during the years of the 1987 uprising."
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."
The announced numbers of detainees do not include those who were detained from Gaza since the start of the operation in the Gaza Strip, as there is no accurate census of these numbers. As of 15 February 2024, the Director-General of the HAMAS Government Information Office in the Gaza Strip , Ismail Al-Thawabta, stated "the information available to us is that the occupation arrested approximately 2,600 people, including 99 medical personnel and 10 journalists."
Israel has rejected international legal adaptations since 1967, and has treated the Palestinians as criminals, and tried them before military courts and not as prisoners of war. Because the POW is not tried, but is released when the war stops, or as a result of a political agreement.
But international humanitarian law sets clear conditions relating to the Palestinians, whether as prisoners of war or organized groups with one leadership and carrying a unified slogan, and these conditions apply to Palestinian resistance fighters, specifically armed groups. International law, through the Third Geneva Conventions, which relate to prisoners of war and armed conflicts, and the Fourth Geneva Convention, which relates to civilians under occupation; Provide full protection to Palestinian prisoners and groups, including resistance factions.
The obstacles imposed by the Israeli occupation authorities became very different after the seventh of last October. They decided to cancel all trials in order to double the sentences issued against detainees, and now The scope of arguments before lawyers is very limited, due to military orders, and not according to legal data.
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