Operation Iron Swords - Day 142 - 25 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 |
Biden administration officials say they want to reach an agreement before the start of Ramadan, that is, more than two weeks from now. An Israeli official told the Hebrew Channel 12: Our goal is to reach a prisoner exchange deal before the month of Ramadan.
Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk claimed that Hamas did not anticipate Israel’s response to its October 7 massacre, according to a translation of an interview given to Egypt’s Alghad TV on Thursday by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported by the Jerusaalem Post on Sunday. “Nobody in the whole world expected them to be so barbaric,” Marzouk said. “And in such violation of all international laws, treaties, and norms. Nobody expected the [Israeli response] to be so barbaric because, ultimately, the resistance fights soldiers. It is not fighting civilians with planes and tanks.”
Marzouk asked the interviewer: “Do you think that anyone in the world could have expected there to be a world war? In the sense that America, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, and Spain – all of them would gather armies, and the US would send two of the largest aircraft carriers to the Mediterranean Sea, all in order to fight a movement? By what logic could anyone have expected that the US and the entire West would unite without exception to wage war against a movement? Who could have expected this?"
War Termination
There is no end to the war in sight, as both sides still see the other as an “existential threat,” and there is no clear path to any kind of “permanent peace” between them.
A leading source in the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) said - today, Sunday - that the atmosphere of optimism about the nearness of reaching an agreement on a possible prisoner exchange deal does not reflect the truth, after reports spoke of progress in the negotiations that may allow the conclusion of an agreement before the month of Ramadan.
The leading source added - in a statement - that the movement dealt with the mediators positively to end the suffering of the Palestinian people and stop the war of extermination to which they are being subjected in Gaza, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of evading responding to the most important demands of the resistance, which are to stop the aggression, the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces, and the return of the displaced. To the north of the sector. The same source confirmed that killing the Palestinian people through starvation in the north is a genocidal crime that threatens the entire process of negotiations.
Earlier today, the Official Broadcasting Authority quoted Israeli sources as saying that there was optimism that understandings would be reached before the month of Ramadan, which begins in less than two weeks. However, it quoted a security official that the potential deal would not prevent the ground operation in Rafah , south of the Gaza Strip.
For its part, Israeli Channel 12 quoted an Israeli official - whose identity was not revealed - that there was significant progress and a solid basis for the talks, expressing his optimism about reaching an agreement on a possible prisoner exchange deal. The Israeli channel said that the War Council decided to allow an Israeli delegation to go to Qatar in the coming days to continue talks on the exchange deal, thus confirming information revealed by other Israeli officials and media yesterday, Saturday. In the same context, Reuters quoted Egyptian security sources as saying that Qatar will host talks this week regarding a truce and prisoner exchange.
Reuters quoted a source familiar with the talks as saying that the Paris meetings concluded with “broad lines” that could eventually lead to a truce in Gaza. For its part, the Washington Post quoted two sources familiar with the Paris talks that American, Egyptian and Qatari officials presented a more detailed framework for a possible agreement between Israel and Hamas. The newspaper said that the new detailed framework proposes that Hamas, in the first stage, release 40 Israeli prisoners in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and a truce in Gaza for a period of 6 weeks.
The new proposals include the start of the return of some residents of the northern Gaza Strip to their areas, according to what was stated in the newspaper’s report. The Washington Post reported that the previous agreement framework also included a truce for a period of 6 weeks, but it was not as detailed as the new framework that was presented in Friday’s talks in Paris.
The source told the American newspaper that the new Paris meetings allowed for progress that would lead to more serious negotiations on a new agreement during the next few days. In the talks that took place weeks ago in Paris and then in Cairo, a framework was reached, and the mediators received a response from Israel and Hamas, and Tel Aviv rejected the movement’s demands and considered them unrealistic.
Hamas and other factions stressed that any agreement must lead to a cessation of aggression and the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, which is what the Netanyahu government has rejected so far.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed his intention to postpone the military operation in Rafah , south of the Gaza Strip, if a deal to exchange detainees and prisoners was reached, while Washington confirmed that the mediators had reached an understanding on the basic features of the deal. In statements he made to the American CBS network, and reported by a correspondent for the American website Axios, Netanyahu accused the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) of making unrealistic demands.
Netanyahu stressed that he did not know if an agreement would be reached, but he pointed out that “if Hamas gives up its unrealistic demands, there will be an agreement and the process in Rafah will be delayed a little.” Netanyahu said, "If an agreement is not reached, the Israeli forces will move into Rafah," adding that after the start of the operation in Rafah, the operation in Gaza will end within a few weeks, denying the possibility of leaving the last stronghold of Hamas without dealing with it.
He explained that Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy would present his plan in Rafah, including the evacuation of residents, denying the existence of disagreements with the United States regarding the need to evacuate civilians from Rafah. He pledged to direct them to an area north of Rafah. The Israeli Prime Minister said that peace with Egypt is not at risk and that coordination is underway with the Egyptian side.
In this context, Israeli media reported that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that the negotiations are taking place in a strange way and the prisoner release deal should be better, stressing that he will vote against any deal that is not the best for Israel. At the mediation level, the White House announced that the United States, Israel, Egypt, and Qatar had reached an understanding on the basic features of the deal.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN that the agreement is still under negotiation, noting that indirect talks should be held between Qatar and Egypt with Hamas. This comes at a time when talks have resumed in Doha, which will be followed by another round in Cairo with the participation of American, Israeli and Hamas officials, according to what Egyptian media reported from Egyptian sources.
Earlier today, Israeli Channel 12 said that the War Council decided to allow an Israeli delegation to go to Qatar in the coming days to continue talks on the exchange deal. The channel thus confirmed information revealed by officials and other Israeli media yesterday, Saturday. In the same context, Reuters quoted Egyptian security sources as saying that Qatar will host talks this week regarding a truce and prisoner exchange.
Earlier today, the official broadcasting authority spoke from Israeli sources of optimism that understandings would be reached before the month of Ramadan, which begins in less than two weeks, but it quoted a security official that the potential deal would not prevent the ground operation in Rafah. Israeli Channel 12 also quoted an Israeli official - whose identity was not revealed - that there was great progress and a solid basis for the talks, expressing his optimism about reaching an agreement on the possible exchange deal.
On the other hand, Taher Al-Nono, media advisor to the head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, said that Netanyahu rejects “the basic keys to the success of the negotiations” and recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people. Al-Nono stated, “Netanyahu’s primary goal in proceeding with the war (on the Gaza Strip) is to achieve purely personal and electoral interests and protect himself.”
A leadership source in Hamas said - today, Sunday - that the atmosphere of optimism about the nearness of reaching an agreement on a possible prisoner exchange deal does not reflect the truth, after reports spoke of progress in the negotiations that may allow the conclusion of an agreement before the month of Ramadan.
In the talks that took place weeks ago in Paris and then in Cairo, a framework was reached, and the mediators received a response from Israel and Hamas, and Tel Aviv rejected the movement’s demands and considered them unrealistic. Hamas and other factions stressed that any agreement must lead to a cessation of aggression and the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, which is what the Netanyahu government has rejected so far.
Operational Update
“There were 24 regional battalions in Gaza — we have dismantled 18 of them,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told foreign reporters. “Now, Rafah is the next Hamas center of gravity.”
The IDF COGAT Coordinator announced "Today (2/25), 245 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid were inspected and transported to the Gaza Strip. 154 were searched and transferred via the Kerem Shalom crossing, and 91 via Nitzana. There are no restrictions on the amount of humanitarian aid that can enter Gaza for the benefit of the civilian population....
"The end of the special operation inside Nasser Hospital that targeted the Hamas terrorist organization, where 200 terrorists were arrested and other evidence was found about Hamas’ use of the hospital for the purpose of terrorism. IDF forces and the Gaza Coordination and Liaison Directorate transported humanitarian aid, hundreds of meals, water, milk powder, and other supplies to the hospital and provided it with an electricity generator and diesel fuel to allow continued treatment of patients. The IDF will continue its activity against the terrorist Hamas movement.""
The Axios news website quoted American and Israeli officials as saying, “The American administration asked Israel to stop targeting civilian police members of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) in the Gaza Strip who accompany aid trucks in the Strip.” American officials said that President Joe Biden's administration is increasingly concerned about the possibility of Gaza becoming a new Mogadishu, after the security vacuum and desperation opened the door for armed gangs to attack and loot humanitarian aid trucks. According to the sources, Israel rejected the American request, because one of its goals in the war is to ensure that Hamas no longer runs the Gaza Strip. The Biden administration warned that a complete collapse of law and order would significantly worsen the humanitarian crisis in the Strip, the officials added. Axios said that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed with his Israeli counterpart last Thursday American concerns, and stressed the need to find a way to provide security for aid trucks entering the Strip.
Last week, 9 Palestinian police officers were martyred as a result of an Israeli bombing while they were providing humanitarian aid in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip. Members of the Palestinian police appeared remarkably in several areas of Gaza, despite the ongoing fierce battles between resistance factions and the Israeli occupation army in several areas in the south and north of the Strip.
The Associated Press had quoted Gazan citizens and a Hamas official as saying that the movement had begun deploying police forces and civil servants near government offices and hospitals in the north and south of the Strip, and had also begun disbursing their monthly salaries. The American agency interpreted the reappearance of Hamas police in Gaza City as evidence of the movement's steadfastness, despite the air and ground raids launched by Israel against it during the past four months.
The military spokesman for the Israeli occupation army, Daniel Hagari, said a month before the withdrawal that they had completed the dismantling of the military structure of the Hamas movement in the northern and central Gaza Strip, and had killed thousands of militants, and that they were close to eliminating the movement’s fighters in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli army announced on Sunday that two soldiers were killed and three wounded, including an officer, in battles in the southern Gaza Strip , at a time when battles are raging between the resistance and the occupation forces in the Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City and in Khan Yunis. The Israeli army said that one of the two soldiers killed yesterday in battles south of the Gaza Strip was from the Givati Brigade , one of its elite brigades. The announcement of their death came a day after the Israeli army acknowledged the killing of a company commander with the rank of major in the Shaked Battalion of the Givati Brigade in the ongoing battles in the northern Gaza Strip.
A few meters separate life and death at the Rafah border crossing, where, according to recent photos obtained by Al Jazeera, two thousand trucks are piled up in front of them, with starving people across the border in front of them. Arab experts and analysts confirmed that the starvation policy pursued by Israel against the Gaza Strip is linked to the truce negotiations and prisoner exchange in the French capital, Paris, and aims to put pressure on the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) and attempt to subjugate it, in addition to displacing Gazans.
The first researcher at Al Jazeera Center for Studies, Dr. Liqaa Makki, said that the goal of starvation is to destroy the morale of Palestinian fighters and destroy the ability to fight, indicating that the world is mostly conspiring and complicit in this war and condones what Tel Aviv is doing, and is arming it as well. Makki pointed out - during the program “Gaza... What Next?” - that in wars circumstances may force the right holder to withdraw, especially the Palestinian resistance movements, which he said are in a battle with the world, stressing that any decision you take at this historical moment must be understood and be legitimate.
He pointed out that everyone is pressuring Hamas, not Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , to accept a temporary truce and then continue the war, noting that the starvation war aims to pressure Hamas “because Washington wants the hostages, so that US President Joe Biden can brag about them to voters.” He pointed out that Egypt can do a lot, especially since there are 1.5 million displaced people on its borders, and he considered the failure to supply them with food under the pretext of the occupation’s threat to be an insult to Cairo, to which Gaza had previously belonged administratively, stressing that it is an Egyptian national, religious, historical, geographical and humanitarian responsibility.
In turn, the expert on Israeli affairs, Dr. Muhannad Mustafa, agreed with Makki, and said that the Israeli starvation policy is to displace the residents of Gaza and to pressure and subjugate Hamas in parallel with the truce talks. Mustafa added that one of the goals of the starvation war is for Israel to obtain concessions regarding the truce that serve its goals, indicating that Tel Aviv may know in advance that it will not succeed, but it is trying to buy time, because time is an important issue for Netanyahu and he is trying to procrastinate these negotiations.
He added that Israel expects from this pressure - in light of the majority of its citizens’ support for the starvation policy and the war on Gaza, in parallel with Western complicity and Arab impotence - that Hamas will back down from its demands and be subjugated. Regarding the positions of the occupation and opposition leaders, Mustafa confirms that War Council Minister Benny Gantz wants to complete the truce and exchange deal first, while Netanyahu wants to immediately begin the Rafah operation because he linked the concept of victory to the invasion of the border city with Egypt, at a time when the opposition leader, Yair Lapid, confirms that the priority is to remove Detained prisoners.
As for researcher and political analyst Hossam Shaker, he confirmed that there is international complicity that supports the starvation policy in Gaza, and it cannot continue for the fifth month without external cover, especially with the lax international positions. Shaker explains that the goal of this policy is “to starve the Palestinian people, humiliate them, humiliate them, and deprive them of their dignity,” describing what is happening as terrorism and a systematic practice that the occupation cannot continue without external cover.
Regarding the Paris negotiations, he asserts that Netanyahu is manipulating everyone with his insistence on invading Rafah even if a deal is concluded, before saying that there are no indications of the possibility of coming out with a specific agreement within the current situation, especially since pressure on the occupation is not available. While he stressed that the resistance had no options but to protect its people and adhere to its conditions, he stressed that the absent Arab world should not be neutralized, especially the decisions of the Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh, specifically the clause of breaking the siege and the necessity of implementing it, in light of the mobilization supporting the Palestinians from Latin American countries, South Africa, and others.
Israeli occupation authorities installed a communications tower equipped with cameras above the western portico of Al-Aqsa Mosque , through which the courtyards of the mosque and worshipers can be monitored. A Palestinian source told Al Jazeera Net that the occupation authorities in Jerusalem carried out work a few days ago on the tank school above Bab al-Silsilah, in the western corridor of the mosque, and placed barriers around the workplace. The same source added that on Sunday afternoon, the occupation installed a high-rise communications tower equipped with sensors through which the movement of those arriving to the mosque could be tracked, and high-resolution cameras that would reveal all the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The tower was installed via a crane that stopped in Al-Buraq Square, and pictures obtained by Al-Jazeera Net show people excavating in the place where the tower was placed on top of the historic building of the school. A source told Al Jazeera Net that the occupation police in Jerusalem reinforced the surveillance cameras in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the alleys of the Old City of Jerusalem, and replaced the old cameras with modern ones.
The Israeli measures come at a time when the occupation is moving to restrict the access of Palestinians from 1948 and Jerusalem to Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan. On February 18, the private Channel 13 said that despite the Israeli Shin Bet warning of unrest between the Palestinians inside and the Israeli police, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the recommendation of the far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, to limit the access of Palestinian worshipers to Al-Aqsa Mosque during the coming month of Ramadan.
Israeli raids and arrests continued since dawn on Sunday in the cities of the occupied West Bank , as the occupation forces stormed Nablus, Qalqilya, Hebron , Ramallah, and Jenin , and raided several homes, while settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, protected by the Israeli police. Al Jazeera's correspondent said that the occupation forces stormed the city of Qalqilya in the northern West Bank, and raided homes in the southern neighborhood of the city, and the occupation forces arrested 3 young Palestinians from different areas in the city.
The occupation forces stormed areas in the city of Nablus in the West Bank, damaged homes and raided them, while attacking their residents, detaining some of them , and interrogating them. Israeli vehicles also stormed - at dawn today - the town of Deir Abu Mishal in the city of Ramallah, and the town of Zababdeh, south of the Jenin camp in the West Bank.
In the center of the city of Hebron, in the south of the West Bank, the Israeli occupation forces stormed Jaber Neighborhood and Wadi Al-Hussein and detained a group of young men and abused them at the Jaber Neighborhood checkpoint. The forces launched an arrest campaign in Wadi Al-Hussein. It is noteworthy that the two areas are subjected to continuous attacks by the occupation forces and settlers who harass citizens through the checkpoints spread throughout the city.
Scenes published by Palestinian news pages also showed Israeli occupation forces storming the town of Bani Naim in Hebron in the West Bank. In the scenes, sounds of gunfire were heard while the occupation forces' vehicles were in the town's streets, and other scenes showed the presence of the occupation forces in front of a house in the town of Shuyoukh, north of Hebron. On the other hand, the Palestinian News Agency reported that Israeli forces detained 8 Palestinians in Hebron, including 4 brothers, and beat them.
The Palestinian News Agency also said that dozens of settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, from the direction of the Mughariba Gate, and carried out provocative tours in its courtyards, and performed Talmudic rituals. It added that the occupation forces set up a checkpoint around the Hebron Gate, searched citizens, and prevented them from entering to pray in Al-Aqsa Mosque.
As the arrest campaign continued, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club said that the occupation forces arrested at least 15 Palestinians from the West Bank, including a journalist and former prisoners, from yesterday evening until this morning, bringing the number of detainees since October 7 to 7,225. The Palestinian News Agency reported that the arrests were distributed across the governorates of Hebron, Nablus, Jericho, Jenin, and Ramallah, noting that the occupation forces carried out widespread abuse, severe beatings, and threats against detainees and their families.
Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that sirens sounded in the settlements of Kiryat Shmona and Margaliot in the Upper Galilee near the border with southern Lebanon, at a time when Israeli media reported that several missiles fell in open areas in Margaliot and Rechis Ramim in the Upper Galilee as well. The Lebanese Hezbollah announced that it had targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of the Ramim barracks and the Zabdin barracks in the occupied Shebaa Farms, and achieved direct hits.
Al Jazeera's correspondent also reported that two missiles were fired at an Israeli position in the occupied Kfar Shuba hills in southern Lebanon. He added that Israeli artillery bombed the vicinity of the towns of Aita al-Shaab and Ramia in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army announced - today, Sunday - that it had detected a number of missiles launched from southern Lebanon, towards northern border areas, and the private Israeli Channel 12 said that the army had monitored the landing of several missiles in open areas in Margaliot and Rechis Ramim in the Upper Galilee, without talk of injuries or damage. This was preceded by the sounding of sirens in a number of border areas with Lebanon.
The Israeli army announced several times during the past 48 hours that it had detected missiles launched from southern Lebanon towards northern Israel. It is noteworthy that, since October 8, the Israeli-Lebanese border has witnessed an exchange of fire between the Israeli army on the one hand, and Hezbollah and Palestinian factions on the other hand, which led to deaths and injuries on both sides of the border. Recently, threats have escalated from Israeli officials to expand attacks on Lebanese territory if Hezbollah fighters do not withdraw away from the border with northern Israel.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani condemned the “arbitrary and adventurous” strikes on Yemen that contravene internationally recognized rules and principles and have violated the Arab country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “The US and the UK proved once again that they are full-fledged supporters of the Zionist regime’s war crimes and genocide in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,” he said.
The Iranian spokesman noted that Washington and London give priority to the Israeli regime’s illegitimate interests and security over international peace and security and trample over all moral and humanitarian principles as well as the international law and the UN Charter just to ensure the security of Israel. “By launching these attacks (on Yemen), the US and the UK seek to escalate tensions and crisis in the region, extend the scope of war and instability, divert the public attention away from the Zionist regime’s war crimes, and buy time for the continuation of the war crimes committed by the regime convicted of genocide,” he stated.
Kanaani warned that the arbitrary and aggressive military strikes on Yemen will only intensify insecurity and instability in the region without any achievement for the aggressors.
The US and UK fighter planes carried out strikes on 18 sites in Yemen on Saturday night, the fourth such joint operation by them.
Yemen has expressed support for the Palestinians' struggle against Israeli occupation since the regime's onslaught on Gaza in October 2023. The Yemeni Armed Forces have targeted Israeli, US, and British ships in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, prompting some shipping companies to take detours around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea, which handles about 12 percent of global maritime trade. The Yemeni army reassured that only Israeli, US, and British ships are targeted, ensuring the safety of other countries' cargoes.
The naval and air forces of the Yemeni army, in a joint military operation, attacked the US ship Torm Thor in the Gulf of Aden with several ballistic anti-ship missiles and used several suicide drones to attack the US military fleet in the Red Sea. According to a statement from the US Central Command in West Asia (CENTCOM), at 17:00 Sana’a time on Saturday (February 24) the USS Mason destroyer intercepted a ballistic anti-ship missile launched from areas under the control of the Ansar Allah movement in Yemen towards the Gulf of Aden. This missile most likely targeted the Torm Thor tanker carrying chemical/oil materials under the US flag.
CENTCOM claims that neither the tanker nor the US destroyer were harmed in this attack.The Torm Thor ship is a tanker carrying chemical and oil materials that has been operating under the US flag since 2015. The ship was last located off the coast of Djibouti, and detailed information about its exact origin and destination is not available.
Brigadier General Yahya Saree, the spokesman for the Yemeni armed forces, described this operation as part of their mission to defend the land and people of Yemen, emphasizing that Yemeni forces will carry out high-quality military operations against all hostile targets in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. He also added that alongside all the great people of Yemen, the Yemeni armed forces will continue their religious, moral, and humanitarian duties concerning the people of Palestine, and that their military operations will not stop until the end of the aggressions against and siege of the Palestinian people living in the Gaza Strip.
For the 21st time since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip, the Yemeni people in the areas controlled by Ansar Allah held mass marches and gatherings in support of the Palestinian people and resistance groups and condemning the crimes of Israel. This march titled “Our path with Gaza.. Forward to victory” in support of Palestine was held in the provinces of Sana’a, Saada, Imran, Hudaydah, Marib, Al-Jawf, Al-Bayda, Taiz, Hajjah, Dhamar, Rimah, Ibb and Al-Dhale’. In the final statement of this march, the people of Yemen emphasized their readiness to face all options and support the people and resistance groups of Palestine.
The Houthis announced - at dawn on Sunday - that the United States and Britain had targeted, with 22 air strikes, 3 Yemeni governorates, including the capital, Sanaa, while the US Department of Defense ( the Pentagon ) said that the American and British forces bombed 18 Houthi targets. The Houthi news agency reported that communications networks in the districts of Haifan and Maqbanah in Taiz Governorate (southwest) were targeted by 3 American-British raids. American-British forces also carried out two raids on farms in the Abs District of Hajjah Governorate, northwest of the country, according to the agency, which did not provide details about the results of all of these raids.
This is the first time that American-British aircraft have re-targeted Sanaa in about 3 weeks. On the other hand, CNN quoted an American official as saying that the strikes in Yemen included multiple Houthi targets, noting that the strikes included targeting command and control centers, radar sites, and underground weapons storage facilities. The US Central Command published via the X platform scenes of the launch of fighters from the aircraft carrier "USS Dwight Eisenhower" to carry out strikes against Houthi targets last night.
A joint statement said that American and British forces carried out strikes on 18 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday, in the latest series of military attacks against this group. The statement added that the strikes covered 8 sites in Yemen, and included underground facilities for storing weapons, missiles, air defense systems, radars, and helicopters.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said , "We will continue to make clear to the Houthis that they will bear the consequences if they do not stop their illegal attacks." He added, "We will not hesitate to take the necessary measures to protect lives and ensure the free flow of trade," explaining that the strikes aim to disrupt the Houthis' ability to launch their "reckless" attacks against American and international ships. Austin indicated that the strikes were supported by Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
For his part, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said that the Royal Air Force worked alongside its allies to destroy more Houthi marches and launch pads used to launch their dangerous attacks. Commenting on the strikes, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said that his country will back up its words with actions as Houthi attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea continue despite British warnings.
On the other hand, Houthi media said that 5 American and British raids targeted sites in the capital, Sanaa. A member of the group's political bureau, Muhammad Al-Bukhaiti, said that Sana'a is being bombed with the aim of protecting the perpetrators of genocide in Gaza, stressing that the bombing "will only increase our determination to continue our operations in support of Gaza."
For his part, the military spokesman for the Ansar Allah group, Yahya Saree, said that the American-British raids were responded to by targeting American warships in the Red Sea and an oil ship using missiles. The Houthi military spokesman added that the Yemeni armed forces will confront the American-British escalation with more qualitative military operations. Al-Masirah TV, the Houthi mouthpiece, reported - in breaking news - that "the American-British aggression aircraft launched a series of raids on Sanaa."
Since the beginning of this year, the Washington-led coalition has launched raids that it says target Houthi sites in various regions of Yemen, in response to its attacks in the Red Sea, which was met with a response from the Houthis from time to time.
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
Save the Children has warned that the risk of famine is expected to increase as long as the Israeli government continues to obstruct the entry of aid into Gaza. Adriana Zega, media and communications officer at Oxfam, said that the daily rate of aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip is insufficient. She added to Al Jazeera: "We are waiting to receive 3,000 boxes of health supplies to bring them into Gaza."
For his part, the media advisor to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ) said that Israel is trying to get rid of the agency with the aim of liquidating the Palestinian refugee issue. The media advisor added - in statements to Al Jazeera - that UNRWA teams tried to bring aid trucks into northern Gaza several times, but Israel prevented them from doing so.
Jordanian King Abdullah II warned against the continuation of the war on the Gaza Strip during the holy month of Ramadan, and said that the continuation of the war during the holy month will increase the risk of the conflict expanding. He also warned of the Israeli escalation in the West Bank and the attacks and violations committed by extremist settlers against Palestinians and Islamic and Christian sanctities in occupied Jerusalem.
The King of Jordan's statements came during his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today in the capital, Amman, as part of an official visit of an unannounced duration to the Kingdom, according to what was stated in a statement issued by the Royal Court. King Abdullah stressed "the necessity of exerting maximum efforts to reach an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and to protect innocent civilians."
He also stressed that Jordan will continue to provide humanitarian, relief and medical aid to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and reiterated his country's rejection of any attempts that seek to separate the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Jordanian King stressed the need for Arab coordination to continue during the coming period to find a just solution to the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution.
Axis of Resistance
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei predicted that the Islamic world will witness the annihilation of the cancerous tumor of Zionism. Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with a number of attendees of the 40th edition of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) International Holy Quran Competition at the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyah in Tehran on Thursday morning.
Addressing the meeting, the Supreme Leader underlined that the Gaza Strip is the big issue of the Islamic world today, urging heads of Muslim nations to announce the halt of support for the Zionist regime. God Almighty would ask those Muslim nations who had not put pressure on their governments to stop support for the Israeli regime, he said, referring to the verses of the Holy Quran.
The Islamic world is definitely mourning for the Palestinians in Gaza, he said, adding that non-Muslim freedom-loving nations around the world are also mourners for the oppressed people in Gaza. Resistance fighters of Palestine and especially Gaza are obeying the Quran’s directives when they fight the villain Zionist enemy; so, by the grace of God, the Palestinian nation will win in this fight, he noted. Pointing to the importance of the Holy Quran, the Supreme Leader argued that the Quran is a panacea for all human sufferings, including spiritual problems as well as human-related challenges such as war, injustice, and oppression.
Allied for Democracy
Israeli police suppressed a demonstration in central Tel Aviv demanding the conclusion of a prisoner exchange agreement, under the pretext that it was illegal and disrupted public security. Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that the Israeli police arrested 18 demonstrators, including the organizer of a demonstration calling for the overthrow of Benjamin Netanyahu's government and holding early elections.
Haifa, Eilat, and Beersheba witnessed similar demonstrations that coincided with the continued movement of families of Israelis detained in Gaza to demand that the government conclude an immediate prisoner exchange deal.
Writer Gideon Levy said - in his column in Haaretz newspaper - that it has been proven once again that there is no realistic alternative, no original initiative, and no real opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , concluding that Israel is a state with one voice, one view, and one opinion that repeats: “Together we will prevail,” in A reference to the war slogan that Netanyahu has adopted since the beginning of this war.
The writer explained that the behavior of the centrist parties throughout the war, including the results of two important votes in the Knesset last week, clearly proves that there is no solution regarding the basic issues of the state. He added that these issues are what define the character of Israel, which is based on settlement, war, and democracy, despite the existence of major differences between the right, center, and Zionist left, and in light of the violent political conflict now raging between the two camps, where everyone talks about division, rift, and chasm, even though there is none in In reality there are real differences of opinion.
The writer expressed his conviction that Israel's policy would not differ if it was governed by any of the current leaders opposed to Netanyahu, Benny Gantz , Gadi Eisenkot , or Yair Lapid . He was surprised that they would unite to support a government decision that opposes the "unilateral" recognition of the Palestinian state, even though its occupation and settlement policy is the mother of unilateralism.
Although Israel was divided between the guardians of democracy and its destroyers, as Levy says, here it is united in the first test behind an anti-democratic measure - according to the writer - when most of those who struggled against the government coup, and all those who cried out for democracy, raised their hands in favor of dismissing a legislator because of his views. And his view of the world or fled the vote out of cowardice.
Thus, the coup won, not only with the votes of the right this time, but also with the votes of the center and left parties, and the escape of Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot, Yair Lapid, Merav Michaeli and their colleagues from voting was a disgrace to those who claim to be fighting for democracy, and they should have voted with “No” loud and clear.
The writer concluded that Israel's most brutal and absurd war does not have a single opposing voice in the Knesset, despite the fact that the whole world is calling for an end to the war, and that all previous wars had opponents, even after support at the beginning. Gideon Levy concluded by saying that only Netanyahu’s hatred reminds that there is a coalition and an opposition, but this hatred is essentially a personal matter, but he has no proposal for an alternative, despite the truth of what is attributed to the prime minister of lying, pleasure-loving, corruption, giving up hostages, and throwing himself into the arms of the right-wing Messianic Extremists.
The Israeli newspaper "The Marker" said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to sell his allies the ability to control Gaza militarily and reshape what he called the "education and religion sectors" in the areas of the Middle East that he described as the most "miserable and devastated." The newspaper specializing in business affairs mentioned in an article by writer Sami Peres that the document for the next day of the Gaza Strip war presented by Netanyahu is based on military, civil and political foundations, but its military aspect is the most clear in terms of its planning to make Gaza like the West Bank so that the army maintains freedom of operational movement.
This is in contrast to the civil part of the document, which remains ambiguous and vague, supported by unfounded confidence in the ability to leave a profound impact on the civilian life of Gaza, and also to find someone to do so and decide who he is, according to the Israeli writer. Peres explained that Netanyahu's goal in the post-war document was to "prohibit the Palestinian Authority's speech" so as not to undermine the alliance with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Homeland Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir , so the document stated that civil administration in Gaza would be entrusted to local officials with administrative experience.
According to the Israeli writer, phrases such as “as much as possible” - which appeared in the document - indicate Netanyahu’s inability to control his plan, and also indicate a very low level of expectations. Peres added that what he called the greatest Israeli "arrogance" in the document lies in calling for a comprehensive program to combat extremism in all religious, educational and spiritual sectors, with the participation and support of Arab countries that have experience combating extremism in their territories.
This is what the writer considered an approach that reflects a lack of awareness and paranoia within the Israeli government, which has been unable to effectively manage its educational and religious systems, and claims the ability to do so in Gaza. Peres reminded that Netanyahu has not achieved less ambitious things, such as including basic educational subjects in Israeli religious schools, but he claims the ability to control school curricula in Gaza, stressing that Netanyahu's plan for Gaza is doomed to failure.
Peres concludes his article by saying that, unlike Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and War Council Minister Benny Gantz , who only want complete military control in Gaza, Netanyahu, even when he does not want to get involved in the civilian administration of the Strip, is keen to leave the impression that he can control the lives of the people of Gaza from afar. Without bringing in teachers, inspectors and officials.
Last Friday, Netanyahu presented to the security cabinet a document of principles related to the policy of the day after the Gaza war, which includes Israel’s preservation of freedom of action in the entire Gaza Strip without a time limit, and also includes the establishment of a security zone in the Strip adjacent to Israeli towns. The document does not clearly define Netanyahu's vision of who will rule Gaza after the war, but it says that "local elements with administrative experience" will be responsible for civil administration and public order in Gaza.
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.
A Hamas official based in Qatar told Reuters 19 February 2024 that the terrorist group estimates that 6,000 of its fighters have been killed by Israeli forces. That number is about half of the 12,000 terrorists that Israel said it has killed since the Oct. 7 Hamas-led massacre,
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 29,606 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 69,737. 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 405 [399?] Palestinians, including 102 children, the injury of about 4,600, and the arrest of 7,120, 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 575 since the start of the war on October 7, including 243 [235?] 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 2,962 since the beginning of the war, including 1,397 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 14,377 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 7,100. 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 19 February 2024 that, since the beginning of the war, approximately 3,200 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria Division and the Bekaa and Valleys Division, over 1,350 of whom are associated with the terrorist organization 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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