Operation Iron Swords - Day 145 - 28 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 |
Hamas called on 28 February 2024 for Palestinians to march to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque at the start of Ramadan, raising the stakes. “This is a call on our people in Jerusalem and the West Bank to march to Al-Aqsa since the first day of Ramadan,” said Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. “It is the duty of the Arab and Islamic nations to take the initiative to break the starvation conspiracy in Gaza,” Haniyeh said.
Israeli military and intelligence officials had recommended that restrictions be eased, fearing that "Hamas takes advantage of the most important time for Muslims, as a chance to ignite the [West Bank]," Yoav Zitun, the military affairs analyst for Israeli news website Ynet, wrote.
Hebrew Channel 12 reported that the Israeli War Council had withdrawn powers regarding decisions in Al-Aqsa Mosque from extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. Channel 12 reported that there are no restrictions on the entry of Arabs from 1948 and Jerusalem to Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan. Netanyahu had previously approved the decision of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir , which restricts the entry of Palestinians from inside and Jerusalem into Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan. Ben Gvir demanded that citizens of the West Bank and Jerusalem be prevented from entering Al-Aqsa during the month of Ramadan.
Ministers Gantz, Eisenkot and Gallant put pressure on Netanyahu - and demanded that Ben Gvir not participate in decisions regarding the Temple Mount. The ministers turned to Netanyahu and clarified: "In an explosive issue there is no room for foreign and political considerations." Sweeping restrictions will not be imposed on the entry of Israeli Arabs; The police will set a quota of worshipers according to capacity and safety considerations only; Individual restrictions will be imposed only in accordance with intelligence information - as was customary in the past.. According to estimates: initially 50-60 thousand worshipers will be allowed to enter.
The decision of the cabinet ministers to revoke Ben Gavir's authority from the sensitive issue, came after a warning from officers in the command staff of the police. According to it, if the demands to limit Arab worshipers are accepted - it could lead to a flare-up in Jerusalem and the cities involved. The Minister of Defense also criticized Ben Gvir's statements on the matter, saying: "During a time of war, everyone says what they want - including people who are supposed to be responsible, but they are not responsible. ... In the face of all these noises - we do what is necessary,
Biden administration officials say they want to reach an agreement before the start of Ramadan. Israeli Defence Minister Gallant, asked about Biden’s optimistic, said: “Who am I to express an opinion about what the president said? I very much hope that he is right.” An Israeli official told the Hebrew Channel 12: Our goal is to reach a prisoner exchange deal before the month of Ramadan.
The increase of bloody and watery diarrhea can be directly attributed to the lack of safe drinking water, posing a significant public health challenge. The absence of segregated sanitation facilities and electricity within shelters presents a considerable safety risk, depriving women and girls of secure environments and thereby increasing their vulnerability to sexual violence. • Restricted access to northern Gaza significantly contributes to insufficient humanitarian aid delivery, leading to concerns about food insecurity and the possibility of widespread starvation and fatalities due to hunger.
The food security situation continues to be extremely critical across Gaza, particularly in northern Gaza, with people reportedly feeding their children animal fodder. Vulnerable segments of the population, including children, the elderly and people with underlying health conditions, are particularly exposed to the risk of malnutrition and famine.
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that two soldiers were killed out of 30 who were infected with a toxic fungus during the war on the Gaza Strip , which has been ongoing for about 5 months. At the end of last year, Israeli media revealed for the first time that an Israeli soldier had been killed as a result of a fungal infection in the Gaza Strip, and that 10 other wounded soldiers had suffered similar conditions, before the broadcasting authority announced on Tuesday that the death toll had increased.
The Israeli news site Ynet said at the time that the soldier suffered serious injuries to his limbs on the battlefield, and then treatment-resistant fungi appeared on his body. The website, which is the online version of Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, added that he was transferred to Assuta Hospital in Ashdod (south), where doctors tried every possible treatment, including experimental treatments from abroad. He added that the doctors brought in specialists as much as they could, and finally the fungus took over the organs in the injured person's body until his death was determined. He continued, "The fungus may have originated in soil contaminated with sewage," noting that a number of soldiers returned from the battlefield infected with various fungi and infections.
In mid-December 2023, the Gaza Municipality warned of the danger of areas north of the city being flooded with sewage, as the pumps stopped working due to the running out of fuel, which would cause major environmental and health disasters. In the same month, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper revealed that a number of Israeli soldiers participating in the war on the Gaza Strip were suffering from dysentery (inflammation and disorder in the intestines) and poisoning, which causes cases of severe diarrhea and high temperature, and this requires their evacuation from combat sites.
The New York Post published new details about American Air Force airman Aaron Bushnell - who burned himself in front of the Israeli embassy in solidarity with Gaza - and quoted a friend of his that Bushnell told him that he had seen secret information indicating the presence of “American forces on the ground killing large numbers of Palestinians.”
According to what this close friend said - whose name the newspaper did not publish but said it had verified his relationship with the deceased - Bushnell (25 years old) informed him that he had a permit authorizing him to view US military intelligence data classified as “top secret.” Bushnell was serving in the 70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing of the US Air Force, where he was said to have worked as an “Innovation Services Technician.” His friend said, “His actual job involved processing intelligence data, some of which was related to the Israeli conflict in Gaza.”
He explained that Bushnell called him on the night of Saturday, February 24 - that is, hours before he set himself on fire on Sunday afternoon - and told him that some of the information he had seen indicated that "the American army is involved in the ongoing genocidal operations in Palestine." He continued, "He told me that we have forces on the ground, and that they are killing large numbers of Palestinians."
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.
Israeli Knesset Member Zeev Elkin said on Wednesday that as long as Hamas continues to rule the Gaza Strip civilianly, it will be able to rehabilitate itself militarily. Speaking about “the next day” after the war, Elkin, who is from the Likud Party led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said, “As long as Hamas continues to rule the Gaza Strip from a civilian point of view, we will not have achieved the main goal of the war. It will be able to rehabilitate itself militarily, because when it controls the population, it knows how to recruit people into the military arm as well.” Elkin revealed the differences within the Military Council in Israel, noting that “it is clear that the approach of Gadi Eisenkot and Benny Gantz towards the Palestinian state differs from our approach (in the Likud Party).” Netanyahu had previously rejected any talk about establishing a Palestinian state.
The administration of US President Joe Biden proposed to the Netanyahu government not to attack unarmed Hamas forces , but Tel Aviv rejected this proposal. The channel explained on its website that the American administration believes that there is no need to target Hamas forces who wear official or civilian uniforms, not military uniforms, and who accompany humanitarian aid convoys, but the Netanyahu government refused.
An Israeli channel revealed the content of an alleged draft resulting from the “Paris meeting” regarding a prisoner exchange deal between the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) and Israel, which it claimed included the release of 40 detainees in the Gaza Strip in exchange for 404 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli Channel 13, which published the draft, claimed that it was agreed upon last Friday in the French capital after negotiations took place with the participation of Qatar, Egypt, the United States, and Israel.
According to the channel, the document “mainly includes the details of the first phase of the crystallized deal that was approved by Israel.” It added, "The first phase extends for 40 days, during which a ceasefire will prevail in the Gaza Strip." According to the draft, “In the first phase, 40 detainees will be released, including 15 people over 50 years old, 13 patients, 7 women, and 5 female soldiers.”
On the other hand, the draft stipulates “the release of 404 Palestinian prisoners, including 15 prisoners sentenced to long prison terms, and 47 who were released in the Shalit deal (in 2011) and were later re-arrested by Israel,” according to the same source. The arrangements agreed upon in the first phase of the proposed deal will not apply to the second phase, which will be subject to separate negotiations later, as the channel reported.
The draft also stipulates, according to the same source, “an increase in the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza to achieve the goal of 500 trucks of aid entering Gaza daily by the end of the first phase.”
Channel 13 quoted an unnamed Western official as saying, “The document was drafted by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt.” No official body has confirmed the authenticity of the document published by the Israeli channel or its content.
Biden confirmed that Israel is ready to stop its attacks in the Gaza Strip during the month of Ramadan, which was not confirmed by Tel Aviv. For his part, White House National Security Advisor John Kirby said that the US administration is optimistic about reaching an agreement for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza soon. He explained that his team "is engaged in the talks to crystallize the agreement, but that does not mean competing for time before the month of Ramadan." Biden said during an interview with NBC that Israel is ready to stop its attacks in Gaza during the month of Ramadan in accordance with a ceasefire agreement that leads to the release of detainees.
For its part, the official Israeli Broadcasting Authority spoke of “cautious optimism in the negotiations, but the gaps are still large.” She added in a report that “the Israeli delegation present in Qatar is scheduled to receive Hamas’ response to some of the controversial issues discussed in the talks.”
In Doha, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari said that Qatar is optimistic about the ceasefire talks in the Gaza Strip, and hopes for a cessation of hostilities during the holy month of Ramadan, but he stressed that there is no agreement yet between Hamas and Israel. Al-Ansari added in a press conference in Doha, “We call on all parties to calm down and we seek to reach this goal despite the presence of obstacles.” He stressed that efforts are continuing at various levels regarding mediation, and he spoke of optimism in light of the continuation of negotiations, and “but there is nothing new to announce.” about him".
He stressed that Qatar hopes that the two parties will be able to stop hostilities during the month of Ramadan, and pointed out that Doha “cannot comment” on the statements of the US President, during which he spoke about the possibility of reaching an agreement on a ceasefire next Monday. The Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman criticized the lack of international pressure to bring aid into Gaza in light of the decline in the amount of humanitarian aid that entered the Strip in the recent period, and said, "It is painful for the humanitarian side to be part of the negotiations."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sent identical letters to a number of presidents, prime ministers, organizations and unions in which he affirmed his rejection of the principles of the day after the war on Gaza announced by Benjamin Netanyahu. Mahmoud Abbas warned "of the danger of what was stated in Netanyahu's announcement, in which he challenges the international positions and efforts made for a ceasefire and complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and to increase the amounts of humanitarian food and medical aid and basic needs, to stop an ongoing crime and certain famine accompanied by an outbreak of epidemics that require urgent intervention to provide Sheltering places for more than 1.8 million displaced people, ensuring their return to their places of residence, especially in the northern Gaza Strip, and restarting hospitals and schools, which requires continuing the work and funding of UNRWA to carry out its tasks.
The Palestinian President said: “What was stated in Netanyahu’s plan for the next day and the announcement it included of building thousands of new settlement units reflects his government’s declared policies that deny the Palestinian people and insist on imposing Israeli sovereignty over the entire land extending from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River.”
He added, "The goal that this extremist Israeli government is working on is not only to undermine the chances of achieving peace based on the two-state solution, but rather to intensify the campaigns of ethnic cleansing and displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, and to attack the identity of Jerusalem, its character, its people, and Islamic sanctities." And Christianity there, and the infringement on freedom of worship in Jerusalem, through systematic steps, which portends a major explosion with undesirable consequences.”
Muhammad Abbas reiterated that "the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the State of Palestine, and that we are ready to do what is necessary to assume the responsibilities of governance in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. We are also ready to work to establish security, peace and stability in the region within the framework of A comprehensive peace plan."
The Palestinian President called for continuing to support Palestine’s efforts to obtain full membership in the United Nations by a decision of the UN Security Council, and to call for the convening of an international peace conference in order to approve a comprehensive peace plan with international guarantees and a timetable for implementing an end to the Israeli occupation of the land of the State of Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital, on the 1967 lines and to resolve the issue. All issues of a permanent solution, and establishing the foundations of security and peace for all countries and peoples of the region.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said that Hamas realizes the necessity of forming a technocratic government in the Palestinian territories instead of a coalition that includes the Islamic Resistance Movement. He explained during a press conference in Geneva, "I think Hamas understands this, and I think it supports the idea of forming a technocratic government based on experts who can move the entire country into a transitional phase because any government that includes Hamas will be boycotted internationally."
Earlier, the Palestinian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Hossam Zomlot, revealed Qatar and Egypt’s assistance in “forming a new Palestinian technocratic government” amid consultations between all Palestinian factions, including Hamas. Zomlot stressed that “Hamas will not have members in the new technocratic government, but the fact of consulting with it shows that efforts are underway to find out whether Palestinian unity between Hamas and Fatah is achievable,” considering that the expected government will be “a purely technocratic government without factions, and it is designed.” To unify the Palestinians, their geography and their political system.”
He added: "The political landscape has changed. This is the time to listen to our people, not the time for political factions. It is our responsibility to provide a government that can secure the needs of its people, and unify our people and our political system." He expressed his hope that the formation of a technocratic government would be followed by "holding Palestinian parliamentary and presidential elections." He did not specify a specific timetable for implementing this, but he said that the matter would be a matter of months, not years.
Analysts and academics who spoke to Al-Jaazerra's program “Gaza...What Next?” stated the Palestinian resistance is aware of the intentions of Israel, which wants a humanitarian truce conditional on the exchange of prisoners, but it rejects a complete ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the withdrawal of its forces from the Strip. US President Joe Biden said that Israel agreed not to carry out military activities in the Gaza Strip during the upcoming month of Ramadan. In Doha, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari said that Qatar is optimistic about the talks, and hopes for an end to hostilities during the month of Ramadan, but he stressed that there is no agreement yet between the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) and Israel.
Writer and political researcher Sari Orabi said that the Palestinian resistance has two basic limitations: It seeks to have any deal or settlement that leads to a complete ceasefire in Gaza and the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, but at the same time it is aware of the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the occupation, and therefore She finds herself responsible for searching for urgent solutions and an outlet for the Palestinians within the Strip.
Orabi added that the Israeli occupation wants a humanitarian truce conditional on the exchange of prisoners in the war, and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to get rid of the burden of prisoners that may hinder his army’s operations in Gaza, and at the same time he wants to strip the Palestinian resistance of the prisoner card.
Orabi expressed his belief that the Palestinian resistance is alert to the intentions of the Israelis, and will not throw away the cards in its hands at one stage. It wants to control the stages so that Netanyahu’s plans fail and effectively establish a ceasefire and the withdrawal of the occupation forces from Gaza, stressing that the Palestinian resistance has shown solidity in its negotiations. Contrary to the historical experiences of the Arabs in their negotiations with Israel, where it remained committed to its demands within a reasonable framework of maneuver in dealing with the proposals presented to it.
On the other hand, academic and expert on Israeli affairs, Dr. Muhannad Mustafa, believes that Israel, especially its Prime Minister Netanyahu, insists on not ceasefire in Gaza, and they are talking in parallel between truce talks and preparing for a military operation in Rafah , south of the Gaza Strip. The fact that the war does not end and resumes after the truce is a fundamental issue for Israel, and it says - as the academic and expert confirms - that the truce is not linked to any form of political perceptions proposed in the region, and is not linked to the military operation in Rafah, meaning that the truce for Netanyahu is only for the sake of recovering the prisoners. Israelis with the Palestinian resistance.
For his part, Professor of Political Science at An-Najah National University, Hassan Ayoub, confirmed that the resistance’s performance on the ground does not indicate Israel’s ability to resolve the negotiation process using military pressure, as the occupation claims, stressing that there is strong criticism of the Israeli army and the state of chaos in which it is floundering, and the resistance has revealed The Palestinian Authority said on Tuesday that the occupation army ended its operations in Khan Yunis (southern Gaza Strip) more than a week ago without achieving any achievement.
Dr. Ayoub believes that the United States of America is throwing its weight towards the success of the negotiation process between the Palestinian resistance and Israel and reaching compromise solutions, but these solutions seem unacceptable to the resistance, especially Hamas, but it does not reject them publicly. Ayoub pointed to a strategic dimension in the negotiating process, which is that Israel is not accustomed to negotiating with any Palestinian or Arab party that possesses strong cards. He said that there is a strategic game to change the rules of negotiation now and in the future, because what can be agreed upon today will have its negotiating repercussions in the future. The next stages of negotiation.
The professor of political science at An-Najah National University spoke about the points of disagreement between the Americans and the Israelis regarding the political vision after the war on Gaza, as Washington wants the Palestinian Authority to return to Gaza, which Tel Aviv rejects. In the same context, he stressed that the Americans are proposing a political vision based on the idea of eliminating resistance as a condition in the process of negotiating the future of the region.
The "divergence in visions" reflects the conflicting political calendars that Biden and Netanyahu are working on, according to the New York Times. Netanyahu has a “pressing interest” in prolonging the war with Hamas to postpone the day of reckoning when he will face accountability for his failure to prevent the attack that occurred on October 7, according to the newspaper. Conversely, Biden has a strong incentive to end the war as soon as possible to quell anger on his party's left wing before his re-election campaign in the fall when he will need support.
At the same time, each has reason to believe he might get a better deal “if the other loses his position,” as the New York Times described it. Frank Lowenstein, the former special envoy for peace in the Middle East under President Barack Obama, said, “Biden and Bibi (Benjamin Netanyahu) have different timetables regarding the Gaza war.”
The divergent goals are evident in attempts to reach an agreement on the hostages before the start of Ramadan. Biden indicated during an interview with the Seth Meyers program on NBC that “Ramadan is approaching and there was an agreement among the Israelis not to engage in activities during the month of Ramadan in order to give us time to extract all the hostages” held by the Hamas movement. He said earlier during a visit to New York, "I hope that by next Monday there will be a ceasefire," adding that some of his national security advisors told him, "We are close (...) and we are not finished yet."
But this depends on Netanyahu agreeing to a deal with Hamas. Hamas is currently studying the proposal that Israel agreed to in discussions with mediators in Paris last week, for a truce that would stop the fighting for 40 days, which would be the first long pause in the war that has been going on for about five months, according to Reuters. The two sides have delegations in Qatar to discuss the details.
Israel will redeploy its forces outside populated areas, and the population of Gaza, with the exception of males at the age where they can fight, will be allowed to return to the areas from which they were previously displaced, and the volume of aid to the Gaza Strip will increase, including the entry of equipment that is urgently needed to shelter the displaced.
Hamas has long said that it will not release all its hostages except within the framework of an agreement that ends the war, while Israel said that it will only consider temporary truces and will not end the war until it eliminates Hamas, which launched an attack on sites and areas adjacent to the Gaza Strip on October 7.
But the offer does not appear to meet the main demand made by Hamas that any agreement include a clear path to a permanent end to the war and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, or reach a solution regarding Israeli hostages of military age.
Israeli government spokeswoman Tal Heinrich said earlier that any agreement would require Hamas to abandon "strange demands." She added, "We have a desire...but the question remains whether Hamas has a desire." She added, "If Hamas can return to reality, we will be able to reach an agreement."
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s talk about a “future demilitarized Palestinian state” raised questions about the meaning of this concept, and the extent to which Israel and the Palestinian Authority accept the “proposal,” while officials and specialists reveal to Al-Hurra website the extent to which this can be implemented on the ground.
Netanyahu was more willing to challenge Biden publicly, a position that allows him to say that he is “the only person capable of confronting American pressure to implement the two-state solution,” and therefore he must remain in office, whatever the failures that preceded October 7th.
Amid Arab and international demands for the establishment of a future, independent Palestinian state next to Israel, questions arise about what this state could look like? Who rules and controls it? Will the current Israeli government be overthrown by its presence? This is what Israeli and Palestinian officials and specialists the Al-Hurra website spoke to must do.
Alon Pinkas, the former Israeli consul general in New York, said: “The further Netanyahu moves away from October 7, the less responsibility and accountability he has, in his opinion.” He added: "I think that Netanyahu is seeking a direct confrontation with Biden because that is beneficial to his political interests."
It is a risky game, and it is becoming clearer than ever how dependent Israel acting alone is on the United States. The matter is not only related to the ammunition that Israel uses in the war with Hamas, but to defend it on the international scene, as Washington used its veto against draft resolutions in the Security Council.
Biden can offer Netanyahu something that the Israeli leader “really wants,” which is the possibility of “normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia,” which is “the kind of historic achievement that any prime minister wants for his legacy.” Biden's view is that "such a breakthrough can only be achieved if the war ends and the establishment of a Palestinian state is on the table."
However, it is unclear whether Netanyahu, who has resisted such a solution throughout most of his long career, could even accept such a process. In a previous report on the Al-Hurra website , an Israeli diplomatic source revealed that the current Israeli government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, “does not support the two-state solution.” The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “Israel has for years supported a two-state solution for two peoples, and the Palestinians have rejected that,” noting that “Hamas does not support the two-state solution.”
He adds: “Even 4-5 years ago, all Israeli governments since the 1990s supported the two-state solution for two peoples, and we tried to negotiate with the Palestinians, but every time we approached a peace agreement, they chose violence and terrorism,” as he put it.
Saudi Arabia and Israel are negotiating under American auspices to normalize relations between the two countries, and the Palestinian issue emerges as one of the “prominent files” during the negotiations, while specialists reveal to Al-Hurra website the pillars of those discussions, the obstacles facing them, and the extent to which the two sides can make concessions in this regard.
Netanyahu's often-stated goal of "eliminating Hamas" may be militarily unrealistic, according to security analysts, and therefore if he fails to achieve it, the prime minister could point to American pressure as the reason. Mitchell Barak, an Israeli pollster and analyst who worked as Netanyahu's assistant in the 1990s, believed that Netanyahu might blame Biden if he "does not achieve complete victory."
He added: "We are getting an unprecedented level of support from Biden militarily, morally, emotionally and globally, and for our part, we are responding to it with trivial arguments and internal political declarations."
The Biden team has become increasingly frustrated by this, and the president's advisers had hoped that the war would end by January, so that by the summer everyone would focus on reconstruction efforts in Gaza and peacemaking efforts that lead to Palestinian self-rule, according to the New York Times. But things have not happened this way, so far, as the month of January has ended, and the month of February is also drawing to a close, and the timetable for Biden and Netanyahu is “heading towards a collision,” according to the newspaper.
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.”
Horn testing of the Home Front Command will take place today (Wednesday) at 10:05 in the settlement of Kedmat Zvi. If a true alert is activated, an additional ascending and descending alarm will be heard, at the same time an alert will also be distributed in the Home Front Command applet and the supplementary warning means.
Bloomberg cited the former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert saying that the invasion of Rafah would be "a danger we ["Israel"] would not be able to withstand". According to Olmert, an attack on Rafah would be an unnecessary additional move, calling on Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the war, focus on drawing a plan for the Israeli occupation forces' retreat from Gaza, and seek international presence in the Strip.
Netanyahu previously revealed in an interview with ABC that "those who oppose the war are welcoming our defeat in Gaza". However, amid Netanyahu's insistence on the Rafah invasion, it seems like his cabinet and military both share different views on his plans. A few days ago, Israeli media reported that conflict arose between Netanyahu and the IOF after he shared his plans. Earlier, discord between him and the Israeli Commander-in-Chief Herzi Halevi was also reported, according to Israeli broadcaster Channel 12.
Channel 12's political affairs analyst, Yaron Avraham, said the dispute arose when Netanyahu discussed the continuation of the Israeli military operation with Halevi. The Israeli Prime Minister who heads the Israeli war cabinet is reportedly rushing the Israeli military to take direct action in Rafah, while Halevi stresses that necessary conditions need to be made available before such action could be taken. Among these conditions is the "evacuation" of Palestinians from Rafah, in coordination with Egypt.
Both Israeli political and military leading figures agree on the mass expulsion and displacement of Palestinians. However, they disagree on the timeframe and the method of doing so. Avraham says Netanyahu is conflating between the Israeli war objectives and his own personal ambitions. It has become widely accepted that the continuation of the war on Gaza and achieving what Netanhayhu describes as an "absolute victory" ensure that his political career lasts. On that point, Channel 12's Amnon Abramovich said that "absolute victory" is neither a political nor military concept, saying that the term is only constricted to Netanyhu's political practice. The analyst called the Prime Minister a "coward" who cannot "complete his tasks."
Intense Israeli bombardment from air, land and sea continues to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of civilian infrastructure. On 27 February, Palestinian armed groups fired several rockets towards southern Israel, with no reports of injuries or damage. Ground operations and heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups also continue to be reported, particularly in Khan Younis, Gaza city and Deir al Balah.
The paratroopers' IDF is fighting in the west of Khan Yunis , the fighters are raiding terrorist targets and eliminating many terrorists at close range by shooting and directing fire from the air and on land.
The fire center of the Southern Command and the Air Force attacked eight significant targets in the area from which a TMS was launched to Ashkelon last night and later, terrorist shafts and infrastructures from which terrorists came out to carry out terrorist operations in the Gaza Strip.
The combat team of the 7th Brigade raided buildings in western Khan Yunis and located weapons and military equipment. The fighters eliminated five terrorists by firing a precise missile at a vehicle in which they were traveling. In addition, fighter jets attacked two military buildings and eliminated terrorists who were in them. The fighters of the combat team of the paratrooper brigade eliminated a number of terrorists with sniper fire.
Fighters of the Givat Brigade Combat Team identified two terrorists and by closing a circle with the brigade's fire complex, they were eliminated through an aircraft attack. The fire center of the 98th division directed a fighter jet to attack terrorists who were ambushed against our forces in a military building in the Khan Yunis region. Secondary explosions detected after the attack testified to the many weapons they possessed.
In the center of the Gaza Strip, the fighters of Division 162 continue to operate in the Zeyton neighborhood. The fighters of the Nahal Brigade's combat team eliminated a number of terrorists throughout the last day and located weapons in the area. In one of the activities, the forces on the ground identified a terrorist squad and eliminated them through a combat helicopter attack.
The Al -Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) - said that its fighters are waging fierce battles from zero range and clashes behind the lines, forces and vehicles of the occupation in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, east of Gaza City. The military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, says that the Israeli occupation army will not be able to eliminate the Zaytoun Brigade - which is considered one of the Qassam strike brigades - and will not be able to control and stabilize, and will be forced to withdraw to escape a losing battle.
Al-Duwairi added - during his analysis for Al Jazeera - that the ferocity of the battles in Al-Zaytoun confirms that the resistance is managing the defensive battle effectively, based on the worst-case scenario, despite the overwhelming military strength of the occupation. He points out that the Zaytoun neighborhood had been in a state of direct clashes with the occupation forces since the first day of the ground battle, especially the southern sector, because it is in direct contact with the Gaza Valley, home to the occupation forces and vehicles. He pointed out that the nature of the land helps the resistance to fight battles behind enemy lines and gives it an opportunity to attack subsequent waves. From the occupation forces.
The strategic expert explains that the Battle of Olive is the third of its kind after the northern Gaza Strip entered the third phase of the war, as the first attack was on the neighborhoods of Al-Tuffah, Al-Daraj, and Jabalia Camp, then the other attack was on the neighborhoods of Sheikh Ajlin, Tal Al-Hawa, Al-Rimal Al-Janubi, and Al-Nasr Street.
These operations confirm - according to Al-Duwairi - that the occupation’s claims of dismantling the Qassam Brigades and their organizational frameworks in the region are not true, and the ferocity of the intense battles of Olive shows that the combat resistance structure in the northern sector was not destroyed, and the Qassam Brigades were rebuilt and work in partnership with the rest of the factions, specifically the Al-Quds Brigades , the military wing. For the Islamic Jihad movement.
He points out that if the degree of damage inflicted on the resistance factions in the current war had been as severe as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims , these brigades would have collapsed, but this did not happen, citing statements by former generals in the occupation army. Regarding the implications of the Al-Quds Brigades’ bombardment of Ashkelon and the settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip with rocket salvoes, Al-Duwairi says that the resistance, through implementation tools, is still effective by firing rockets, and it is also sending a message to the settlers, some of whom are thinking of returning again to the region to review themselves.
On the other hand, no missiles were fired at central Israel since the start of the talk about Paris’s approach to calm and the exchange of prisoners because it would have been used negatively against the resistance that it was not serious about the negotiations and their success, according to Al-Duwairi. It is noteworthy that Israeli media reported that a person was injured in Ashkelon as a result of rockets falling from Gaza that caused a fire and the burning of a car, noting that alarms were activated in Ashkelon after a calm that lasted 10 days.
The Dawlah Intersection and al-Sikka Street in Gaza City have been "turned into a graveyard" for Israeli Merkava tanks, a leader in the Palestinian Resistance from al-Zaytoun neighborhood told Al Mayadeen on Wednesday morning. His remarks come after various Palestinian Resistance factions fiercely engaged invading Israeli occupation forces in al-Zaytoun neighborhood throughout the past ten days. Tuesday in particular saw intense fighting, which resulted in the killing of two Israeli military officers, the spokesperson for the Israeli occupation forces admitted on Wednesday.
"The occupation's military incurred heavy losses yesterday," the Resistance commander told Al Mayadeen, adding that military "helicopters landed [in the area] three times to evacuate those killed and wounded." "Israeli warplanes intervened three times to cover the evacuation operations, executing concentrated raids on several axes," the source explained.
"Our fighters from [every faction] are still in their combat positions and are carrying out their tasks according to plans established in advance," the Resistance commander in al-Zaytoun told Al Mayadeen, highlighting the Resistance's ability to command and control large-scale operations in the northern Gaza Strip, contrary to Israeli claims. "A state of confusion dominates the movements of the occupation soldiers [in al-Zaytoun neighborhood]."
In one of its operations in the aforementioned areas, the Palestinian Resistance killed at least two Israeli officers who served under the Givati Brigade's Tzabar Battalion, one of which was a company commander, while the other was a platoon commander. According to the IOF's spokesperson, seven other soldiers and officers were severely injured and evacuated in the same incident, in which an improvised explosive device was detonated in a building in the area.
On 27 February, Israeli forces installed a roadblock at the main entrance to Rantis village, west of Ramallah, impacting the daily movement of more than 3,600 people. Since 7 October, the Israeli army has installed dozens of new obstacles to movement throughout the West Bank, including road gates, earth-mounds and roadblocks, exacerbating the access and movement of Palestinians that had been impeded by some 645 obstacles prior to 7 October. The restrictions disconnect cities, villages and vulnerable communities from one another, and disrupt communities’ access to basic services and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The soldiers of the IDF, the Shin Bet and the Security Guard operated tonight to arrest ten wanted persons throughout Judea and Samaria. In Jenin, in Manasha, the fighters arrested a wanted person under the intelligence guidance of the Shin Bet and worked to uncover explosives buried under the axles in order to harm the forces. Also, an aircraft attacked an armed terrorist identified in the area. In Yehuda the fighters arrested six wanted men, interrogated many suspects and confiscated weapons. In Kalkilia in Ephraim, two wanted men were arrested and in Abu Kesh in Benjamin, the soldiers arrested another wanted man. The wanted persons who were arrested and the means of warfare that were confiscated were transferred to the security forces for further treatment, there are no casualties to Israeli forces.
The occupation forces withdrew from the city of Jenin and its camp in the occupied West Bank after storming it at dawn on Wednesday. They clashed with resistance fighters, destroyed infrastructure, and besieged the outskirts of the camp. They also stormed the town of Yatta, north of Hebron, and the village of Al-Walaja, west of Bethlehem, and launched an arrest campaign.
The Jenin Battalion - affiliated with the Al-Quds Brigades - confirmed that it engaged in violent clashes with the Israeli forces and caused serious injuries among the ranks of the occupation soldiers and vehicles. Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that the occupation bulldozers destroyed and bulldozed streets and infrastructure on the outskirts of the Jenin camp that had been rehabilitated a few days ago. The correspondent indicated that the storming and destruction took place in light of the flight of reconnaissance planes and the deployment of sniper teams in various locations.
For its part, the Palestinian News Agency confirmed that a young man was moderately injured as a result of a bombing operation from an Israeli drone in the eastern neighborhood of Jenin camp, confirming that the occupation forces arrested an ambulance volunteer. In a related context, local Palestinian platforms published video clips documenting the Israeli occupation forces’ storming of the town of Ya’bad, located south of the city of Jenin.
Al Jazeera's correspondent also confirmed that the occupation soldiers targeted school students with live bullets at the Tariq Bin Ziyad roundabout in Hebron. He added that the occupation forces, accompanied by demolition vehicles, stormed the village of Al-Walaja, west of Bethlehem, and also stormed the towns of Al-Mazraa Al-Gharbiyya and Birzeit, north of Ramallah, and the city of Qalqilya. Al Jazeera's correspondent confirmed that the Israeli occupation forces stormed the town of Yatta, east of Hebron, arrested about 19 Palestinians and launched a campaign of raids.
Yesterday, Tuesday, 4 Palestinians were killed by the occupation army’s bullets, 3 of them in a military operation in the city of Tubas and the nearby Al-Fara’a camp, and the fourth was killed by the occupation’s bullets at the Mazmoria checkpoint (between Bethlehem and occupied Jerusalem).
Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades in Lebanon launched large salvos of Grad-type artillery rockets aimed at two Israeli military sites in al-Jalil Panhandle on Wednesday morning. The Resistance faction said its fighters launched a total of 40 Grad-type rockets at the bases from South Lebanon. The targeted sites are the 769th Territorial Brigades' headquarters in "Kiryat Shmona", named "Camp Gibor" and the "Matar" Barracks near "Beit Hillel". The operations come in response to Israeli massacres against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the assassination of the leaders in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, a statement released by al-Qassam revealed. Pictures circulating on social media highlighted the impact of a rocket on a building in "Kiryat Shmona", as Israeli occupation forces arrived at the scene to inspect the damage caused by a rocket's impact.
This is the second time that al-Qassam Brigades fighters have executed a rocket launch operation in response to the assassination of the late Deputy Chief of Hamas' Political bureau and Resistance leader martyr Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri and six other leaders and fighters in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, on January 2. The first response occurred on January 16, when al-Qassam fighters launched 20 rockets from South Lebanon at an Israeli military base in "Liman" near the coast of northern occupied Palestine. At the time, the group also mourned its fighter, Walid Ahmad Hasanayn, who was martyred on the same day of the retaliatory attack.
The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah also played a crucial role in responding to the attack, which not only led to the martyrdom of al-Arouri but also violated the security of the Southern Suburb of Beirut. In their own response, Hezbollah fighters launched a total of 62 guided-missile and rockets at the "Meron" Air Traffic Control Base, on the morning of January 6. The attack severely damaged the spyware and radar system equipment and was dubbed a top-tier operation, as the site is located on the highest point in occupied Palestinian territories.
"Hezbollah" targeted the sites of Ramtha and Al-Sammaqa, and the deployment of Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of the Birkat Risha site. The Lebanese "Hezbollah" announced on Wednesday that its fighters had targeted the Ramtha and Sammaqa sites and the deployment of Israeli soldiers around the Birkat Risha site, confirming that direct casualties had been achieved. Hezbollah issued several statements confirming that it had targeted “the vicinity of the Birkat Risha site with missile weapons, the Ramtha site in the Shebaa Farms, and the Al-Summaqa site in the Lebanese Shebaa Farms.”
Hezbollah explained in a statement: “The Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted, at 05:00 in the afternoon, on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, a deployment of Israeli enemy soldiers in the vicinity of the Birkat Risha site with missile weapons, and they achieved direct hits.” He added in a statement: “At 05:00 in the afternoon on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted the Ramtha site in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms with missile weapons and hit it directly.”
Hezbollah confirmed: “At 05:05 pm on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted the Al-Summaqa site in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms with missile weapons and hit it directly.” Israeli media reported that a missile attack was fired from southern Lebanon towards Israeli settlements on Wednesday morning. An RT correspondent reported that an Israeli artillery shelling targeted the town of Rashaya Al-Fakhar, and an interceptor missile fired by the Israeli Iron Dome exploded in the airspace of the town of Kafr Hamam in the eastern sector of southern Lebanon.
Tel Aviv acknowledged that the Meron Air Base, north of the occupied territories, was damaged by missiles launched by the Lebanese Islamic Resistance. The army said in a statement, “After the sirens sounded earlier (Tuesday), about 20 rocket launches were detected from Lebanese territory.” He added, “A number of them (the missiles) were successfully intercepted... An anti-tank missile was also detected that crossed Lebanese territory towards the Meron area” in the Upper Galilee. The army confirmed that “damage was detected in the air force control unit,” claiming that “there is no damage to the facility’s efficiency.”
Yesterday morning, Tuesday (2/27/2024), the Islamic Resistance targeted the “Meron” air control base in Jabal Al-Jarmak, with a large missile attack from several launchers. The Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance also targeted the Ruwaisat Al-Alam site in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms, as well as two enemy spy equipment at the Ramtha site with appropriate weapons.
Fighter jets attacked Hezbollah military infrastructures in the areas of Kafra and Tzadikin in southern Lebanon. In addition, the IDF attacked with artillery fire in a sick area. Fighter jets attacked a launcher from which launches were made towards the Kiryat Shmona area this morning. In addition, a number of military infrastructures of the Hezbollah terrorist organization were attacked in the A-Ski, Bint Jebel and Yarin areas. Following the warnings in the Western Galilee area, a number of launches were detected from Lebanon towards Israeli territory, some of them landed in Lebanese territory and the rest in open areas in Israeli territory, there were no Israeli casualties.
Fighter jets attacked a munitions warehouse and military buildings of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the Ramiyah region of southern Lebanon. During the night, the IDF attacked a site for the production of weapons of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in the Kharbat Salem area.
Following the alerts that were activated in the Kiryat Shmona area, about ten launches from Lebanese territory were detected that crossed into Israeli territory, the air defense fighters successfully intercepted several launches. The IDF attacked the sources of the shooting in Lebanese territory.
Fighter jets attacked military buildings and terrorist infrastructures of Hezbollah in the areas of A-Taiba, Beit Leaf, Tzadikin and Khirbat Salem. Earlier, fighter jets attacked a military infrastructure and an aircraft attacked a terrorist cell that was identified in the Eyta al-Sha'ab region. During the day, several other terrorist infrastructures were attacked in the area.
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority said that Lebanese Hezbollah bombed an Israeli army base during a tour by Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy at the site, on a day that witnessed the launching of dozens of rockets from southern Lebanon , and some reports described it as an unprecedented escalation. The Commission stated that Hezbollah fired a number of missiles at the 146th Division headquarters in Gatoun, near the Nahariya settlement in the Western Galilee, during the Chief of Staff’s tour of the site.
For its part, Hezbollah announced that on Tuesday it bombed the Meron air control base in Jabal al-Jarmaq twice with missiles from several launchers, and also targeted the 146th Division headquarters with dozens of Katyusha rockets, in response to the Israeli army’s bombing of the vicinity of the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, on Monday.
Some Israeli media reported that more than 100 missiles were launched from southern Lebanon since Tuesday morning, and pictures broadcast by activists showed shells landing in the vicinity of the Meron base in Jabal al-Jarmaq. During his inspection of the soldiers near the northern border, Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy said that Hezbollah "will pay a very heavy price."
On the other hand, former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said - commenting on the intense missile bombardment from Lebanon - that "the war government lost the northern front." In turn, the head of the Regional Council of the Galilee region of Merom said that they do not feel that “Hezbollah’s escalation is being deterred,” and added that they were subjected to a heavy barrage of missiles towards Mount Meron.
Al Jazeera's correspondent said that Israeli artillery shelling targeted the vicinity of the towns of Markaba and Mays al-Jabal, and the Wadi Saluki area, south of Lebanon. The correspondent also reported earlier that Israeli aircraft launched a series of raids on various areas in southern Lebanon, targeting the vicinity of the towns of Al-Bisariya, Jibshit, Al-Mansouri, Al-Haniya, and Ayta Al-Shaab.
+ Hezbollah entered into a confrontation with Israel following the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7, and the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza. Israel evacuated tens of thousands of Israelis from settlements and towns near the border with Lebanon. Israeli officials threatened to launch a massive military operation if a settlement was not reached that would remove Hezbollah fighters from the border beyond the Litani River, while the party threatened a strong response.
The German naval frigate "Hessen" was deployed in the Red Sea as part of a European Union naval mission to protect shipping operations. The deployment that began on 23 February 2024 was considered one of the most dangerous missions for the German Armed Forces in several decades. The German News Agency reported that the frigate "Hessen", which is part of the European naval mission "Aspids" to protect merchant ships in the Red Sea, mistakenly attacked an Allied drone. The agency explained in a statement, quoting Defense Ministry spokesman Michael Stempfel: “The frigate Hessen inadvertently attacked a drone belonging to an allied country, after being detected in the area of operations, which initially could not be linked to any allied country.” The agency added: "Hesse attacked this drone, but without being able to shoot it down, as it later became clear that it was not hostile." The frigate "Hessen" is stationed in the Red Sea as part of the European naval mission "ASPEDS" to protect navigation and attacks against ships.
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
The UN rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, said that the crisis in the Gaza Strip is unprecedented in the world, calling for Israel to be held accountable for war crimes and genocide. In statements to Al Jazeera, Fakhri added that there are attempts by governments to introduce aid, but there is no action. The UN rapporteur indicated that Israel's allies bear responsibility for human rights violations, and pointed out that there is targeting of humanitarian workers and obstruction of aid convoys.
Fakhri expressed his frustration with the international system, and said, "I do not trust the Security Council, as its decisions may not be implemented or face a veto." Since the start of the war on Gaza on October 7, the United States has used its veto in the Security Council three times against draft ceasefire resolutions.
the British newspaper The Guardian quoted Fakhri as saying that Israel is not only targeting civilians, but is trying to destroy the future of the Palestinian people by harming their children. He added that Israel is deliberately starving the Palestinians, and must be held accountable for war crimes and genocide, and this means that the entire State of Israel is guilty, not individuals or the current government alone.
Health workers across Gaza continue to face enormous risks and challenges to save lives, as the health care system struggles to remain functional amid continued hostilities, access constraints, lack of supplies, and an overwhelming patient load per health-care worker. Reflecting on her experience at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in January, MedGlobal’s medical director, Dr. Nahreen Ahmed, describes a situation where “death [is[ happening in a fully treatable situation” due to the lack of medications and supplies, and doctors are operating to the sound of gunfire and missile strikes. Dr. Ahmed further states that injured persons’ limbs are amputated without anesthesia, and the delivery of urgent medical supplies “can often take weeks to months.” More than 1,000 children are reported to have suffered a loss of limb because of the bombing since the onset of hostilities, according to UNICEF.
On 27 February, MoH reported that some 120 patients still require medical evacuation from Nasser Hospital, the largest hospital in southern Gaza, which has become non-functional and requires urgent repairs to restore running water and electricity, and to cope wih the disposal of solid waste and sewage overflow. MoH also called for the release of 70 health personnel who were detained by Israeli forces during a raid on the hospital, following weeks of heavy fighting in its vicinity and shelling that caused damage to the orthopaedic department. Between 18 and 23 February, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) evacuated 72 critically wounded and sick patients from the hospital, with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and OCHA. As of 28 February, 64 per cent of hospitals in Gaza have become non-functional (23 out of 36), with the remainder only partially or minimally functional, according to WHO. The situation is especially critical in Rafah where the influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has overwhelmed available hospital bed capacities, and in northern Gaza where access by Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) remains challenging. Between 7 October and 20 February, WHO documented 378 attacks on health care across Gaza that resulted in the killing of 659 people and the injury of 843 others.
The food insecurity and malnutrition crisis in Gaza is intensifying. On 27 February, MoH in Gaza reported that two infants had died in Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, as a result of dehydration and malnutrition. Food Security Sector (FSS) partners are reporting a lack of sufficient basic food supplies and an urgent need to import the agricultural inputs necessary for reactivating domestic production of essential fresh food, such as eggs, vegetables, meat, fish and milk. Children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, the elderly, people with underlying health conditions, and tens of thousands of injured persons are at high risk of malnutrition, as are hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza, which has been largely cut off from assistance despite some relief efforts. In a briefing to the Security Council on food security risks in Gaza on 27 February, Director of OCHA Coordination Division, Mr. Ramesh Rajasingham, highlighted recommendations to ensure, among others, “the lifting of restrictions on fishing activity, access to farmland and the entry of agricultural products,” warning that if no action is taken, “widespread famine in Gaza is almost inevitable.” According to projections by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) for the period between 8 December and 7 February, the entire population of the Gaza Strip faces crisis or worse levels of food insecurity, including more than half a million people, or one in four households, facing catastrophic conditions characterized by lack of food, starvation and exhaustion of coping capacities.
According to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the “prolonged and unpredictable administrative procedures” which Israel imposes on aid deliveries to Gaza are impeding access to lifesaving equipment and supply for health care facilities. Because of strict screening procedures, it can take up to one month for supplies to enter Gaza, and if the Israeli authorities deny entry to reject even a single item, the entire cargo is returned to Egypt. With no official list of restricted items, MSF reports that it has consistently been denied the import of power generators, water purifiers, solar panels, and other medical equipment. According to the MSF project coordinator in Gaza: “These supplies mean the difference between life and death for many people,” including thousands who suffer from chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes or epilepsy. WHO reports that referring patients outside of Gaza for tertiary care is also a challenge, with 2,293 patients and 1,625 companions permitted to exit through the Rafah Crossing since the onset of hostilities, while more than 8,000 patients are currently on the waiting list. UNRWA is also reporting difficulties in having its trucks enter Gaza due to security constraints and temporary closures at both the Kerem Shalom and Rafah Crossings. According to UNRWA, more than 2,300 trucks have entered Gaza so far in February, a nearly 50 per cent reduction compared to January 2024, and far short of the estimated 500 trucks needed each day to meet people’s basic needs. Security has been severely impacted due to the killing of several Palestinian policemen in Israeli airstrikes near the Kerem Shalom Crossing recently, which has led to the withdrawal of the policemen from the Palestinian side of the crossing, and trucks being stopped and their contents either robbed or taken directly by residents deeply in need of assistance.
Crowds of Gaza residents stampeded, some of whom were stationed on the beach, in an attempt to obtain aid dropped from the air, according to cameras that documented the airdrop operation carried out by four Arab countries in partnership with France, to “relief civilians” amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas movement. This comes in conjunction with a UN warning that a quarter of Gaza’s population is “one step away from famine,” which raises questions about the reasons for the airdrops and the extent of the possibility of it being repeated, in light of reports of its connection to an expected closure of land crossings.
Four Arab countries: Jordan, the Emirates, Egypt, and Qatar, in addition to France, carried out an “airdrop operation” of aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip. The military and strategic analyst residing in Jordan, retired Colonel Ismail Abu Ayoub, attributes the four Arab countries’ airdrop to preventing and disrupting Israel’s control of access of aid to the Gaza Strip via land. Over the past few days, Palestinians have gathered in northern Gaza awaiting the arrival of aid trucks, which UN agencies say can no longer be delivered there.
General Samir Farag, confirms that the airdrop included “economic, food and medical aid” so that the aid reaches the residents of the central and northern Gaza Strip. The "ground" aid did not reach those areas, because after it passed through Rafah, it was "arrested by the Israeli army, or seized by the people," according to what he told the "Al-Hurra" website.
For his part, Emirati political analyst, Mohammed Taqi, points out that “the operation is not the first of its kind,” and comes to help the residents of the Gaza Strip, as part of ongoing humanitarian efforts to “alleviate the suffering of civilians who face exceptionally critical circumstances.”
Qatari political analyst, Abdullah Al-Wathin, he believes that the Arab countries that participated in the airdrop operation were “forced due to the closure of the land crossings, as well as the Israeli naval blockade on the Gaza Strip.” Israel is “not satisfied” with the introduction of aid to the population in the Gaza Strip “by land through international crossings,” and is trying to “disrupt the arrival of aid and prevent its flow,” according to what he told the Al-Hurra website. Israel is using "aid as a pressure card on Hamas" to free the hostages, which is related to the negotiations currently underway between the two sides, according to the Qatari political analyst.
Speaking to the Al-Hurra website, Palestinian political analyst Adel Al-Ghoul describes the aid arriving to the residents of Gaza by air as “without any benefit or impact on the ground.” He believes that Israel took a decision to "disrupt the arrival of aid through the Rafah crossing," and thus "trucks carrying thousands of tons of aid piled up on the Egyptian side." The aid being dropped by air “cannot cover 1 percent of the needs of the population in Gaza,” and is therefore “useless,” while hunger is increasing and the humanitarian crisis is escalating among civilians, according to Al-Ghoul.
But on the other hand, the Israeli political analyst, Mordechai Kedar, talks about a problem related to “the passage of trucks through the crossings.” Hamas members seize “aid trucks,” sell them to residents at “exorbitant prices,” and leave residents “to die of hunger” in order to exploit the issue, according to what he told the Al-Hurra website. He believes that the countries decided to send aid by air, to “deliver it directly to the needy population,” and so that the matter would not be done through Hamas members.
Video clips circulating on social media platforms, and published by CNN and the New York Times , documented some of this aid falling into the sea, and dozens stampeding over it. Some clips showed a huge stampede among residents to get bags of food, and some also entered the beach to pick up aid dropped by the Jordanian army in the presence of Jordanian King Abdullah II personally, from the air on the coast of the Gaza Strip.
The airdrop was carried out “without parachute guidance devices, and the planes were forced to fly at low altitudes,” according to the Jordanian Petra Agency. Abu Ayoub confirms that there are “negatives to airdrop operations,” for several reasons. A large portion of the aid fell at sea and the population in Gaza did not benefit from it, due to the small geographical area in which it was dropped, according to what the former military pilot said. He points out that "the wind speed at the upper levels is different from that on the ground, as well as the difference in directions," which leads to difficulty controlling the direction of dropping aid.
There are more advanced methods, but it requires high technology, which not all countries possess, through “the presence of an autopilot in the parachute that can direct it to the point where aid is intended to be dropped,” as Abu Ayoub reveals. He believes that "this advanced technology was not present in the aircraft used to deliver aid," and thus a large portion of it fell into the sea.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, the Jordanian army had carried out 22 airdrops, and Israel said that the operations were carried out in coordination with it. This is confirmed by Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Hayat to Al-Hurra website, who says that "the operation was carried out in coordination with the Israeli government and the Israeli army."
The Israeli army spokesmen's unit explained to Al-Hurra website that the landing operation was carried out in cooperation with Israel. The aid included 160 parcels of food and medical equipment for residents of the southern Gaza Strip, and during the past two days, approximately 160 food baskets were dropped at about 17 different points along the southern coast of the Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli Army Spokesmen’s Unit.
This was done using American, Egyptian, Emirati, French, and Jordanian aircraft, and the aid included food supplies and medical equipment intended for residents of the southern Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli Army Spokesmen’s Unit.
Kedar stresses that Israel wants to “check and make sure that there are no weapons under the aid,” and insists on “inspecting every truck,” but “Egypt does not want this to be done on Egyptian territory.”
In Israel, there are residents who “do not want trucks to pass through the Israeli territory of the Gaza Strip, as long as there are Israeli kidnappers,” and therefore the process of aid arriving by land is “very complicated,” in the words of the Israeli political analyst. He confirms that Israel prefers aid to reach the population via “air,” because it “trusts that governments do not send weapons to Hamas,” considering that the problem relates to “the earth, not the sky.”
The aid that comes via land is “a big problem for Israel, especially if it comes via Egypt because it (may carry weapons),” according to the Israeli political analyst. But Samir Farag denies this and says: “All trucks leaving Egypt are fully audited and reviewed.” If this proposal was “true,” it would have been better to deliver the weapons by parachute, which is not subject to scrutiny by the Israeli side, according to the Egyptian military expert.
For his part, Al-Wathin believes that the Israeli side is trying to "disrupt ground aid by deliberately closing the crossings," describing this as "intransigence."
Arab countries also bear responsibility for this, but Egypt and Jordan “bear the greatest responsibility” by virtue of the presence of border crossings and outlets with Israel, according to the Qatari political analyst. He points out that the Arab countries on the other side of the crossings are “negligent in putting pressure on the Israeli side,” in reference to Egypt and Jordan. Al-Ghoul believes that the airdrop of aid is a “prelude to completely closing the crossings.”
If there is no Arab and international pressure to bring aid through the Rafah crossing and distribute it under the supervision of UNRWA, we will see many people “dying from hunger,” according to the Palestinian political analyst. He says, "Israel is bringing aid into the northern Gaza Strip through (families and tribes) and thus leaving the besieged residents to eat each other."
But the Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman denies that Israel has taken any decision to close the crossings. Hayat points out that Israel is considering several “options to deliver humanitarian aid to the civilian population in Gaza,” and to ensure that the aid does not pass through UNRWA due to its relationship with Hamas. For his part, Samir Faraj denies that there is “any intention on the part of Egypt to close the Rafah crossing.” He says: “Egypt has not and will not close the Rafah crossing, and the Egyptian side of the crossing is always open.”
Egypt sends 80 trucks daily carrying hundreds of tons to the population, through the crossing, to alleviate “the suffering of the people of Gaza,” but the Israeli authorities are obstructing their arrival to the population with the aim of “pressuring Hamas,” according to the Egyptian military and strategic expert.
Axis of Resistance
The head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), Ismail Haniyeh , in a speech broadcast on Al Jazeera, called on all parties to take the initiative to break what he called the starvation conspiracy in Gaza, warning the occupation against attacking Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
Haniyeh said that it is the duty of the Arab and Islamic nations to take the initiative to “break the starvation conspiracy” in the northern Gaza Strip. He added, "It is not permissible for the people of Gaza to watch their nation while hunger is crushing them and taking from them what they deserve," stressing the need to reach sustainable aid bridges that protect Gaza from the clutches of the starvation conspiracy.
Haniyeh stressed that the Israeli occupation is committing the most horrific crimes of murder, extermination and displacement that humanity has ever witnessed in Gaza, and that its army “represents one of the lowest armies that humanity has known in its history,” but for months it was helpless in the face of the Palestinian resistance men in the field in Gaza, and it only succeeded in killing children. Women and the elderly. In the same context, Haniyeh warned Israel against carrying out a ground military operation in Rafah, threatening it that the Palestinian resistance in the field would confront it, and called on the world - especially the Arab countries - to confront this enemy and restrain it to discourage it from invading Rafah.
The head of the Hamas political bureau also warned Israel and the United States of America that “what they were unable to impose on the field will not be taken over by the machinations of politics.” He said that the resistance will remain faithful to the sacrifices and adhere to the principles of its people and nation, and that any flexibility we show in negotiations is out of concern for the blood of our people and to put an end to For his great pain and great sacrifices in the brutal war of extermination against him, they are matched by his willingness to defend the Palestinian people.”
Regarding the issue of Al-Aqsa Mosque , Haniyeh addressed a call to the Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the occupied interior to travel to Al-Aqsa from the first day of the month of Ramadan, stressing that “Al-Aqsa will remain the address of confrontation, and our people will defend their mosques, churches and sanctities with all forms of resistance.”
He said that the Al-Aqsa Flood operation was for Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, and that “the resistance entered Al-Aqsa Flood at a time when the enemy was preparing to liquidate the Palestinian cause.” He stressed that the occupier imagines that he is emptying the meaning of the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle by further encroaching on Al-Aqsa Mosque, where he besieged it and freed his extremists to perform Biblical rituals, and released his soldiers to display their religious war by raising the flags of the alleged Temple on their tanks.
He said, "The occupier is setting the foundations once again for future battles, with Al-Aqsa as their title," and in the same context, he stressed that the minimum that the Palestinians accept in Al-Aqsa Mosque and other holy sites is adherence to the status quo in accordance with international law. Haniyeh also spoke in his speech - which came within the Al-Quds International Foundation event in Beirut - about the West Bank, saying that the intensification of aggression it is witnessing lays the foundation for a comprehensive displacement plan.
Allied for Democracy
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said that the costs they are incurring in the Gaza Strip in terms of the dead and wounded are high. Gallant added, "Our soldiers are fighting in Gaza and on the northern front, and we are doing our best to recover the kidnapped people." He added, "There is a real national need to extend the service of the military and extend the service of reserve soldiers," noting that all segments of society must share the high price we pay during the war.
He continued, saying, "We have not witnessed such a war in 75 years, and this calls us to approve amendments to the conscription law." The Israeli Minister of Defense stated that the required agreements must be reached regarding the conscription law among coalition members, expressing his hope that the opposition will join in working on the amendments. Gallant added, "This is not a political matter, but a national matter."
He stressed that they would not hesitate to resort to the military option to restore security to the people of the north if the political process failed. For his part, Minister in the Israeli War Council Benny Gantz stated that all segments of society must be part of military service and this is a security, national and social need. He explained that he would work with the Minister of Defense to reach a general agreement on the conscription law and a possible national consensus.
The Swiss newspaper Le Temps [not Le Tan or Lotan] said that the pro-Israel non-governmental organization “United Nations Watch” held a secret conference in a restaurant near the United Nations, to which a group of figures - including former Special Coordinator for the Middle East Dennis Ross during the era of US President Bill Clinton - called to work to abolish the agency. The United Nations Relief and Works for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ), which believes that it is working to perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The event was organized - according to Stephane Bussard's report for the French-language newspaper - under the title "The International Summit for a Future Without UNRWA," but the attendance in Geneva was small, and consisted mainly of Israel enthusiasts and a group of speakers. The conference, which was initially supposed to be held at the Palais des Nations, was transformed into a restaurant located a stone's throw from the United Nations headquarters.
The organization's executive director, Hillel Neuer, directly attacked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres , who was a few hundred meters away to open the 55th session of the Human Rights Council, saying, "You say that UNRWA is indispensable and that it is vital for the Palestinians, and yet 42 of its members participated." In the October 7 attacks, between 1,200 and 1,500 agency employees were part of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) or Islamic Jihad ,” according to Neuer, although none of these claims have yet been proven.
After distributing a booklet entitled “Torgram” - which recounts the conversations of 300 UNRWA teachers on Telegram in which they welcomed the Hamas attack - Neuer said, “Enough is enough, UNRWA must be replaced.” According to Neuer, UNRWA is “a corrupt organization to the core,” echoing a campaign led by Israel for years for the agency’s disappearance. This was echoed by Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Merav Elon Shahar, saying, “Israel cannot continue to live with UNRWA in Gaza.”
For his part, Dennis Ross believed that it was necessary to make radical changes, saying that “if UNRWA maintains the same role it plays today, it will allow Hamas to return, and any reconstruction of Gaza will be impossible.” Ross pointed to the possibility of benefiting from organizations such as the World Food Program and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as alternatives to UNRWA.
These criticisms against the agency - headed by the Swiss Philippe Lazzarini - come at a time when the people of Gaza are suffering from real hell and a “humanitarian catastrophe”, and they are besieged by Israeli bombing and hunger due to the ban on entry of insufficient humanitarian aid, and 18 countries have frozen the agency’s funding.
Although the future of UNRWA is under threat - as the newspaper says - its fate depends on two investigations, one led by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services, and the other led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and authorized by the Security Council , to shed light on possible charges against UNRWA employees.
American writer Thomas Friedman says that Israel's status , level of acceptance, and legitimacy that has been painstakingly built for it over decades are eroding at an increasing speed among friendly countries. If US President Joe Biden is not careful, Washington's global standing will decline along with Israel's standing.
Friedman explained - in an article in the New York Times - that after a long tour from India to the Emirates and Jordan , he wants to deliver an urgent message to Biden and the Israelis, which is that he believes they do not fully appreciate the anger that is rising around the world, and which is fueled by social media. Social media and television footage, due to the killing of thousands of Palestinian civilians, especially children, with weapons provided by the United States in the war on Gaza.
The writer added that it is clear that such anger is intensifying in the Arab world, but he heard it repeatedly in conversations in India over the past week with friends, business leaders, officials, and journalists, young and old. He pointed out that what he heard in India is more significant because the Hindu-dominated government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the only major force in the global south that supported Israel and constantly blamed the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ).
He said: With so many civilians being killed in a retaliatory invasion launched by an Israeli government with no political horizon for the next day, and with its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing a plan that tells the world that Israel intends to occupy both the West Bank and Gaza indefinitely, it is not surprising that Israel's friends will They move away and the Biden team will start to look bad.
The writer indicated the erosion of Israel's position in the world with the calls that occur every day to ban Israel from international academic, artistic and sporting competitions or events, saying that the current Israeli government is doing things that make this very easy. He claimed that many of Israel's friends are now praying for a ceasefire so that their citizens or voters do not ask them not to be indifferent to this large and rising number of civilian casualties in Gaza.
He added that many Arab leaders who secretly want to see Hamas destroyed are being pressured from the streets to the elites to publicly distance themselves from Israel, which is unwilling to consider any political horizon for Palestinian independence on any borders. He went on to say that he felt that the world was initially prepared, after the October 7 attack, to accept that there would be significant civilian casualties if Israel were to uproot Hamas and take back its hostages, but now it did not accept this toxic combination of thousands of civilian casualties and a peace plan. For Netanyahu, it only promises endless occupation.
He described the entire Israeli war in Gaza as beginning to appear to more and more people like a human meat grinder whose only goal is to reduce the population so that Israel can control it more easily. The writer believes that Netanyahu's refusal to even think about trying to strengthen a new relationship with Palestinians other than Hamas is because this threatens his position as prime minister, which depends on the support of the extreme right-wing Jewish parties that will never give up a single inch of the West Bank .
He stressed that this was difficult to believe, but the writer reiterated that Netanyahu is ready to sacrifice Israel's hard-won international legitimacy for his personal political needs, and will not hesitate to bring Biden down with him.
The writer expressed his belief that the Israelis, whom he described as still deeply shocked by the October 7 attack, had failed to see that making an effort, at least to move slowly towards a Palestinian state led by a changing Palestinian authority and conditional on disarmament and the achievement of certain goals of institutional governance It is not a gift to the Palestinians or a reward to Hamas.
He said that Israel is currently losing on three fronts simultaneously. It loses to the global narrative that it is fighting a just war, and it loses because it has no plan to exit Gaza, and it loses regionally to Iran and its anti-Israel proxies in Lebanon , Syria , Iraq , and Yemen , who are putting pressure on Israel’s northern, southern, and eastern borders.
The writer concluded that there is one solution that would help on all three fronts: an Israeli government ready to begin the process of building two national states for two peoples, with a Palestinian authority that is truly ready and willing to change itself, saying that this gives cover for Israel’s Arab allies to partner with it in rebuilding Gaza. It provides the target for the regional alliance that Israel needs to confront Iran and its proxies. He concluded, "Failing to see this jeopardizes decades of diplomacy to get the world to recognize the right of the Jewish people to national self-determination and self-defense. It also puts the Biden administration in an increasingly untenable position that would make Iran happy."
Axios quoted American and Israeli officials as saying that the administration of US President Joe Biden gave Israel a deadline to sign a letter committing it to international law when using American weapons. Officials confirmed that the deadline expires in mid-March, and includes Israel allowing humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip. They added that if Israel does not provide guarantees by the specified date, American arms transfers to it will stop.
According to the website, the deadline came after members of the US Senate expressed their concern about the use of weapons against civilians in the Gaza Strip. Axios explained that the aforementioned guarantees have now become a requirement under a memorandum issued by President Biden earlier this February, and although it does not specifically concern Israel, the new policy came after some Democratic senators expressed their concerns about the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
The website quoted a senior Israeli official as saying that the United States has set to obtain written guarantees from Israel by mid-next March so that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken can ratify them by the end of the same month. The official pointed out that the letter did not specify the Israeli party that must sign the guarantees, and that Tel Aviv gets to decide who will sign the letter in the government. In turn, an American official said that similar messages had been sent in recent days to many other countries that use American weapons, according to what Axios reported.
Reuters reported from officials in the Democratic Party and the White House that the election campaign of US President Joe Biden was surprised by the extent of anger and frustration within the party over Washington’s support for Israel in its war on Gaza and other issues. The agency also quoted a senior adviser to Biden's election campaign as saying that the party was harmed by its support for Israel in a way that was more than expected.
In a lengthy report that highlighted the escalation of protests within the Democratic Party 9 months before the presidential elections, American officials said that anger over Biden’s handling of the Gaza war may lead to a decline in support for him. The agency noted the escalation of calls from activists in the Democratic Party not to vote for Biden in the presidential elections, during which he is supposed to face the potential Republican Party nominee, Donald Trump.
The report indicated that anger at Biden's policies, especially with regard to his support for Israel in its war on Gaza and his refusal to call for a permanent ceasefire, is rising among young people and Americans of Arab and African descent.
Axios reported that the administration of US President Joe Biden 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 plunder humanitarian aid trucks. Social media platforms had recently circulated pictures of Gaza police officers , who were affiliated with the administration of the Strip by the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), and civil service forces in the north and south of the Strip. Among their tasks was protecting aid convoys arriving into the Strip. But the deployment of these forces, even if it was to secure the arrival of humanitarian relief convoys and distribute their contents, disturbed the Israeli occupation, which saw it as a sign of the return of Hamas and the extent of its ability to withstand, which prompted it to target it directly.
The United States Special Envoy for Humanitarian Issues in the Middle East, David Satterfield, commented on these targeting, saying, “Earlier in February, the Israeli army killed members of the Palestinian police who were guarding a United Nations aid convoy, in the besieged city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.” One of the World Food Program convoys heading north was subjected to chaos and violence due to the collapse of civil order. Several trucks were looted between Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah, and the driver of one of them was beaten, which prompted the World Food Program to suspend its aid in the north.
The Biden administration's fear of Gaza turning into a new Mogadishu comes because the latter was the most dangerous and lawless city in the world, due to long years of war and destruction, something that Biden fears will be repeated in the Strip. The collapse of civil order and the spread of chaos in Gaza will not be in the interest of any party, and so the US administration asked Israel to avoid this - according to Axios - to stop targeting civilian police members, affiliated with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, who accompany aid trucks in the Strip.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed Washington's concerns with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant , and stressed the need to find a way to provide security for aid trucks entering the Strip. But Israel rejected the American request, because it says that one of its main goals in the war is to ensure that Hamas no longer runs the Gaza Strip.
Al-Jazeera's Shabakat program monitored some of the tweeters’ comments on the matter, including what Elian wrote: “It will turn into Mogadishu, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, or Ukraine, all of which defeated the West.” While Saleh Al-Amoudi tweeted: “I swear to God, we have surpassed Mogadishu.. War, killing, and famine are another thing, and the absence of law is another thing, thefts, looting, and prices are another thing.”
As for Nour El-Din, he wrote, “America is trying to market itself as caring for the rights of the Gazans, but it is the country that contributes most to the extermination of the Palestinians. How can the Zionist enemy refuse a request from America when it is the one that supplies it with weapons and ammunition?” Alaa Abu Radi said: “There are no risks (for) Israel and no risks for America, and by the way, the police are not affiliated with Hamas. The police are a civilian body and include elements from all segments of the people.”
It is noteworthy that the occupation does not only target the Gaza Strip police, as cameras have recorded in recent days targeting gatherings of Palestinian civilians at aid convoys seeking relief, which led to the martyrdom of dozens of them in the northern Gaza Strip.
President Joe Biden’s campaign did not celebrate his victory last night in the state of Michigan, as Biden lost the votes of more than 100,000 Democratic voters who voted “Uncommitted” by 13.2%. Or the equivalent of 102,000 voters, with approximately 85% of the votes counted. This percentage is considered a victory for the movement not to vote for Biden against the backdrop of his full support for the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip . The results of the Michigan primary elections not only reflected an assessment of President Biden's strength in one of the most important swing states that represents a major battleground against his rival, Republican candidate Donald Trump , but will also serve as a decisive test of the price of Biden's refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The state of Michigan is home to more than 300,000 Americans of Middle Eastern origin, and this number does not include other groups that do not agree with the war in Gaza, especially young people and minorities. At the same time, a number of Democratic commentators believe that Arab and Muslim voters will not risk not voting for Biden because they believe that his rival, Donald Trump, will be much worse than him, as he pledged to prevent refugees from Gaza from entering the United States.
Among those who voted "non-committal" was the representative of Palestinian origin, Rashida Tlaib, who said in a video clip, "Hello everyone, I am Rashida. I was proud today because I entered and withdrew a ballot for the Democratic Party, and I vote without commitment." "We must protect our democracy, and we must make sure that our government takes care of us," she added. Tlaib took the initiative to support Listen Michigan, a group that supports protests against Biden in the primaries. "When 74% of Democrats in Michigan support a ceasefire, and President Biden doesn't hear us, this is the way we can use our democracy to say listen to us," Tlaib continued.
Organizers of Listen Michigan, the group behind the Vote Unconformity effort, were looking to win 10,000 votes, equal to Trump's margin of victory in the state in the 2016 election. Leaders of the Arab and Islamic American community in the state explained that non-compliant voting is the appropriate alternative to justify their feeling once again that they are not influential and unimportant by the American administration. Although Biden won the state in 2020 by about 150,000 votes, the margin of victory was much narrower in 2016, when Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by about 11,000 votes. The group leading the protest campaign said it hoped to get at least that number of votes, aiming to send a message to Biden's campaign about the domestic political costs of his stance on a conflict that is increasingly being referred to as genocide.
The French newspaper Le Monde said that initiatives denouncing the complicity of the administration of US President Joe Biden in the ongoing killing in Gaza are multiplying, and have become part of the discussions related to the upcoming presidential elections, noting the increase in demonstrations in front of public buildings and the homes of elected officials, and voting on a resolution in favor of a ceasefire in dozens of cities.
The newspaper started - in a report written by Corinne Lynes, its correspondent in San Francisco - from the small town of Ojai near Los Angeles, where 7,500 people live, because it became the media center for the pro-Palestinian mobilization in the state of California, after a small group of local activists stormed the municipal council hall led by Cyrus Mayer (29 years old).
On February 13, the young man, who was wearing a keffiyeh and a cloth covered in red ink, stormed into the municipal council hall, where elected officials were meeting, and shouted, “Help! Stop shooting! Stop shooting!”, before collapsing on the ground as if receiving a fatal blow. Group members then grabbed the microphone and read the names of Palestinian children killed in Israeli bombings, and one woman broadcast recordings on her cell phone of the victims' screams. “Why doesn't anyone do anything?” she said.
Activists came, at every municipal council meeting, to demand a study of the decision to support the residents of Gaza , and Mayer - the son of an Ashkenazi Jewish mother and an Iranian father - said, “This is the realistic measure that we can take. We are trying to pressure the local authorities to demand a ceasefire,” noting. Until poverty and “police brutality” made him “aware of injustice” since childhood.
In addition to the City Council, the group targeted the luxury hotel that attracts Hollywood celebrities, and which is owned by the wealthy Crown family in Chicago, which is one of the major shareholders in General Dynamics, a manufacturer of military equipment whose bombs Israel uses, and thus “the municipality collects taxes from this hotel, whose owner benefits from... The genocide of the Palestinians,” Mayer criticized.
In the end, the mobilization was “successful,” according to the young activist, as the city council adopted the ceasefire call by a majority of 3 votes to one, and Mayor Betsy Stix justified this decision by saying that it was “to reduce suffering as much as possible.”
Pro-Palestinian mobilization in the United States has not stopped four months after the start of the war. Rather, demonstrations are multiplying in front of public buildings, such as state capitol buildings and airports, and even in front of the homes of officials and elected officials, such as the homes of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin , and Nancy Pelosi , the former Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, who filed a complaint, and in front of the headquarters of oil companies such as Chevron, which operates a gas field off... Coasts of Israel.
Since the fall - as the correspondent says - more than 70 cities, including Chicago, Seattle, St. Louis, Madison, Minneapolis, Oakland and Atlanta, have adopted resolutions calling for a ceasefire, often after arduous discussions and the reluctance of elected officials who prefer to avoid having to take a position on the conflict that divides the population. I strongly condemn them.
In Chicago, the largest city that called for a ceasefire, the text of the municipal resolution reiterated the terms of the United Nations resolution that the United States vetoed last December . Democratic consultant Daniel La Spata said, “Do I think our vote today has a direct impact?” "On international politics? No, I don't live on illusions. But we vote to help people feel heard in a world of silence."
In this largest city of Illinois, which includes the largest Palestinian community in the country and a large number of Jewish residents, Governor J.B. Pritzker, who is close to Joe Biden, announced that he was disappointed, after the city’s mayor, Brandon Johnson, cast the decisive vote to choose between the two camps, 23 votes to 23, Hundreds of high school students demonstrated in the streets against the bombing in Gaza the next day.
The correspondent indicated that most of the decisions were adopted in Democratic or swing states, and Michigan representative Rashida Tlaib, the only elected official of Palestinian origin in the Federal Congress, called on Democrats to show their disappointment with Biden’s policies by voting for the “non-committed” option instead of Choice of the outgoing president.
The campaign, called “Listen to Michigan,” was supported by director Michael Moore, a native of the state, in a largely symbolic vote, because Biden has no real opponent in the primaries, but this vote shows the discontent of part of the Democratic camp over Occupant of the White House. The correspondent pointed out that Biden, whom activists call the “genocidal atmosphere,” is now accompanied on each of his trips by a procession of demonstrators, raising banners condemning the United States’ complicity in the killings in Gaza. He is also confronted on the TikTok application, where he has just opened a dissenting account. His administration's warnings - a torrent of appalling comments about his policies.
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 29,954 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 70,325. 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 4,592, including 708 children, 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.
In the first two years of the Daesh insurgency in Iraq, the UN stated that some 18,800 civilians were killed by the terrorist organization, while the Israeli military has killed well over 30,000 Palestinians in around 5 months. In fact, the true death toll in the Gaza Strip, accounting for those reported missing and buried under the rubble, is most likely closer to 40,000.
More than 202 Hezbollah fighters were killed in Lebanon during exchanges of bombing operations with Israel.
In first two days, the IDF killed 1,609 terrorists. Israel initially 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 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 240 [243?] 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 1,429 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 14,391 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."
By 28 February 2024 about 85% of the fighters who needed mental health treatment returned to combat: the Technology and Logistics Division is establishing a center for mental health services. 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 7,270. 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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