Operation Iron Swords - Day 160 - 14 March 2024
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NEW - War Termination NEW - Operations NEW - Operations - Gaza NEW - Operations - Judea-Samaria NEW - Operations - Lebanon NEW - Operations - Syria / Iraq NEW - Operations - Yemen NEW - Operations Maps NEW - By-Standers NEW - Axis of Resistance NEW - Allied for Democracy UPDATED - By the Numbers |
The highest-ranking elected Jewish official in U.S. history, added, near the end of the speech, “Israel is a democracy. Five months into this conflict it is clear that Israelis need to take stock of the situation and ask, must we change course. At this critical juncture I believe a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel at a time when so many Israelis have lost their confidence in the vision and direction of their government.”
“The U.S. government should demand that Israel conduct itself with a future two-state solution in mind. We should not be forced into a position of unequivocally supporting the actions of an Israeli government that includes bigots who reject the idea of a Palestinian state,” Schumer said.
Schumer harshly criticized Netanyahu in a lengthy tirade on the Senate floor. Schumer said that the Israeli prime minister placed himself in a far-right coalition and "as a result, was completely willing to tolerate the civilian death toll in Gaza, which pushed global support for Israel to its lowest levels." Schumer is a staunch ally of the Israeli government, visiting the Jewish state days after the Hamas attack on October 7, and delivering a lengthy speech before the Senate in December in which he denounced “the kind of brazen, widespread anti-Semitism the likes of which we have not seen in generations in this country, if we've ever seen anything like it."
The Jewish advocacy group J Street said that Schumer's statements indicate a historic shift for Democrats who care deeply about the future of Israel. The group added, "We agree with our pro-Israel allies on the necessity of comprehensive political change and believe that the Israeli and Palestinian peoples need new leadership." It stressed that Netanyahu failed the leadership test during the decades he spent in power, and expressed the need for leaders who provide security, protect democracy, and promote peace with their neighbors.
Israel's ambassador to the United States said that "it is useless to comment on the domestic political scene of an allied democratic country." For its part, the Likud Party said that Israel is not a "banana republic" in response to Schumer's comments about the necessity of holding new elections in the Hebrew state, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party confirmed that it is leading a policy that enjoys "large public support".
The Israeli Likud Party led by Netanyahu said that Israel is not a banana republic, but rather an “independent democracy that is proud to have elected Netanyahu.” In turn, Smotrich said that he expected "the largest democracy in the world to respect Israeli democracy."
On the other hand, the opposition leader in Israel , Yair Lapid, said that Senator Chuck Schumer's speech indicates that Netanyahu is intentionally losing Israel's major supporters in the United States.
War Termination
Hamas executed the sheikh of a local clan in the Gaza Strip, according to reports on social media Thursday, after allegations of collaborating with Israel. Israel Hayom reported that Hamas members arrested the leader of the Doghmush clan before he was executed in Gaza City’s Family Court. According to the reports, he had ordered the theft of humanitarian aid to later be sold to Gazan civilians. Members of his clan were also accused of maintaining ties with Israel. HAMAS released no official statement regarding the incident, although the Israeli daily said that, if the reports are true, it indicates Hamas has regained control of the northern parts of the Palestinian enclave that the Israeli army vacated. The execution was said to be a message to other tribal leaders so they refrain from assisting Israel in administering Gaza after the IDF concludes major operations.
Families' elders in the Gaza Strip informed UN officials of their rejection of any cooperation except through the government and security services in the Strip, which is led by the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ). Sources told Al Jazeera that the families' notables expressed their willingness to cooperate in bringing in and distributing aid on the condition of coordination with the security services in Gaza, and they rejected an offer of cooperation made by the Israeli government affairs coordinator in the Strip.
In this context, military and strategic expert Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi says that the idea of distributing aid through tribes and families in Gaza is “an extremely malicious attempt that reminds everyone of the awakenings in Anbar, Iraq.” During his analysis for Al Jazeera, Al-Duwairi explained that when the American army was unable to sustain its combat operations, it found in the Awakening an alternative to fighting the "Islamic State of Iraq." He pointed out that the Israeli occupation is looking for new awakenings that will assume the aid mission in the beginning and take over the security dimension later, believing that the Gazans do not accept to be rides and agents of the Israeli army.
The Israeli Channel 14 reported that Palestinian Intelligence Director Majid Faraj began working on building an armed force (south of the Gaza Strip), consisting of families who do not support Hamas, to distribute aid from the south of the Gaza Strip to its north.
After that, a Hamas security official said, “Accepting communication with the occupation, including mukhtars and tribes, to work in the Gaza Strip is a national betrayal that we will not allow,” stressing that “the occupation’s attempt to create bodies to administer Gaza is a failed conspiracy that will not be achieved.”
It should be noted that the Support, Rescue, or Awakening Councils are Sunni tribal gatherings that were mostly established after the American occupation of Iraq to confront Al-Qaeda, especially since the declaration of the “Islamic State of Iraq.” The first beginning of the emergence of the Awakening Councils was in late 2006 in Anbar Governorate, western Iraq, which is the largest Sunni governorate, and from there the idea of ??the councils spread to other governorates such as Diyala, Salah al-Din, and Nineveh. The American occupation forces provided the Awakening Councils with money and weapons, either directly or through the Iraqi government, and these councils succeeded to a large extent in reducing the influence of Al-Qaeda and were able to expel large numbers of its members.
Mystery surrounds what was revealed by the Israeli media about Palestinian Intelligence Director Majid Faraj beginning to work on building an armed force in the southern Gaza Strip. While the government media office of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) categorically denied the formation of such forces on the ground, the response of circles close to the Palestinian Authority’s intelligence services was “ambiguous,” between “denying and confirming” the beginning of the formation of a force affiliated with it in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Channel 14 said that the director of Palestinian intelligence has begun work on building an armed force in the southern Gaza Strip , adding that “Faraj’s force - which he is working on - consists of families who do not support the Hamas movement to distribute aid from the south of the Strip to its north.” Since June 2007, and the collapse of the security services of the Palestinian Authority before Hamas in an armed confrontation that ended with this Islamic movement extending its control over the small coastal strip, there have been no official armed forces affiliated with the Authority, or armed phenomena, whether factional or family, loyal to the National Liberation Movement ( Fatah) .
In order to achieve this, the security forces affiliated with Hamas - which were formed after this date, which they call “resolution” and which Fatah describes as a “coup” - dealt with families loyal to their rival Fatah with a harsh security fist, and succeeded in neutralizing and disarming them to a large extent.
Meanwhile, the Gaza Strip is living in what may be called a “security vacuum” due to the absence of Hamas’ security and police forces, for fear of physical liquidation following direct Israeli targeting of it, the most recent of which was on Wednesday, when two of its members were assassinated in the city of Rafah in the far south of the Gaza Strip.
The director of the HAMAS government media office, Ismail Al-Thawabta, told Al Jazeera Net, categorically denied monitoring any signs of the formation of armed groups in the Gaza Strip affiliated with the Authority’s intelligence in Ramallah, and composed of families opposed to the Hamas movement.
Hamas does not have a good relationship with the head of the agency, Faraj, who is very close to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Over the past years, the movement has repeatedly accused him and security figures close to him of being responsible for events in Gaza aimed at creating chaos and the return of what it describes as “security chaos.”
A press source close to Faraj’s circle did not give Al Jazeera Net a decisive response regarding the formation of armed forces in Gaza. He said, “From the beginning of the war, soft forces were formed” and are based on securing aid affiliated with the Ministry of Social Development in the authority and distributing it to those who deserve it. Given the security situation, these forces were armed to protect Aid.
However, the same source did not explicitly acknowledge the affiliation or loyalty of these forces to the intelligence service, or the credibility of what Israeli Channel 14 revealed about Israeli political and security efforts to put Faraj in charge of the Gaza Strip and build an alternative body to Hamas to rule Gaza the day after the war.
Palestinian circles, including observers and analysts who are not affiliated with Hamas - and Al Jazeera Net polled their opinions - said that the authority, through several movements and figures, including Hussein Al-Sheikh, Minister of Civil Affairs, Secretary of the Executive Committee and one of those close to Abbas, began returning to Gaza as a means of humanitarian aid, but Without an official announcement or crude appearances.
In the first official Palestinian reaction, a Fatah leader denied what was published about Faraj establishing a military force in Rafah and his preference for managing the Gaza Strip, describing the distribution of aid as “distortion, sabotage, and Israeli evasion of a political solution.” He continued, "This is a kind of dilution of the issue, sabotage and distortion of the political situation that we demand, and drives wedges between the components of the Palestinian people. Abu Bashar (Faraj) I know closely. He is a respected patriotic man and does not play these roles."
At the same time, this leader pointed to a role for Fatah members in distributing aid provided by the authority, and spoke about a role for the intelligence service in distributing aid to the people of the Gaza Strip, explaining, “Even if it (the agency) had a role in distributing aid through our people in the Gaza Strip.” Gaza, this aid is to strengthen people’s steadfastness, not to control the Gaza Strip.”
He added, "Even if aid is distributed from the Palestinian Authority, it will be distributed by our people in the Gaza Strip who are affiliated with the organization (Fatah), not the tribes."
The Palestinian Authority had stressed the need for aid to be introduced and distributed in the Gaza Strip in full coordination with it as “the legitimate leadership of the Palestinian people.”
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said, in a statement issued on Wednesday, that “the mechanism for introducing and distributing aid must be carried out in full coordination with the legitimate leadership of the Palestinian people, and through approved and irreplaceable international mechanisms such as UNRWA, the Palestinian Red Crescent, and relevant international institutions.” The statement added that bringing in aid by all means is a priority, along with a ceasefire and preventing forced displacement.
Munir Al-Jagoub, a leader who is close to the decision-making circles of the Authority, including Faraj, said that all Palestinians have broad lines that cannot be crossed, neither politically nor nationally, which is that “the Gaza Strip is part of the Palestinian state, and we are looking for a comprehensive political solution.” He continued that the Israelis are "trying to eliminate political solutions, specifically within the Gaza Strip, and for there to be no political representation, and for the story to go to the tribes and the distribution of aid through so-and-so and advertising...”
Al-Jaghoub reaffirmed the political position of the Palestinian leadership regarding the day after the war, which is that "the Gaza Strip is part of the Palestinian state that we seek and want." The Fatah leader referred to statements by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that the Authority lost security control over the Gaza Strip and Hamas took control of it, "but in reality the Authority remained and all its obligations remained there."
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority (KAN) said that Security Council President Tzachi Hanegbi recently met with Faraj, with the approval of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It pointed out that Defense Minister Yoav Galant proposed that the head of Palestinian Authority intelligence take over the administration of the Gaza Strip temporarily after the end of the war, adding that Israel is considering using him "to build an alternative to Hamas the day after the war." While the leader of the opposition in Israel, Yair Lapid, said, "It is natural for us to mention Faraj's name, as he in the Palestinian Authority is one of the figures who worked most with us against Hamas."
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a plan prepared by the security establishment with the support and backing of the United States , stipulating that members of the Fatah movement would control parts of the Gaza Strip. The newspaper added that details of the plan were presented at the political level in recent weeks, which aims mainly to prevent humanitarian aid and food supplies from reaching the hands of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), and to establish post-war infrastructure in Gaza.
According to the plan, the head of Palestinian General Intelligence, Majed Faraj, will identify a list of candidates from Fatah members in the Gaza Strip, in numbers ranging from 4,000 to 7,000, and transfer the names to Israel to ensure that they are not involved in “terrorism.” In the second phase of the plan, Israel allows them to leave the Gaza Strip to be trained in the West Bank as a security force, with American General Michael Wenzel, the American security coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, taking responsibility for the training process, before returning them with their weapons to the Gaza Strip.
In turn, Israeli Channel 12 said that a dispute broke out between Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant , during a discussion about bringing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and who should be responsible for distributing it. Gallant stated, "The party that should be responsible for distributing aid cannot be Sweden, it must be Fatah, and that there is no harm if the person responsible for that is Muhammad Dahlan or Majed Faraj."
But Netanyahu expressed his anger and said that he did not want to hear anything about the Palestinian Authority. Israeli Channel 14 said that Palestinian Intelligence Director Majid Faraj had begun work on building an armed force in the southern Gaza Strip composed of members of families who do not support the Hamas movement, with the aim of distributing aid in areas extending from the south of the Strip to its north. While the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation revealed that National Security Council Chairman Tzachi Hanegbi recently met with Palestinian Intelligence Chief Majid Faraj, with Netanyahu’s approval.
In a related context, sources told Al Jazeera that family notables in the Gaza Strip informed UN officials of a meeting yesterday, Wednesday, that they rejected any cooperation except through the government and security services in the Strip.
The Islamic Resistance Movement - Hamas announced that it has presented to mediators in Qatar and Egypt a comprehensive vision regarding its stance on halting the aggression on the Gaza Strip and the issue of prisoner exchange with the Israeli occupation, a statement released by the movement explained. The head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, had confirmed that there was an opportunity to reach a multi-stage agreement on the exchange of prisoners and a ceasefire in Gaza if Israel abandoned its intransigence. For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel "for the first time" saw pressure from Qatar on the Hamas movement regarding a prisoner exchange deal with Israel.
The movement emphasized in a statement that this comes as part of its follow-up to negotiations through intermediaries to halt the Israeli aggression, provide relief and assistance to the Palestinian people in Gaza, facilitate the return of the displaced to their homes, and the complete withdrawal of occupation forces from the Strip. In its statement, it stressed that its vision is based on these principles and foundations, which it considers vital for any agreement, and that it will remain committed to the rights and concerns of the Palestinian people.
The Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that the Qatari mediators on Thursday evening conveyed to the Israeli negotiating team an official response from the Hamas movement regarding the framework of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal. According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, the response includes a list of demands that an informed source says are “reasonable” and indicate “positive” progress in the talks. The source indicated to Kan: “An agreement can be reached.” Israeli Army Radio indicated that Tel Aviv is studying Hamas' response to the conditions for completing the exchange deal.
Earlier this week, a senior Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel that Qatari and Egyptian mediators believe they have managed to break the long deadlock in talks to secure a truce and prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas. According to the Israeli channel, "The diplomat indicated that progress had been made after Doha exerted great pressure on Hamas, warning it of the possibility of expelling its leaders residing in Qatar from the country if they did not adapt to its approach to the negotiations."
Operational Update
The Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" said in a report by writer Uri Misgav that Israel , under Netanyahu's rule, is descending into the security, diplomatic and economic abyss, "a country whose south is destroyed and whose north is deserted." The writer adds that Israel has become more isolated and hated abroad than ever before, and is suffering from deficits with a low credit rating and excessive costs of living, and concludes by saying that it is a country devoid of any horizon.
In turn, writer David Ignatius, in his article in the American newspaper The Washington Post, considered that the dispute between Biden and Netanyahu is deeper than the dispute over Rafah . Washington doubts - according to the author - that Netanyahu has a sound strategy to end the conflict and achieve stability in the region, as he has had a devastating impact on Palestinian civilians and is increasingly harming American interests around the world.
The Chinese newspaper "China Daily" opined in its editorial that American hypocrisy is deepening the crisis in Gaza. Washington shows concern for humanitarian aid and at the same time obstructs the work of UNRWA . It also insists that Israel be responsible for inspecting and controlling all aid provided to refugees. The newspaper adds: “It is an absurdity that reveals the cruelty of self-interest at the heart of American policy.”
As for the British newspaper, the Financial Times, it published a lengthy report in which it said that the war in Gaza eliminated promising talent and destroyed the educational system, adding that hundreds of thousands of students have little realistic hope of resuming studies any time soon. Academics warn - according to the newspaper - that the destruction of the education system in Gaza represents a catastrophe that will further destroy the lives of Palestinians, noting that the Israeli war also led to the killing of a large number of students, young professionals, cultural figures, teachers and university professors.
In turn, Australian Senator David Pocock said in an article published by The Guardian newspaper that the crisis in Gaza represents a diplomatic test for Australia, and he considered his country's response to the devastating violence in Gaza extremely painful because it was a test of its moral fabric.
The Israeli newspaper "Jerusalem Post" devoted space to a statement by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, Naledi Pandor, about Pretoria's warning to its citizens fighting alongside the Israeli army that they will be arrested when they return to the homeland.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Ofer camp today, where he met with the commanders and fighters of the Nitzan 636 unit. Prime Minister Netanyahu to the soldiers and observers of Nitzan Unit 636: "While you and the IDF are preparing to continue fighting, there is international pressure to prevent us from entering Rafah and completing the job. As Prime Minister of Israel, I repel these pressures - I will continue to repel the pressures and we will enter Rafah, complete the elimination of the remaining Hamas battalions, restore security and bring complete victory to the people of Israel and the State of Israel." The Prime Minister received a review from the commander of the unit, Lt. Col. G, on the work of the large battalion in the IDF - both in terms of the fighters of the combat collection and in terms of the work of the observers who serve as the eyes of the entire Central Command sector - the Judea and Samaria Division and the Bekaa and Valleys Brigade. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to fighters and female observers: "The development of your work is very impressive, it greatly helps the fighting forces and it hurts the enemy. You are actually the eyes of the fighting force, and this gives a huge advantage. I want to thank you first of all, thank you commander, and therefore you for the important work.
"Your companies are still being held captive by Hamas. We are doing everything to get them and the other abductees out. This is a sacred mission, and the mission you are doing is also sacred. We are determined to win - to achieve absolute victory.
"While you and the IDF are preparing to continue fighting, there are international pressures to prevent us from entering Rafah and completing the job. As Prime Minister of Israel, I repel these pressures. We have been doing this successfully for five months - this is a record time in the history of Israeli wars. I will continue to repel The pressures, we will enter Rafah, we will complete the elimination of the remaining Hamas battalions, we will restore security and we will bring complete victory to the people of Israel and the State of Israel. I want to thank you for your important part in this act. So thank you very much. Keep looking, flying and hitting."
The Prime Minister was accompanied by Chief of Staff Rabbi Tzachi Braverman, the Prime Minister's Military Secretary General Avi Gil, the Chief of Staff of the Central Command Brigadier General Roy Shatrit, the Commander of the IOS Division Brigadier General Yaki Dolf and the commander of the unit Lt. Col. G.
Operational Update - Gaza
Maariv newspaper quoted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying that there is international pressure to prevent a military operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip , but it will not prevent him from launching this operation. According to the newspaper, Netanyahu said - during his visit to military unit Nitzan 636 “There is international pressure to prevent us from entering Rafah and completing the mission.”
He continued, "As Prime Minister of Israel, I will continue to repel these pressures. We will enter Rafah and complete the elimination of the remaining Hamas brigades." The American administration - the main supporter of Israel - had stressed that the Israeli army should not attack Rafah - where more than a million displaced Palestinians are seeking refuge - without a plan to evacuate the population to safe areas, noting that Washington has not yet presented such a plan.
The American newspaper "Politico" reported that senior officials in the United States informed their Israeli counterparts that the administration of President Joe Biden would support them in achieving their plans to carry out an operation in Rafah , in the southern Gaza Strip , to pursue what it described as high-value targets of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), but it stipulated that the matter be done. Without a large-scale invasion, it may cause massive casualties among civilians.
The newspaper explained that the Biden administration is currently considering the Israeli military operation that it could accept to implement in Rafah, and noted that Biden a few days ago set a “red line” stating that Israel should not carry out its campaign in Rafah without reliable plans to protect civilians. The newspaper quoted Israeli officials as saying that the occupation army is still developing ideas to ensure the safety of 1.3 million Palestinians in and around Rafah, many of whom were displaced to the region coming from other areas in the Strip, which has been subjected to Israeli aggression since the seventh of last October.
It pointed out that senior US administration officials offered their Israeli counterparts their support for a plan closer to counter-terrorism operations than a comprehensive war, and administration officials say that this would reduce civilian casualties and eliminate resistance elements without repeating the scenes that led earlier. To stir up world public opinion regarding the Israeli war and Biden’s handling of it.
On the other hand, an Israeli official who spoke to Politico confirmed that there is no doubt that Israeli forces “will at some point launch an operation of some kind” in Rafah, and said, “Ultimately, we cannot win this war without defeating the Hamas brigades in Rafah.” However, the newspaper confirmed that some key members of Biden's team doubt that Israel aims to carry out a major military operation in Gaza soon, and a Defense Ministry official said that the lack of action so far is a sign that Israel is taking American warnings into account. All the officials Politico spoke to stressed that Israel's plans could change at any time, due to changes in the political situation in the country.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had confirmed that “the military operation in Rafah, which does not protect civilians, which cuts off the main arteries of humanitarian aid, and places enormous pressure on the Israeli-Egyptian border, is not something that President Biden can support.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier expressed his rejection of the American position, and spoke via video before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee ( AIPAC ), a pro-Israel group in Washington, and said that friends of Israel “cannot say that they support Israel’s goal of destroying Hamas and then... They oppose Israel when it takes the necessary measures to achieve that goal.”
Weeks have passed since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government announced their intention to invade the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, which faced an American demand to guarantee the safety of civilians before launching the attack.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that there is a need for at least 500 trucks or the equivalent of aid to enter the Gaza Strip daily, amid the worsening starvation campaign launched by Israel on the residents of the Strip, north and south. In her post on the “X” platform, von der Leyen said that the initiative to send humanitarian aid from the island of Cyprus to Gaza is not an alternative to the arrival of humanitarian aid via land routes. She stressed the need for “the sea corridor to transport humanitarian aid to Gaza to be part of a continuing effort to increase the flow of aid to Gaza through all routes, including expanded land routes.”
Israel will try to "flood" Gaza with humanitarian aid from several entry points as international pressure mounts to confront the growing hunger problem in the blockaded enclave, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said. More than five months after the outbreak of war in Gaza, aid agencies warn that the region's population of 2.3 million people faces an increasing risk of famine unless food supplies increase significantly, and Israel is accused of not doing enough to ensure the arrival of adequate aid.
Israel says it does not impose restrictions on the amount of aid it allows into Gaza, and blames relief agencies for the delay, but it faces increasing demands even from its closest allies to do more. “We are trying to flood the region with humanitarian aid,” Hagari told a group of foreign reporters.
Earlier, the Israeli military announced that six trucks loaded with supplies from the World Food Program had entered the northern part of the Gaza Strip, where the hunger crisis is particularly acute, from a crossing in the security fence known as Crossing 96. Hagari said convoys like this would enter later, in addition to shipments from other entry points, via airdrops and by sea. He added, "We learn, improve, and introduce different changes so that we do not create a pattern, but rather diversity in the ways in which we can deliver aid."
But Hagari acknowledged that getting supplies into the sector is only one part of the problem and that more needs to be done to solve the problem of how to distribute them fairly and effectively to those who need them most. "The problem inside Gaza is the problem of distribution," he said. The challenges facing safe delivery and distribution of aid became clear earlier this month when thousands gathered around an aid convoy and were shot by Israeli forces, killing dozens. Palestinian health authorities said that most of the dead were shot by the Israeli army, while Israel said that most of them died in a stampede or were run over by trucks amid a state of panic.
Bloomberg news website quoted informed sources as saying that British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps prevented the airdrop of his country’s aid into Gaza because of the risks to civilians. The sources said that British officials had drawn up a plan that included the Royal Air Force dropping aid packages by parachute on areas of Gaza, in a move similar to what a number of countries have taken over the past few days when they dropped aid for the people of Gaza who face the risk of starvation in light of the ongoing Israeli aggression for more than 5 months.
Shapps refused to sign the use of Royal Air Force aircraft to carry out the missions, according to the sources who spoke to Bloomberg, and the minister justified his position with fears that airdrops would be dangerous, citing reports that airdrops carried out in recent days caused the martyrdom of a number of Palestinians “by mistake.”
Bloomberg reported that the decision not to join the countries that are airdropping aid caused frustration among government officials in Britain, and quoted Foreign Secretary David Cameron as saying, “We are doing everything we can to increase aid to Gaza,” while the government confirmed that it is “exploring new ways” to bring in more. of aid to Gaza, and is pressuring Israel to open more crossings and lift restrictions on the arrival of aid.
The HAMAS Ministry of Health in Gaza said - last week - that 5 people were killed as a result of the failure of some parachutes and the fall of aid boxes on the heads of citizens. The government media office in Gaza said that random airdrops of humanitarian aid are ineffective and not the best way to deliver aid. The office indicated - in a previous statement - that part of this aid is located at sea, while another part is located near the separation fence or areas controlled by the occupation army, or within the occupied Palestinian territories.
Satellite imagery captured between March 11 and 13 shows the construction of a jetty south of Gaza City, which will reportedly be used to facilitate aid shipments. The jetty is being constructed by charity World Central Kitchen (WCK), which is working with the organization Open Arms to deliver aid to Gaza. An Open Arms ship carrying almost 200 tons of food set sail from Cyprus on March 12 and is headed toward the Gaza Strip, the organization said. These satellite images were captured by Maxar Technologies, which told Storyful that the jetty currently juts out about 50 meters from the shoreline. Storyful has not confirmed this number.
Al Jazeera Net correspondent Muhammad Wad wrote "Occupied Jerusalem - The positions in Israel appeared to be reconciled and compatible with US President Joe Biden’s announcement of the establishment of a floating port off the shores of Gaza , under the pretext of significantly increasing the flow of humanitarian aid to the Strip, as this reconciliation by Benjamin Netanyahu ’s government carries within it many messages in line with With the goals of war and the conduct of fighting.
"Contrary to what is common and accepted regarding the debate between Washington and Tel Aviv, regarding the conduct of the war, the exchange deal, and a temporary ceasefire, none of the ministers in the emergency government came out against this American step specifically, on the basis that the humanitarian issue, which causes... Intense pressure on Israel in the world is a decisive issue for the war.
"Amid the timid Israeli welcome to Biden's project, Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz chose to recall his initiative in the past decade, which he renewed during the war on Gaza, aiming to establish an organized port on an artificial island off the coast of Gaza, a position that reflects the Israeli-American harmony regarding the floating port project, This is a means of controlling the distribution of humanitarian aid.
"The floating port project, if implemented on the ground, will be the first crossing in Gaza that will not be under Israeli or Egyptian control, since the Nakba in 1948, but the Netanyahu government’s lack of opposition to the Biden project indicates that Israel will be responsible or at least participate in security inspections for everything that enters. To and from Gaza via the floating port.
"This American project comes after the Israeli army deliberately eliminated the UNRWA infrastructure and destroyed the Palestinian civil system, in addition to the occupation project in the Zaytoun neighborhood that aims to divide Gaza and separate the north of the Strip from its south, in an effort to control medical and relief aid.
"The American floating port is in line with the “artificial island” project with an area of ??8 square kilometers off the shores of Gaza to transport about half a million Palestinians from the Strip, which was presented by the Israeli Foreign Minister, Yisrael Katz, during the meeting of European foreign ministers in Brussels last January.
"The researcher on Israeli affairs at the Taqaddam Center for Policy, Amir Makhoul, considered that the floating port project is in harmony with the phase of the ongoing Israeli occupation of the Strip, as the Netanyahu government is reactivating the occupation structure that existed until 2005 before the unilateral withdrawal.
"Makhoul explained to Al Jazeera Net that the floating port project, which comes under the pretext of distributing “humanitarian aid,” is consistent with the methods and mechanisms for engineering, distributing and delivering aid to the northern Gaza Strip, as well as with the broad road project that the Israeli army is making from southeastern Gaza towards the sea, and the so-called “Zaytoun Neighborhood” project. “Aiming to dismember Gaza.
"The researcher believes that Israel deliberately, through the demonstrations and protests of right-wing elements, prevented the entry of trucks from the Kerem Shalom crossing, and obstructed and impeded the delivery of humanitarian aid to northern Gaza through land crossings, to show the world that northern Gaza has become separated from the south, and to obtain international recognition of this reality that it seeks to impose.
"The same researcher believes that the American project carries with it many messages, perhaps the most prominent of which is that the administration of President Joe Biden is not interested in exerting great pressure on Netanyahu and imposing its agenda on Israel, amid the absence of any Arab and Islamic role that could put pressure on Washington to provide relief to Gaza.
"Also, Makhoul says, “it is not unlikely that it will witness transport movement in both directions, transporting food and medical supplies to the Strip and transporting Palestinians from Gaza, within the displacement plan that the Israeli war failed to achieve, which confirms that all American steps are being carried out in agreement and coordination with Israel.”
"The researcher on Israeli affairs warned of the repercussions of the floating port, and considered this a prelude to a foothold and the imposition of American control over the Gaza Strip, under the pretext of distributing humanitarian aid, which will be under mechanisms and infrastructure under the supervision and control of the Israeli army, which means prolonging the war and the continuation of the Israeli occupation structure in the Strip.
"In the same context, he stressed that the floating port project serves Israel and its plans to control the Gaza Strip, as well as prolonging the fighting, saying, “America must stop sending ammunition and weapons to Israel. It does not make sense for it to direct arms shipments to Tel Aviv, which kills and destroys the Palestinians, and then carries out operations.” An airdrop in the northern Gaza Strip for ready-to-eat meals.
"The same proposition was adopted by political analyst and writer Taha Igbaria, who confirmed that all American discourse regarding the Israeli war on Gaza is linked to the presidential elections that will be held next November, and pressures among liberals in the Democratic Party not to send weapons to Israel if it invades Rafah. Al Jazeera Net's political analyst suggested that Washington's policies and Biden's statements critical of Netanyahu are nothing but an attempt to absorb the anger of Arabs and Muslims in America, as opinion polls suggest the victory of Republican candidate Donald Trump and Biden's exit from the White House.
"Igbaria believes that the establishment of the American floating port off Gaza confirms that the Biden administration has not discussed any solutions to end the war on Gaza, but rather discusses and researches ways to prolong the war against the Palestinian resistance factions and Hamas in particular and maintain the state of fighting while ensuring mechanisms for entering and distributing aid to the Palestinians in the Strip.
"In a reading of the American-Israeli harmony over the floating port project and the Arab silence, the political analyst does not rule out that the port project falls within the vision of the day after the war, in order to establish the American presence in the Strip in a way that serves Israeli interests and achieves what Israel could not accomplish in the war. The political analyst warned of the repercussions of the American presence in the Gaza Strip, which comes under the pretext of alleviating the suffering of the Palestinians and providing humanitarian aid, saying that “the American presence will crystallize policies towards regional solutions and settlements after the war."
Talk does not subside about hidden American goals behind its decision to establish a floating seaport on the coast of the Gaza Strip , despite Washington’s claim that the port will be temporary and aims to bring aid into the Strip, which is suffering from famine as a result of an unprecedented, devastating Israeli war. However, there are those who question the American goals and believe that they aim to achieve economic interests, most notably controlling the gas off the Gaza coast and protecting the economic corridor linking Europe to the Middle East region, which will be in the face of the Chinese Belt and Road project .
This is due to the presence of more than 8 crossings with the Gaza Strip, one with Egypt and another directly into the Strip from the Mediterranean Sea (Gaza Port), and the rest with Israel , which together can deliver aid to the Strip’s population of more than 2.3 million people.
Even today, the idea of delivering aid via airdrop from military aircraft cannot be comprehended. With the presence of these land and sea crossings, the floating port raises more questions about other goals far from delivering aid. In this context, European Union Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, said that air drops of aid into Gaza or the inauguration of a sea corridor will not replace the opening of more land routes to deliver aid to the Strip.
Aside from the political goals, there are economic points that are believed to be among the goals that prompted Washington to engage in the idea of establishing this sea corridor and the sea dock in Gaza, the most important of which are natural gas resources and international trade routes in the region.
Since 2012, interest has increased in the Eastern Mediterranean region, with major discoveries of natural gas by Israel, which has reached a stage of sufficiency due to gas fields in the Mediterranean. Israel has 5 gas fields on the Mediterranean Sea: the Levitan field , which is the largest, and the Tamar, Delit, Karish, and Nemim fields. While Egypt has several gas fields that made it self-sufficient until mid-2023, the largest of which is the Zohr field, which produces 2.4 billion cubic feet per day and more than 3,700 barrels of condensate.
While the Palestinians own the Gaza Marine Field discovered at the end of the 1990s, the reserve in the field is estimated at 1.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, or 32 billion cubic metres. In June 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the implementation of the Gaza Marine Field development project “within the framework of the ongoing steps between Israel, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority, to focus on developing the Palestinian economy,” according to a statement at the time by Netanyahu’s office.
In light of all these wealth, the American presence may be justified from our perspective in the Eastern Mediterranean, especially with Lebanon entering the line, after a border demarcation agreement with Israel. Today, the United States is competing with Qatar and Australia for the title of the largest exporter of liquefied natural gas in the world. According to data from the London Stock Exchange Group, US exports of liquefied gas reached 88.9 million metric tons in 2023.
The energy file, and natural gas in particular, is one of the most prominent elements of strength for developed and developing economies, and its importance has become more apparent with the Russian-Ukrainian war and the European Union countries suffering from a gas supply crisis. The other economic scenario for the American presence in the Eastern Mediterranean is to secure one of the most prominent trade corridors anticipated, which was announced at the G20 summit in India last year. Last September 10, Saudi Arabia, the United States, India, the Emirates, France, Germany, Italy, and the European Union announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding regarding a project to establish a new economic corridor linking India, the Middle East, and Europe.
The expected corridor, which crosses Israel, will be a competitor to the Chinese Belt and Road project, which is an American goal to weaken it by creating trade routes between the markets of the East and the West. The Mediterranean region will be the point of maritime transportation of goods from east to west, which means that the American presence will be justified, within its conflict with China.
The fighters of the Counter-Terrorism Unit from the Al-Hamarom Brigade fought deep in Khan Yunis under the 7th Brigade's combat team. The forces carried out special and targeted missions in the heart of the built-up area, raiding hiding apartments and military strongholds of Hamas in the various neighborhoods in Khan Yunis. As part of the searches in the area, the fighters located many weapons under the bed in the bedroom, including missiles and explosives. Following the searches in the area, the unit's fighters located a missile and rocket launcher near a school and destroyed it.
Fighters of the Magellan unit have been fighting for the past week in the Hamad neighborhood in Khan Yunis. During the fighting, they raid high-rise buildings, encounter terrorists at close range and eliminate them. The fighters locate weapons and arrest terrorists.
During a raid by Magellan's fighters in a building, the force encountered a squad of terrorists barricaded on the fifth floor. The fighters broke out from the fourth floor, opened massive fire at the terrorists, and directed 'Maoz' drones at them along with other precision weapons. The terrorists fired RPGs at our forces and during the exchange of fire the fighters eliminated a number of terrorists.
Israeli force entered a high-rise search, identified four terrorists and fired at them," recalls Lt. L., the fire officer of the Magellan unit, "a total of four terrorists were killed in the encounter." The fighters directed an air force aircraft that attacked the building where the terrorists were staying. All the terrorists were eliminated.
An attempt to launch an IED from the central area of the Gaza Strip to the surrounding settlements was detected, which fell in the territory of the Gaza Strip. In less than 5 minutes, the terrorist squad that carried out the shooting in the northern area of ??the Gaza Strip was identified, an aircraft attacked and eliminated the squad.
The Israel Defense Forces continues to operate in the center of the Gaza Strip and eliminated a number of terrorists throughout the last day. In one of the attacks, the forces identified a terrorist squad near the forces and eliminated them by firing tanks. In another attack, the Air Force, in cooperation with the brigade's fire complex, eliminated a terrorist in the area using an aircraft.
The 98th Division forces continue to operate in Khan Yunis, raiding terrorist targets and eliminating terrorists. Givati TDF fighters raided buildings in the Hamad area, in one of the scans the fighters located rocket launchers and destroyed them. In addition, last night, the forces identified two terrorists in the area, within a few minutes the Air Force, in cooperation with the brigade's fire complex, attacked and eliminated the terrorists using aircraft.
Last night, the fighters of the 7th Israel Defense Forces identified a squad of three terrorists in the Bnei Sohila area that were moving towards the forces and eliminated them by firing tanks. The 7th Brigade fire complex identified two terrorists near a Hamas weapons warehouse in the area, an aircraft attacked and eliminated the terrorists.
Operational Update - Judea-Samaria
The Hamas movement called on the Palestinians to participate in breaking the Zionist siege of Al-Aqsa Mosque and to pray and pray at its sides and celebrate its nights. Hamas said in a statement: “We mobilize the masses of our people in occupied Jerusalem, the West Bank and the interior on the first Friday of the month of Ramadan to participate urgently in defending Al- Aqsa Mosque against the aggression that lurks in these critical times,” calling for “active participation in breaking the occupation’s siege.” On Al-Aqsa, arriving at prayer, staying close to its sides, and reviving its nights.”
HAMAS added: “Gaza, the glory that unleashed the great flood of Al-Aqsa, in defense of Al-Aqsa, its sanctity, and the rights of our people and our nation, and which has been waging the greatest epic against the enemy for 160 days, calls upon you to live in prayer and in jihad in the path of your noble Prophet.” It stressed that "today Al-Aqsa is the qibla of Muslims in jihad and the bond, and there is no reward higher than the bond, and accordingly we call on our people in the neighborhoods, towns and villages of Jerusalem to adhere to performing prayers in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque only."
The security forces acted tonight to arrest 13 wanted persons throughout Judea and Samaria and in the Bekaa and Emekim division. In a brigade operation to counter terrorism in Jericho, the forces arrested four wanted persons, located and confiscated weapons and carried out numerous searches. In the village of Dora in the Yehuda Division, four wanted persons were arrested and two guns were located and confiscated. Terror funds were confiscated in Kalkilia in the Ephraim Brigade. In Luvan a-Sharqiya, in the Binyamin Brigade, many forces entered to carry out illegal searches and occasional arrests. The wanted persons who were arrested were transferred for further investigation by the security forces, there are no casualties to our forces.
A number of Palestinian citizens were injured and others were arrested at dawn on Thursday during a massive raid and incursion campaign carried out by the “Israeli” occupation forces in various parts of the West Bank. In Nablus , two brothers were injured as a result of occupation soldiers assaulting them during a raid campaign in the village of Al-Laban Al-Sharqiya, south of Nablus.
Local sources reported that the occupation soldiers assaulted the two brothers Sameh and Yazan Daraghmeh after storming their house, and they were transferred to the Martyr Yasser Arafat Hospital in the city of Salfit. The sources stated that several Israeli military vehicles, in addition to a foot force, stormed the village, toured several areas, and was stationed in the center of the village. They raided several homes, searched them, and tampered with their contents. The owners were identified as Majid Daraghmeh Abu Salah, Rasmi Owais, and the two brothers Majid and Muhammad Al-Sarhan. They also raided two buildings, one of which was The other belongs to the citizen Mustafa Al-Nubani, and the other belongs to the citizen Nael Abu Ahmed.
The occupation forces stole gold jewelry and a sum of money from the home of the citizen Majed Daraghmeh Abu Salah. The sources confirmed that the occupation forces beat two citizens during their storming of the village, which led to their injuries, and one of them was transferred to a hospital. The occupation forces also conducted a massive search operation in the village cemetery.
In Bethlehem, the occupation forces arrested a citizen from the town of Al-Khader, south of Bethlehem. Local sources said that the occupation forces arrested Ahmed Youssef Atwan (26 years old), after they raided his family’s house in the town. In occupied Jerusalem, the occupation forces arrested two young men from the town of Abu Dis, east of occupied Jerusalem.
Local sources in the town said: The occupation forces stormed the town and arrested the two young men, Muhammad Rabie, secretary of the Fatah movement, and Hassan Qurei, after storming their homes, searching them, and sending away their contents. The sources indicated that confrontations broke out with the occupation forces, during which they fired heavy tear gas.
A young man was also injured by Israeli occupation forces' bullets during clashes at the Qalandiya checkpoint, north of occupied Jerusalem. Local sources reported that confrontations broke out between citizens and the occupation forces at the Qalandiya checkpoint, during which the occupation forces fired live and sound bullets, which led to the injury of a young man with live bullets. He was transported by ambulance to a hospital. The sources added that the Israeli occupation forces stormed Qalandia camp and toured several areas without any arrests being reported.
Operational Update - Lebanon
Fighter jets attacked Hezbollah terrorist infrastructures in the Konin area. Following the warning in the Kfar Blum area, the air defense fighters intercepted a suspicious aerial target that crossed from Lebanese territory to Israeli territory. Fighter jets attacked Hezbollah military buildings in the Nakura area. Also, the IDF attacked with artillery in Wadi Hamool to remove a threat. Another terrorist infrastructure of the organization was attacked in Kfar Yaron. In the last few hours, three launches from Lebanese territory to Israeli territory in the Malkia region were detected.
The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon announced that it had targeted two positions of the occupation army with missile weapons, confirming that direct hits had been achieved. The resistance issued two statements stating: “In support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their valiant and honorable resistance”: At 15:15 pm today, Thursday (Lebanon time): “ The Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted the Ruwaisat Al-Alam site in the occupied Lebanese Kfar Shuba hills with missile weapons, and hit it directly.” At 15:15 pm today, Thursday: “The Islamic Resistance Mujahideen targeted the Al-Samaqa site in the occupied Lebanese Kfar Shuba hills with missile weapons, and hit it directly.” Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib instructed to submit a complaint before the UN Security Council, following the Israeli aggression that targeted civilians in residential areas around the city of Baalbek in the east of the country.
Operational Update - Syria / Iraq
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Operational Update - Yemen
American-British coalition launched a new attack with raids targeting the airport in Hodeidah Governorate, western Yemen. During the four days of the holy month of Ramadan, the aggression aircraft launched 16 raids on various areas, targeting Hodeidah International Airport , the areas of Al-Jabanah located next to the port of Hodeidah, Al-Taif in Al-Durayhimi District, Al-Arj in Bajil District, and Ras Issa in Al-Salif District. The American-British aggression comes two days after the Yemeni armed forces announced that they had targeted the American ship (Pinocchio) in the Red Sea with a number of missiles, stressing that they would continue to “prevent Israeli navigation or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine in the Red and Arab Bahrain until the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people is lifted.”
The American-British forces targeted al-Jah with four airstrikes, Hodeidah Airport with one airstrike, al-Faza with two airstrikes, and Ras Issa with four. Later, Al Mayadeen correspondent reported that the joint forces carried out two airstrikes on the Abs District in Hajjah Governorate, northwest Yemen.
The hostile strikes came shortly after the leader of the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement, Sayyed Abdul al-Malik al-Houthi, announced that the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) are heading toward expanding the scope of their operations conducted against the Israeli occupation forces' war on the Gaza Strip. He affirmed that the YAF is heading toward launching attacks on vessels in the Indian Ocean that have been redirected toward the Cape of Good Hope Route. Al-Houthi confirmed that "Yemen has presented 34 martyrs in support of our people in Gaza, and we are honored to offer martyrs in this sacred battle."
A source from Yemen's armed forces announced the successful testing of a hypersonic missile with high destructive capabilities, amid escalating tensions over recent strikes on shipping vessels linked to the Israeli regime in the Red Sea. The missile can reach speeds of up to Mach 8 (6,200 miles per hour) and is powered by solid fuel, an unnamed military source told Russia's Sputnik news agency.
"Yemen plans to begin manufacturing it for use in attacks in the Red and Arabian Seas and the Gulf of Aden, as well as against targets in Israel," the source added. The source went on to say that following months of testing, Yemeni forces have also upgraded their missiles and drones to carry warheads of twice the explosive power as what it had in its arsenal.
"What comes next will be greater in every sense of the word," Yemen's Ansarullah leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi warned last week, after saying new weapons were used in recent Red Sea operations that surprised the US and Britain. "The Armed Forces have many cards they have not yet played," Yemen's Defense Minister Major General Mohammad Nasser al-Atifi also stated.
Yemeni forces have launched repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Gulf of Aden in support of Palestinians. They say the operations will continue unless Israel stops its war on Gaza, which has killed at least 31,000 Palestinians since early October. The maritime attacks have forced major shipping and oil firms to suspend transit through the vital trade route. Yemen has added US and British assets to its list of legitimate targets after the two countries began air and sea strikes on Yemen in support of Israel's Gaza campaign.
The announcement by the leader of Ansar Allah Al-Houthi, Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi, targeting ships in the Indian Ocean heading through the Cape of Good Hope towards Israel heralds a major escalation in the world linked to developments in Gaza. According to observers, the Houthi announcement will lead to the imposition of the blockade on Israeli ports on the Mediterranean, after its success in besieging the port of Eilat in the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea.
Expectations confirm that the new Houthi threat will lead to an increase in insurance rates for shipments, which had already risen with the start of the Houthi attacks on ships heading to Israel through the Red Sea, in response to the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, which will lead to an increase in the cost of shipping in general. The world is awaiting international reactions, especially in the United States, to the Houthi declaration and its actual entry into force.
The leader of the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement, Mr. Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, said that the Israeli enemy is carrying out the crime of the century in every sense of the word, with American participation and contributions from Western and Arab countries. Al-Houthi added during his speech Thursday evening that for the 160th day, the Zionist crimes continue in the Gaza Strip, which is genocide in every sense of the word.
The leader of the Ansar Allah movement stressed that the martyrs of Gaza are not just numbers, but rather human lives lost and their lives wasted. He pointed out that the Israeli enemy is carrying out the crime of the century in every sense of the word, with American participation and contributions from Western and Arab countries, stressing that the failure and negligence of Muslims, led by most Arabs, contributes to the crime of the century against the Palestinian people.
He stressed that “the martyrs of Gaza are not just numbers that people hear, but rather they are human lives that are lost and their lives wasted, and the wounds and suffering of a people that are annihilated... For the 160th day, the Zionist crimes continue in the Gaza Strip and it is genocide in every sense of the word... The Israeli enemy is carrying out a crime.” Century in every sense of the word, with American participation and contributions from Western countries.”
Al-Houthi said, "The failure and negligence of Muslims, most of whom are Arabs, contributes to the crime of the century against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip." He continued, "The Israeli enemy is carrying out the crime of the century with the participation of the Americans and Western countries." He pointed out, "The American landing operations cover only a small percentage of the needs. The American landing operations aim to deceive public opinion to continue the crime. In exchange for the limited aid to the people of Gaza, America provides tons of bombs to kill them."
He said, "If Muslims had supported the resistance seriously, the picture of the battle in Gaza would have been different." Al-Houthi added, “The American is increasing its contribution to the continuation of the Israeli crime against the Palestinian people by preventing the cessation of the aggression and its insistence on continuing the siege,” and explained that “Washington is trying to circumvent the legitimate entitlement of the Palestinian people, which is to stop the aggression, end the siege, and open the land crossings for aid to enter.”
He said, “The Americans are dealing in a deceptive way, neither fully opening the land corridors nor adding real ports or sea lanes through which the necessary needs flow.” He also “shifted the issue from the entry of enough food and medicine for the people of the Gaza Strip to other alternatives to provide very little that does not even stop hunger deaths.”
Al-Houthi stressed that “the American landing operations do not cover a small percentage of the need, and they aim to deceive public opinion and distract Muslim peoples to continue their crimes.” He continued, “The American alternatives do not provide a respectable amount of food and medicine for the Palestinian people, and the tragedy continues in its great size.” Al-Houthi explained that “the American seeks, through landing or the sea port, to ensure that the aid remains visible in the picture, but in reality hunger and severe suffering continue,” pointing out that “the American bypass methods that it wants to be an alternative to the correct measures are part of the aggression against the people of Palestine.”
Al-Houthi stressed that “in exchange for the limited aid that the Americans deliver from the air in a seditious and dishonorable manner, they provide tons of bombs to kill the people of Gaza.” Al-Houthi stressed that “despite the severe suffering of the Palestinian people in the #Gaza Strip, there is great steadfastness, patience, steadfastness and cohesion that is unparalleled.”
Al-Houthi stressed that “if Muslims had taken a serious approach to supporting the Palestinian resistance, even with less than what America and the West are offering to the enemy, the picture would have been different from the battle in Gaza.” Al-Houthi explained that “more than 50 Islamic countries do not provide weapons to the Palestinian resistance, and the only unique case is the Islamic Republic of Iran,” and stressed that “the Palestinian resistance in the first trench is fighting the battle of the entire nation, so why do Islamic countries not go to support it?”
Al-Houthi continued, “It has become shameful to talk about providing support to the Palestinian resistance, as if it should not be helped to continue the battle against the Israeli enemy.” He said, “America and the Western countries are not embarrassed to provide the deadliest weapons to the Israeli enemy to kill the Palestinian people, their children and their women.” Al-Houthi pointed out that “despite the huge arsenal that the enemy possesses, we see America and the Western countries supplying him with weapons, inciting him to continue fighting, and supporting him politically, medially, and financially.” He said, “Some Arab regimes have not only failed the Palestinian resistance, but are abusing it and working to distort it and include it on terrorist lists.” !
He said, “Until now, some Arab countries have not changed their position on the Palestinian resistance after previously including them on terrorist lists.” He continued, “Some Arab countries are working to criminalize the jihad of the resistance fighters in Gaza and prevent donations to them, and are even still arresting some on the grounds of their support.” He stressed, “There is a great responsibility and excuse on Muslims for their failure to support the mujahideen in Palestine with their steadfastness and steadfastness,” and stressed that “society in the Gaza Strip, which is in suffering unparalleled in any part of the world, is steadfast and steadfast and has not changed.”
Al-Houthi explained, “The position of the people in embracing the resistance and the Mujahideen has not changed, and this is due to their humanity, values, morals, awareness, and insight,” and he said, “The more the crime committed by the Israeli enemy against the people of Gaza, the greater is their will, determination, and awareness of the necessity of confrontation.” Al-Houthi stressed that “the Israeli enemy is a dangerous and bad enemy that poses a threat to humanity and life.”
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
Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard criticized the international community for ignoring the planned starvation in the Gaza Strip , which has been subjected to continuous Israeli aggression since last October 7. Callamard said that the international community is ignoring the starvation orchestrated by Israel in the Gaza Strip, and is busy portraying the situation in the region as a humanitarian crisis. In a post she posted on the X platform Callamard explained that Israel continues to violate international law without facing any criminal penalties. She pointed out that airdrops of humanitarian aid, and Washington's intention to build a temporary port on the coast of Gaza, will not be effective in the face of Israel's violations of international law.
Axis of Resistance
The head of the Hamas political bureau , Ismail Haniyeh , said that the field and negotiations are two parallel lines, calling on the American administration to make more efforts to stop the genocidal war and the policy of starvation to which the Gaza Strip is being exposed. Haniyeh indicated - via Telegram - that the movement is basing its negotiations on the greatness of steadfastness and the genius of resistance, and stressed that the movement is striving with all force to end the aggressive war. He pointed out that there is an opportunity to reach a multi-stage agreement if the occupying government abandons its intransigence.
Haniyeh added that the position of US President Joe Biden is changing in rhetoric and is being tested in application. He stressed that the American administration is required to take many actions to stop the genocidal war and the policy of starvation to which our people are exposed in Gaza and the north. He pointed out that as a result of the war and Israeli restrictions, the population of Gaza, especially in the Gaza and North governorates, is on the verge of famine, in light of a severe scarcity of food, water, medicine and fuel supplies, with the displacement of about two million Palestinians from the Strip, which has been besieged by Israel for 17 years.
Regarding the situation in the West Bank, Haniyeh explained that it is being subjected to abuse with the aim of distracting it from supporting Gaza and emptying the strategic reserve it represents in the resistance project and the political constants of our cause. He added, "All this torture and oppression will not succeed and will be swept away by the wind."
For months, the United States, Egypt and Qatar have been trying to reach a new mediation between Israel and Hamas that would guarantee a ceasefire in the Palestinian Strip and an exchange of prisoners. However, the Israeli Prime Minister refuses to yield to any demands made by Hamas during the course of the negotiations, and insists on continuing the fighting.
The secretary general of Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance said Israeli regime’s army is in a state of exhaustion, adding that the regime is incapable of eliminating the Palestinian resistance despite all the massacres in its war on Gaza. "The Israeli army today is tired and exhausted on all fronts," Seyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised address on Wednesday, adding, "The enemy's senior experts acknowledge the strategic losses."
"Gaza, which resists, fights, and endures in a scene close to a miracle and astonishing the world, is the culture of the Quran and it is a divine proof for the whole world," Nasrallah said. "The number of its dead is very large and much greater than (what has been) announced," adding, "We announce our martyrs on live broadcasts, but the enemy hides its dead, and this has an impact on the Israeli army."
The Hezbollah leader noted that "on the northern front, there is extreme secrecy about the losses in terms of (Israeli) soldiers, military vehicles, and others." Lebanon's al-Mayadeen television network reported recently that the Palestinian resistance’s operations against the Israeli forces in the northern Gaza Strip had confirmed the presence and strength of the resistance, and refuted the Israeli claims of imposing control over northern Gaza.
"After five months, the Israeli army has a shortage of personnel and wants to recruit 14,500 officers and soldiers and even wants to recruit the Haredim (ultra-Orthodox Israelis)," Nasrallah noted. He also pointed to a pledge by Tel Aviv to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where the majority of the coastal territory's 2.4-million-strong population has taken refuge from the ravages of the war.
The regime claims that by conducting the invasion, it will have realized its ambition of "eliminating" the Gaza-based resistance movement of Hamas. Nasrallah, however, radically rejected the claim. "Today, in the sixth month (of the war), (Israeli regime’s prime minister Benjamin) Netanyahu stands up to say that if we do not go to Rafah, we will lose the war," the Hezbollah leader said, Press TV reported. "We say to Netanyahu that even if you go to Rafah, you have lost the war and you cannot eliminate Hamas or the resistance, despite all the massacres," he added.
"One of the signs of defeat for the enemy is that the occupation is negotiating with Hamas in the sixth month of the war," Nasrallah stated, adding, "Hamas is negotiating today on behalf of the resistance and not from a position of weakness, and it sets the conditions." He reminded that resistance fronts all across the region, namely in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen, were performing their duty towards lending support to their fellow resistance fighters in Gaza.
"We affirm our stand with the Palestinian resistance factions, especially with the leadership of Hamas...and we continue on the support fronts," the Hezbollah leader said. The pro-Palestinian operations staged by the regional resistance movements have seen them firing numerous missiles, drones, and rockets against Israeli targets or those belonging to the occupying regime's supporters.
Yemeni forces have been targeting Israeli vessels or those heading towards the occupied territories' ports, while Iraq's Islamic Resistance have been firing numerous missiles and drones towards the occupied territories. The resistance fronts have also been striking American targets in protest at the United States' all-out political, military, and intelligence support for the war. "The Islamic resistance in Iraq and its sending of drones and missiles to the entity is ongoing and ongoing," Nasrallah noted, commending the Arab country's resistance movements' pro-Gaza operations. "The support fronts are completing their work and we praise the Yemen front and its effects and blessings are very great, especially on the enemy’s economy," he stated.
"Neither the Americans nor the British nor the Europeans who followed them were able to prevent the Yemeni brothers from striking ships heading to occupied Palestine," Nasrallah said. He was referring to anti-Yemeni strikes by the United States or those of its allies in the UK and Europe that have been launched in a failed attempt to stop Yemen's pro-Palestinian operations.
Nasrallah, meanwhile, noted that the United States could easily end the ongoing aggression against Gaza and the simultaneous attacks that the Israeli regime has been staging against Lebanon. "With the stroke of a pen, US President Joe Biden can stop the aggression in Gaza and Lebanon." Earlier in the month, however, Biden alleged in an interview with The New Yorker that the Israeli war machine still had to be given "a little bit of time."
Deputy Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement, Mohammad al-Hindi, confirmed on Thursday that there is a US-Israeli agreement to bring back the captives held by the Resistance in Gaza without stopping the aggression on the Strip. Talking to Al Mayadeen, he said that "neither the Israelis nor the Americans want to stop the war," adding that Washington is only concerned about an Israeli invasion of Rafah due to internal tensions in the United States and the upcoming elections.
He explained that no one has officially committed, especially the United States, to stopping the war on Gaza, even in the second stage of the agreement proposal. On Israeli public plans to invade Rafah and "eliminate the Resistance," the deputy chief of the PIJ confirmed that a ground attack on the city "will not change anything in the equation" and that the Israelis can't eliminate the Resistance groups.
Allied for Democracy
A storm of controversy was sparked by the statements of a senior Israeli army general in which he criticized the country's political leadership and called on politicians to show the cohesion shown by soldiers on the battlefield and adopt a unified position, in reference to the disputes plaguing Israel as a result of the divergence of views between the ruling coalition and the opposition.
In statements broadcast by Israeli media, General Dan Goldfus, commander of the 98th Division fighting in the city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, addressed political officials, saying: “You must demonstrate merit and be at the level” of what the soldiers have been providing in the field for about five months. Goldfus called on politicians to ensure "everyone's participation," in a clear reference to the summoning of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, who have been exempt from military service for decades, to conscript into the army, an issue that has sparked widespread controversy in Israel for weeks.
Divisions are escalating among Israeli political circles regarding the management of the war in the Gaza Strip, with differing views regarding the future of the conflict between members of the war government coalition, and the continuing controversy related to the hostage issue. The emergency government coalition in Israel is under "intense pressure" as the war continues. While far-right politicians are demanding that the army take stronger action in Gaza, relatives of the hostages, along with members of the war government and the opposition, are pressing for concessions to ensure their return.
Israeli political analyst Eli Nissan believes that Goldfus's statements are realistic "because he indicated that the soldiers and military forces want the people to be united" behind their armed forces. Nisan added in an interview with Al-Hurra website that the Israeli general’s statements do not indicate that there is a split in the ranks of the army or that there is a rift between the army and the government. This commander has been fighting in Gaza for more than 4 months.”
Nissan continues that although the opposition forces supported his statements and there was also support from parties within the government coalition, the matter has not yet reached a split. “The only blame for such statements was not obtaining permission from his leaders before making them,” according to Nissan. Goldfus was summoned by the Israeli army to provide clarifications after he "crossed the long-standing taboo" regarding Israeli army officers not interfering in politics publicly. Haaretz newspaper said that the commander of the Israeli army's Central Command, Yehuda Fuchs, and the army chief of staff, Herzl Halevy, are the ones who will interrogate Goldfus. The newspaper added that the Israeli army confirmed that it was aware of Goldfus's statements and approved of their content, but was not aware of the part in which he criticized political leaders.
Some Israeli lawmakers expressed their agreement with Goldfus's statements, while others expressed their dissatisfaction with the general making political statements of any kind. Opposition lawmaker Yoav Segalowitz told Kan public radio on Thursday, “An officer in uniform needs to speak only about what is related to his decisions or take off the uniform.”
Veteran political and military analyst Nahum Barnea wrote in Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, “With all respect for the sincere feelings of the distinguished officer, the fighting in Gaza does not give him the right or authority to express his position on political issues.” He added, "It is nice that Goldfus bears responsibility, like other officers, but where is the humility, where is the modesty."
Nissan rules out imposing any severe penalties on Goldfus that would lead to his discharge from the army because of these statements. Nissan said, "The media in Israel stands with him, so I do not think that the military leadership will impose any sanctions on him, take any punitive measures, or discharge him from the army."
The commander of the Israeli commando brigade, Omer Cohen, acknowledged that his forces were engaged in battles in Khan Yunis, south of Gaza, that had not been witnessed anywhere else in the Strip. Cohen said in statements to Haaretz newspaper, "We have been in Hamad City for a week and two days. We have fought here a fight that we have not seen anywhere else in the Strip so far."
He pointed out that " Hamas has greater capabilities to manage the forces here, and this is clear in the fighting that took place over the past few days." He added that the neighborhood is full of Palestinian fighters and the most advanced combat equipment, including high-level explosives that have already been used against us. He continued, "While Hamas in large parts of the Gaza Strip lost its ability to command and control, but here in the Hamad neighborhood the (combat) formation is still working."
For his part, the commander of the Egoz Unit, a special reconnaissance unit affiliated with the Golani Brigade, said, “When you enter Hamad District, you truly realize that this is a hornet’s nest for terrorists,” according to the same source.
The Israeli newspaper correspondent, who accompanied the forces in Khan Yunis, explained that after about a week and a half of fighting, it appears that the Hamad neighborhood, like most of the places that the Israeli army entered in the Gaza Strip, will no longer be habitable. He pointed out that almost all of the 120 buildings in the place were destroyed or damaged, and major reconstruction would be needed for people to be able to reside there.
In a letter published by the media, more than 500 former Israeli security officials alerted the war government to the danger that the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip poses to Israel's security and to its relations with its Western and Arab partners. At a time when the humanitarian chaos and failure to achieve a ceasefire between the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) and Israel in the Gaza Strip raise deep international concern, more than 500 former generals from senior officials in the Israeli army, intelligence services ( Mossad and Shin Bet ) and the police sent a critical message. In particular to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet.
The French newspaper La Croix says that this message, which was published on March 10 and broadcast in its English version on March 12, warns “Israel’s security leaders” of the “cumulative risks” that threaten the country’s security and strategic interests, resulting from government policy. Concerning humanitarian aid to “more than two million non-combatants of Gaza.”
According to this non-partisan group, which was established in 2014 to promote the two-state solution and resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, “beyond moral aspects, the crisis in the Gaza Strip, which is on the verge of turning into a humanitarian catastrophe, constitutes a threat to vital national interests” for Israel.
This group, which includes four former Mossad directors and a former head of the Shin Bet, recommends that the war government “review its approach” by “stopping quarreling with friends and others over every aid delivery, and that it must significantly increase the amount of aid, as well as the means of transportation and the number of crossing points.” allocated for this aid, while ensuring its safe distribution to two million non-combatants.”
The newspaper commented on these recommendations by saying that they do not agree with Israeli public opinion, which shows, according to a poll conducted by Channel 12 at the end of last January, that 72% of the Israelis surveyed believe that the Palestinian Strip should not receive humanitarian aid, unless The Israeli detainees there are released.
But the letter warns that the intensity of public protests in the United States, as well as the impact of the situation in Gaza on the erosion of support for Israel (particularly among young people) should concern all those who appreciate the importance of the American factor in Israel's present and future. For this group, which submits its recommendations to parliament or representatives every week, this policy, linked to “scandalous statements by irresponsible ministers and representatives, undermines the foundations of security and diplomatic support” provided to Israel by its allies.
Accordingly, the group launched an urgent call to limit extremist abuses, prioritize Israel's security and strategic interests, and urgently undertake large-scale humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza, before Israel's relations with the United States, Arab peace partners, Europe, and the international community are exposed to irreparable risks.
he fuse of a new crisis has ignited between Netanyahu and his Minister of War, Yoav Gallant. Netanyahu warned Gallant against endangering the stability of the government due to the new conscription law not being submitted to a vote in the Knesset , according to what the Israeli Occupation Broadcasting Corporation reported. Netanyahu told Gallant, “If you do not present a decision to the government on Sunday regarding the vote in the Knesset on the conscription law, you are endangering its stability.” But Gallant responded, saying, “I ask for a few more days to try to reach an understanding with Benny Gantz,” a member of the war council and leader of the “State Camp” party. Gallant announced last week that he would not submit the new conscription law that exempts Haredim or religious Jews from military service to a vote as long as there is no consensus in the government and the War Council on this law. Gantz opposes the draft law and demands the participation of all segments of Israeli society in compulsory military service. .
While Netanyahu pledged to the religious parties that previously participated in his government to approve a new conscription law that exempts them from military service in exchange for their agreement to join his government and support it in the Knesset.
These disagreements come after the Chief Rabbi of the Eastern (Sephardic) Jews, Yitzhak Yosef, caused an uproar earlier this week when he said in a religious lecture that religious Jews would leave the entity if compulsory service was imposed on them. He added at the time, “All these secularists must understand that without the Torah and the religious school, the army would not have succeeded.”
It also comes at a critical time for the Israeli occupation prime minister, who has faced widespread criticism both at home and abroad for months. Gallant's recent visit to Washington at the beginning of this month (March 2024) aroused his extreme dissatisfaction.
However, it also shed light on the decline in his support behind the scenes of the US administration, due to the approach he is taking in the Gaza Strip, the significant increase in the number of civilian martyrs, as well as his determination to invade the city of Rafah, and his opposition to all the plans that have been put forward so far regarding managing the Strip after the end of the war.
US President Joe Biden said in previous statements that Netanyahu is “doing more harm to Israel than good” by the way he managed the war in Gaza, noting that the decisions he took that caused the killing of civilians “are a big mistake.” In an interview with MSNBC, Biden considered, “Netanyahu has the right to defend Israel and continue attacking Hamas. But he must be more careful about the innocent lives lost due to the measures taken,” adding, “In my opinion, this harms Israel more than it benefits her."
Operation Iron Swords - By the Numbers
- 73,134 Gazans injured, 28% adult male
- 40,000 Gazans killed, including buried under rubble
- 33,000 Gaza targets attacked
- 31,341 Gazans martyred
- 15,000 rocket launched from Gaza
- 14,664 Israelis were injured [i24 TV]
- 13,430 Gazan children martyred
- 13,000 HAMAS combatants killed [N12]
- 12,000 HAMAS combatants killed [IDF]
- 11,000 arrested by Israelis in the West Bank in 2023
- 9,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons
- 9,000 IDF psychological assistance
- 9,000 Gazan women martyred
- 8,000 Gazans missing
- 7,500 arrested by Israelis in the West Bank since Oct.7th
- 6,000 HAMAS combatants killed [HAMAS]
- 5,500 IDF wounded [reports]
- 4,700 West Bank Palestinians wounded
- 3,484 administrative detainees
- 3,400 wanted persons arrested throughout Judea and Samaria
- 2,976 IDF wounded [IDF]
- 1,609 terrorists killed on the first day
- 1,500 wanted persons arrested throughout Judea and Samaria affiliated with Hamas
- 1,200 Israelis killed on the first day
- 575 Israeli officers and soldiers killed
- 433 West Bank Palestinians martyred
- 247 Israeli officers and soldiers killed in Gaza
- 222 Hezbollah fighters killed in Lebanon
- 126 people recovered, including 91 Israelis, 11 bodies, and 24 foreign workers
- 116 living hostages in Palestinian custody
- 50 civilians killed in Lebanon
- 29 IDF deaths were caused by "friendly fire"
- 15 Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel
Many of these numbers fluctate, up and down, with no apparent explanation. This list records the highest number reliably reported for each matter, under the theory that reality with catch up with reports, as is relentlessly the case.
The Palestinian resistance says that the losses of the Israeli forces are much greater than what is announced. 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."
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.
Abraham Wyner, Professor of Statistics and Data Science at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, reported 06 March 2024 that : "While the evidence is not dispositive, it is highly suggestive that a process unconnected or loosely connected to reality was used to report the numbers.... Another red flag, raised by Salo Aizenberg and written about extensively, is that if 70% of the casualties are women and children and 25% of the population is adult male, then either Israel is not successfully eliminating Hamas fighters or adult male casualty counts are extremely low. This by itself strongly suggests that the numbers are at a minimum grossly inaccurate and quite probably outright faked.... Taken together, Hamas is reporting not only that 70% of casualties are women and children but also that 20% are fighters. This is not possible unless Israel is somehow not killing noncombatant men, or else Hamas is claiming that almost all the men in Gaza are Hamas fighters....
"Israel estimates that at least 12,000 fighters have been killed. If that number proves to be even reasonably accurate, then the ratio of noncombatant casualties to combatants is remarkably low: at most 1.4 to 1 and perhaps as low as 1 to 1. By historical standards of urban warfare, where combatants are embedded above and below into civilian population centers, this is a remarkable and successful effort to prevent unnecessary loss of life while fighting an implacable enemy that protects itself with civilians."
This makes perfect sense under a third possibility, namely that the IDF doing a really good job of targeting male combatants, most of whom are in proximity to their families. There are no HAMAS barracks, so everyone lives at home, en famille. Co-habiting extended families are common [hence reports of dozens of family members killed in a single strike]. The HAMAS battalions are organized by neighborhoods, so it would not be surprising that multiple HAMAS combatants live in a single building. So casualties structured as one male combatant, one female cohabitant, and two children are approximately consistent with both expectations and reports.
Lord Roberts of Belgravia (Con) stated 08 February 2024 "My Lords, even if we were to take as accurate Hamas’s statistics and the 27,500 figure — there is no reason why we should; we do not do that with Putin or ISIS — if one subtracts the number of Gazans who have been killed by the quarter or so of the Islamic Jihad and Hamas rockets that fall short, one is left with a less than 2:1 ratio of civilians to Hamas terrorists killed, of whom there have been more than 9,000 so far. War is hell, and every individual civilian death is a tragedy, but — I speak as a military historian — less than 2:1 is an astonishingly low ratio for modern urban warfare where the terrorists routinely use civilians as human shields. It is a testament to the professionalism, ethics and values of the Israel Defense Forces."
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