Operation Iron Swords - Day 172 - 26 March 2024

Contents

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

“At any point, Hamas could have ended this burgeoning tragedy to
surrender and release every hostage. …
Hamas instigated and owns this humanitarian catastrophe.”
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA)

War Termination

Hamas said that it informed the negotiations mediators that it "sticks to its original position" in its demands for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, withdrawal of the Israeli troops from the Strip and return of displaced Palestinians and a “real” exchange of “prisoners."

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Tuesday issued a statement after Hamas' rejection of the truce proposal, marking Israel's withdrawal from the negotiations in Qatar. "Hamas's position clearly proves that it is not interested in continuing negotiations for a deal, and is an unfortunate testimony to the damage of the [United Nations] Security Council's decision." "Hamas once again rejected any American compromise proposal and repeated its extreme demands: an immediate end to the war, a complete withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip and the remaining in power so that it could repeat the massacre of October 7 again and again, as it had promised to do," read the statement.

"Israel will not submit to the delusional demands of Hamas, and will continue to act to achieve all the goals of the war: to release all the abductees, to destroy the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel."

israeli N12 TV reported the negotiation teams analyzed Hamas' answer throughout the night, actually until 5:00 in the morning, to examine what the next Israeli step would be. After the discussion with the mediators and after consulting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Mossad head David Barnea ordered the teams to return from Doha to Israel. "Hamas' answer is ridiculous and left no room for doubt. Sinwar does not want to move forward with a deal at the moment," explained a senior Israeli official familiar with the details of the negotiations.

The senior Israeli official added that "under the conditions created, when he is in a tunnel surrounded by hostages as a human shield with food and medicine, and when the diplomatic pressure is exerted on Israel even more strongly - he still dreams of unifying the sectors in Ramadan." According to him, "in the meantime he is gaining time".

In Hamas's detailed answer, the terrorist organization reiterates its desire to determine the identity of the prisoners with blood on their hands who will be released, and demand to determine which murderers serving life sentences will be released. Regarding the issue of the northern Gaza Strip, Israel indicated a number of IDPs that it is willing to return under inspection and categories, Hamas returned a very strict answer: the complete cancellation of the drain (the checkpoint between the two parts of the Strip) and the return of all Gaza residents to the northern Strip.

Among the negotiating teams, there is no consensus as to how much Israel has done to create a breakthrough. Even tonight, after Hamas' answer, General (resp.) Nitzan Alon from the professional level, and Minister Gadi Eisenkot from the political level - believe that a real mandate was not given and we did not create a reality that Hamas did not could have refused her.

At the negotiating levels there is also great frustration that there are no significant military levers of pressure. The action in Shifa is spot-on. The massive pressure from Israel is more on the mediators, especially on Qatar, to activate its levers. Or as an Israeli source told N12: "As soon as it seems that a family of Hamas was expelled from Qatar - we will know that they are doing what they have to do to generate interest for them."

Following the deadlock in the negotiations, the spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, Majed Al-Ansari, said at a press conference that "the talks in Gaza continue between the parties at the level of technical teams, part of the Israeli delegation is still present in Doha and it is not withdrawing. We are hopeful, but we cannot now talk about A specific timetable for negotiations. We continue with our partners in the mediation efforts."

The US did not receive the Israeli statement well, with two senior officials stating that it had angered the White House, which described it as an attempt by Netanyahu to continue the dispute with Washington, which was exacerbated one day prior to the UNSC session. "This statement is inaccurate in almost every respect and unfair to the hostages and their families," one official said. "Hamas' response was prepared before the UN vote even took place. We will not play politics with this most important and difficult issue, and we will remain focused on a deal to free the remaining hostages," the US official continued. An advisor to Netanyahu shortly after responded to the official, saying, "Hamas welcomed the UN Security Council resolution and the hostage talks got stuck — this tells you everything you need to know."

However, the US, Qatar, and Egypt remain optimistic, calling the current situation a "pause" and that talks could resume in a few days, a source said, according to Axios. "The Israelis went back to consult. Everybody still wants to keep talking, so we don't think it's over," the source said.

But another official said that it was a mistake to assume that the Resistance wasn't serious about its demand from the start, describing the current deadlock as much more serious than believed. "A lot of people thought Hamas wasn't serious in its demands and that the mediators can squeeze them into a compromise. It didn't happen. It should have been clear from the start but some people didn't want to see it," the Israeli official said, adding that Netanyahu did not provide the delegation with enough mandate to help the team make progress. Furthermore, the official said that the Resistance did not change its stance despite the Israeli military attacks and pressures from the mediations, especially with regard to the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza.

"We are dramatically stuck. It's not for show. There is a substantial gap. We can engage in a blame game but it won't bring the hostages back. If we want a deal, we need to acknowledge reality," the Israeli official said.

According to Axios sources, Israel agreed to release 700 Palestinian prisoners, including 100 with "life sentences", in return for Hamas releasing 40 captives. However, Israelis ignored the main pillars conditioned by the Resistance for any deal to take place. A Palestinian Resistance source confirmed to Al Mayadeen earlier that the round of negotiations in Doha "did not lead to anything new" due to the Israeli occupation's stance being "very obstinate". The source added that "Israel has not offered anything new, except agreeing to a gradual and conditional return of the displaced."

Hamas responded to the proposal on Monday evening, reiterating its main conditions, which included a comprehensive ceasefire, the lifting of the siege on Gaza, the return of forcibly displaced Palestinians to the north, and the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the Strip. But the occupation only agreed to a "gradual return" of 2,000 Palestinians per day to northern Gaza, while completely ignoring the rest of the Resistance's demands. In a Monday statement, the Resistance also announced that it had informed the Qatari and Egyptian mediators that it is firm about its terms. "The responsibility for the failure of the negotiations is on Netanyahu and his extremist government," Hamas said.

Israel, on the other hand, saw that Hamas is counting on the international public pressure to force the occupation to end the war on Gaza, claiming that the Resistance doesn't want the talks to proceed regardless of Israeli compromises. "When the director of Mossad read Hamas' written response it was clear we are at a dead-end and that Hamas doesn't want to move forward regardless of the Israeli willingness to compromise. They just want to drag it out so that international pressure on Israel to end the war grows even stronger," a senior Israeli official said.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Tuesday that the Hamas movement has no place in the future political system in Palestine. “Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that committed terrorist attacks long before October 7, and then of course carried out the heinous attacks on October 7, so they have no right to participate politically,” Miller said. The US State Department spokesman added that instead of launching a military campaign, the long-term goal of providing security for Israel and its citizens can be achieved by reaching a political solution with the Palestinian people.

Before that, Israel accused Hamas of presenting “fake” demands in the indirect negotiations regarding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli side believes that the movement is not interested in the deal. Miller also denied the validity of what was stated in a statement by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the collapse of ceasefire talks and the exchange of prisoners between Israel and Hamas due to the Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Operational Update

Operational Update - Gaza

The Hamas government information office confirmed on Tuesday that 18 people were killed after trying, on Monday, to collect aid dropped by planes at sea and on land in the northern Gaza Strip, which is witnessing a devastating war. The source said that 12 of them drowned off the northern Gaza Strip governorate, where dozens of hungry citizens entered the sea to obtain aid dropped by planes into the sea. Six other citizens were killed as a result of stampedes in more than one place when they were trying to obtain aid that was dropped by planes incorrectly, also in light of the ongoing famine, according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.

Earlier Tuesday, the Hamas Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip confirmed that seven Gazans were killed while trying to bring aid that was dropped by planes through parachutes and fell into the sea. The ministry said that one of them died at dawn on Tuesday “as a result of his injury due to drowning in the sea in the northern Gaza Strip,” while the other six drowned on Monday while “trying to obtain aid dropped by planes in the sea.” Six others were injured during the same incident.

The Al-Hurra website was unable to confirm the accuracy of what Hamas reported from independent sources.

Aid is being dropped by air almost daily to compensate for the lack of aid entering the Gaza Strip by land, where the population is on the brink of starvation due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, according to Agence France-Presse. A sea corridor was also launched from Cyprus, through which a ship carried aid from an American charitable organization that was distributed in Gaza a week ago.

But relief agencies say that the landing and sea corridor do not replace the need to bring aid through the land crossings into the besieged sector.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) disclosed the statements made by terrorists on the use of hospitals, schools and other “similar places” as hiding spots to carry out their activities. "About 600 to 1,000 Hamas operatives hiding in the hospital," one of the terrorists was quoted as saying about the Al Shifa hospital. The investigation was led by the IDF's Unit 504, who also discovered details of the weapons being stored in the hospital area. "The operatives are in all the buildings, scattered everywhere," a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist told the investigators about the terror groups' presence in the area.

During another interrogation, of an operative from Hamas, he spoke about the groups' use of civilian infrastructure, saying "Terrorists have no safe place to be except in hospitals, so they are in schools or similar places." In addition, the IDF statement pointed out Hamas's organized infrastructure in the hospital, which has been used by the organization's senior officials for planning and directing terror attacks.

Operational Update - Judea-Samaria

The Nablus Brigade of the Al-Quds Brigades announced this morning that occupation vehicles and soldiers were targeted in Balata Camp with bullets and explosive devices. Al-Alam TV correspondent in Jenin reported that the occupation forces have stormed several areas in the West Bank since last night. Al-Alam's correspondent added that the occupation forces withdrew this morning from Balata camp , east of Nablus, after the Nablus Brigade confronted them with bullets and explosive devices. She noted that there was a violent incursion into the city of Jenin by the occupation, and these incursions were concentrated in the eastern neighborhood of the city of Jenin.

The Al-Alam correspondent confirmed that there was a low flight of warplanes and occupation marches over the skies of Jenin Governorate, adding that these planes are monitoring the movements of the resistance fighters in the Jenin camp and also in the neighboring villages and towns. We have also recently witnessed recording of the assassinations of a large number of these resistance fighters via Israeli drones.

It is noteworthy that, at dawn on Tuesday, a Palestinian was injured by Israeli occupation forces’ bullets during the storming of Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, in the West Bank. The Palestinian Red Crescent spokesman said that ambulance crews transported a young man (27 years old) injured by live bullets in the foot to the hospital during the storming of Balata camp.

Operational Update - Lebanon

The border between Lebanon and Israel is witnessing ongoing tension, with the intensity of clashes escalating , while the UNIFIL leadership operating in Lebanon renewed calls for all actors to lay down their weapons and recommit to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and work towards a political and diplomatic solution.

The Lebanese Hezbollah announced on Tuesday that it had targeted the Israeli Yarden barracks in the occupied Syrian Golan with more than 50 missiles, and bombed two other sites, confirming direct hits. Hezbollah explained in a statement: “In support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their valiant and honorable resistance, and in response to the Zionist enemy’s attack that struck the Bekaa, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance were targeted at 04:20 in the afternoon of Tuesday, 26 03-2024 Yardun Barracks in the occupied Syrian Golan - the main command headquarters in wartime - with more than 50 Katyusha rockets.

Hezbollah added: “In support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their valiant and honorable resistance, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted at (05:05) in the afternoon on Tuesday 03/26/2024 a military force of Israeli enemy soldiers.” In the vicinity of the Zibdin barracks in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms with appropriate weapons, they hit it directly.”

The party confirmed in another statement: “The Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted, at 05:30 in the afternoon, on Tuesday 03/26/2024, a gathering of Israeli enemy soldiers in the vicinity of the Ruwaisat Al-Alam site in the occupied Lebanese Kfar Shuba hills with missile weapons and wounded it.” directly".

An RT correspondent reported on Tuesday that Israeli aircraft carried out raids targeting the plain of the town of Budai, west of the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon , resulting in casualties. The Israeli Broadcasting Authority also reported that the army “launched raids on targets in Baalbek, Lebanon, in response to the targeting of an air surveillance unit in Meron.”

The border between Lebanon and Israel is still witnessing ongoing tension , with the intensity of clashes escalating. Meanwhile, the UNIFIL leadership operating in Lebanon renewed “calls for all actors to lay down their weapons, recommit to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and work towards a political and diplomatic solution.”

Israeli aircraft carried out raids targeting the plain of the town of Budai, west of the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, resulting in casualties. According to the RT correspondent, “Israeli warplanes launched a missile raid targeting the plain of the town of Budai, west of the city of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon.” On Tuesday afternoon, the Israeli army also targeted a small truck between the plain of the town of Al-Ain and Wadi Fa'ra in the Wadi Al-Nira area of Baalbek.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that the army “launched raids on targets in Baalbek, Lebanon, in response to targeting an air control unit in Meron.” Lebanese media reported that "Israeli aircraft carried out an air strike with two missiles targeting the outskirts of Maroun al-Ras Park, and this was followed by artillery and phosphorus bombardment on the outskirts of the towns of Maroun al-Ras, Aitaroun, and the town of Aita al-Shaab."

The border town of Rmeish, in southern Lebanon, witnessed tension between the people of the town, which has a Christian majority, and members of Hezbollah, who attempted to launch missiles towards Israel from near inhabited homes, which raised objections and residents’ fears of the consequences. In detail, a citizen from the town of Rmeish, in the Bint Jbeil District, intercepted two vehicles containing Hezbollah members who attempted to set up a missile platform between the houses of the village near one of the town’s schools, but the members responded to the citizen with gunfire, according to what the mayor of Rmeish confirmed in his interview with Al-Hurra website.

Subsequently, a number of the town’s residents gathered and rang church bells to express their objection to exposing their town to the danger of Israeli bombing. Video clips circulated from near the town's church documenting the gathering and the ringing of the bells, and were widely circulated on social networking sites among Lebanese and politicians who expressed their solidarity with the town and the move of its people.

The mayor of Rmeish says that the town and its people are “against Israel more than anyone, and we do not object to the principle of confronting it. Even the fact that the people remain in the village and not move from it despite the imminent dangers, is in itself an act of confrontation and a symbol of the steadfastness of the South.” But he explains that the only demand of the town’s people is “the safety of our people and not exposing them to danger, especially since the town is still densely populated with the presence of about 7,000 people who have not been displaced from it, practicing their normal lives and moving around in the town and conducting their agricultural work. Our only concern is their security and safety,” pointing out that there are no There is no political background to the problem.

Operational Update - Syria / Iraq

Air attacks have been reported against Iranian-backed forces in Deir Ezzor province. The attacks hit the Al-Salihiyya area in the city of Al-Bukamal, residential areas in Al-Mayadin and the Al-Qusur area in the city of Deir ez-Zor. Iranian sources report that 10 different targets were attacked simultaneously and that the attack was carried out by US forces. The series of strikes appears to be a response to the recent rocket attack on the military airfield in Harrab al-Jair, which is used by US forces based at bases in the Syrian province of Hasakah. The attack was the first since a stated agreement between the commander of the IRGC Quds Force and pro-Iranian groups to stop attacks on American military targets in Syria and Iraq, which one unnamed group did not agree with.

US forces launched more airstrikes in eastern Syria near the Iraq border, targeting residential areas and military sites in Deir ez-Zur province, including al-Mayadin and Al-Bukamal, with 10 strikes reported simultaneously on Tuesday morning. At least 20 people, including women and children, were injured in the attack, but no further details were provided. The United States justifies these airstrikes as part of its counterterrorism efforts.

Syria has consistently criticized these actions, urging the United Nations to intervene and halt US military activities in the country. Since the onset of foreign-sponsored militancy in 2011, Syria has accused Israel, along with its Western and regional allies, of supporting terrorist groups.

The US military has stationed troops in northeastern Syria under the guise of preventing oilfields from falling into Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) hands. Damascus alleges this deployment aims to exploit Syria's mineral wealth. These attacks, coupled with Israeli attacks, worsen the humanitarian crisis in Syria. Iran condemned the US airstrikes as illegal, emphasizing its advisory role in Syria, which was approved by Damascus, unlike the unconsented US presence.

Operational Update - Yemen

"You will not pass from here". This is the message of the Yemeni armed forces to American and British ships and warships or ships heading towards the Israeli occupation entity. The spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, confirmed that six military operations were carried out within seventy-two hours with a large number of ballistic missiles and drones.

He added that the operations targeted four American and British ships that were in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea and were heading to the ports of occupied Palestine , in addition to targeting two American war destroyers in the Red Sea. Saree explained that the missile force carried out a military operation in which it targeted a number of targets belonging to the occupying entity in Eilat, southern occupied Palestine, indicating that the military operations successfully achieved their goals.

US Central Command had announced that its forces clashed with six right-wing drones south of the Red Sea. It also indicated that the Yemeni forces fired four anti-ship ballistic missiles in the Red Sea near a Panama-flagged oil tanker owned by China, and a fifth ballistic missile towards the ship, causing damage to it and causing a fire that was extinguished without causing any casualties. Ambre Maritime Security Company also reported that a ship flying the Liberian flag linked to the Israeli occupation entity was attacked after it stopped in Saudi Arabia while on its way to India.

During the past few days, American-British aircraft launched air strikes on several areas of the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, and other areas in the Hodeidah Governorate, northwest of the country. Despite the bombing, the Yemeni forces continue to support the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip, stressing that they will not stop targeting American and British interests and the occupying entity until the final aggression against the Gaza Strip is expected.

The Yemeni Armed Forces announced the implementation of six military operations during the past 72 hours, using a number of ballistic missiles and drones, targeting four ships and two military destroyers in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, and a number of Israeli targets in the Umm al-Rashrash area in southern occupied Palestine. The Armed Forces explained in a statement that the naval forces and the missile force carried out four joint operations on four ships, including the American ship MAERSK SARATOGA in the Gulf of Aden, the American ship APL DETROIT in the Red Sea, the British ship HUANG PU in the Red Sea, and the ship PRETTY LADY), which was heading to the ports of occupied Palestine.

The statement indicated that the Air Force carried out a qualitative military operation targeting two American warship destroyers in the Red Sea, while the missile force carried out a military operation targeting a number of Israeli targets in the Umm al-Rashrash area in southern occupied Palestine. The text of the statement follows:

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Almighty said: {These are those who have believed in me. If you support you, God will help you and make your feet firm.} God Almighty has spoken the truth. In victory over
the oppression of the Palestinian people and inaugurating the tenth year of steadfastness in the face of the American-British aggression against our country,
the Yemeni armed forces carried out six military operations during Over the past 72 hours, a large number of ballistic missiles and drones were used, as follows:
The naval forces and the missile force carried out four joint operations on four ships, including the American ship MAERSK SARATOGA in the Gulf of Aden, the American ship APL DETROIT in the Red Sea, and the ship ( The British HUANG PU in the Red Sea and the ship PRETTY LADY, which was heading to the ports of occupied Palestine.
The Air Force, with the help of God Almighty, carried out a qualitative military operation targeting two American war destroyers in the Red Sea.
The missile force, with the help of God Almighty, carried out a military operation in which it targeted a number of Israeli targets in the Umm al-Rashrash area, south of occupied Palestine. The military operations achieved their goals successfully, with the help of God Almighty.
The Yemeni Armed Forces, dedicating these military operations to all the Mujahideen in the Palestinian resistance factions in the Gaza Strip, confirm their continuation of carrying out more operations against all hostile targets and confirming the continuation of the decision to prevent Israeli navigation or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine in the Red and Arabian Seas and in the Indian Ocean until... Stop the aggression and lift the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
God is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs, the best Lord and the best supporter.
Long live Yemen, free, mighty and independent.
Victory belongs to Yemen and to all the free people of the nation.
Sana’a, Ramadan 16, 1445 AH,
corresponding to March 26, 2024 AD

Maps

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.

Bystanders

The UN Charter in article 25 provides that UN members “agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council in accordance with the present Charter.”31 While this provision suggests that Security Council actions under any provision might bind all UN members, because some decisions of the Security Council are of a recommendatory nature while others of an obligatory nature, the legal force of any given decision is subject to interpretation.

One reading of chapters VI and VII suggests that resolutions under chapter VII may be binding while those under chapter VI may not be. In the Advisory Opinion on Namibia, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1970 found "The language of a resolution of the Security Council should be carefully analysed before a conclusion can be made as to its binding effect. In view of the nature of the powers under Article 25, the question whether they have been in fact exercised is to be determined in each case, having regard to the terms of the resolution to be interpreted, the discussions leading to it, the Charter provisions invoked and, in general, all circumstances that might assist in determining the legal consequences of the resolution of the Security Council." There is general agreement that sanctions resolutions in which article 41 is specifically referenced are binding on member states.

The Council has general powers under articles 24 and 25 to adopt binding decisions and such decisions do not need to be always taken under Chapter VII. n Even when the Council does use its Chapter VII powers, it is not essential to have an explicit reference to Chapter VII or a particular article thereof. Although the Charter does not expressly prescribe a particular form for adopting binding decisions, Council practice suggests that resolutions are the primary vehicle for binding decisions. . There have been a few resolutions that appear intended to be under Chapter VII that do not mention that chapter expressly.

Not all resolutions invoking chapter VII are necessarily binding, because recommendations are one option within chapter VII and the Security Council sometimes adopts non-binding language in resolutions explicitly invoking chapter VII. Where the Security Council begins a paragraph indicating it “urges” or “invites,” rather than “decides,” the provision is likely intended to be exhortatory and not binding. When the Security Council begins a paragraph saying it “calls upon” or “endorses,” the paragraph is ambiguous as to whether it is intended to be binding.

Attempts have been made in the past 15-20 years to promote, as a form of best practice, a policy that, when a Council resolution is intended to contain binding provisions, it should include:

• a determination of the existence of a threat to international peace, a breach of the peace or an act of aggression in accordance with article 39;
• the chapeau “acting under Chapter VII;” and
• the verb “decides” in the resolution’s relevant operative paragraphs.

A Chapter VII resolution may not be entirely binding. On the other hand, a binding resolution does not seem to need to invoke Chapter VII explicitly. Over time, the heated atmosphere surrounding the negotiation of various resolutions has become clouded by mythology about Chapter VII and that has sometimes provided disagreement, since article 25 of the Charter provides that all decisions by the Security Council shall be accepted and carried out by the Member States of the Organization. The use of the word “decides” has since prompted a legal and political discussion as to whether it should be interpreted as a binding decision in the meaning of article 25.

Council language often does display a degree of ambiguity and that this stems from the complex bargaining that frequently precedes the adoption of a resolution. This process is governed by the need for political compromise and sometimes the urgency of a particular situation. These factors often trump a more careful consideration of wording and clarity.

Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf confirmed during a press conference on Tuesday that the ceasefire decision in Gaza is permanent, unconditional and non-interim, and that failure to submit to Security Council resolutions is subject to sanctions. Ahmed Attaf added, "If international law has meaning, then Security Council resolutions are binding, regardless of the circumstances and illusions of the parties concerned."

The Algerian minister stated that if the decision had not been binding, the Israeli response would not have been like this, indicating that he had entered into hysteria. He stated that the decision is historic , especially from the ten countries that belong to the four continents who ensured its preparation. He explained in his statements that starting Wednesday, closed consultations will begin in the Security Council to discuss the mechanisms necessary to implement the Security Council’s decision to cease fire in Gaza. He added during the press conference that the issue of Palestine's membership in the United Nations is urgently presenting itself in order to achieve the establishment of the Palestinian state.

Ahmed Ataf stressed the necessity of confronting projects and campaigns to displace residents outside the Gaza Strip, calling for encouraging the trend towards trying Israel before the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. Attaf continued by saying: "We fought to strip the occupier of immunity from accountability and restrict him to international legitimacy. We must not accept the fragmentation of the aggression and respect the Palestinian will in determining the future of the issue." He added: “We have advocated, and we are still advocating, to work to activate an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and provide legal protection for the Palestinian people in accordance with what is stipulated in international conventions,” continuing by saying, “Algeria has always confirmed and confirms that the Palestinian issue is a priority, as President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has always stressed.” To focus diplomatic efforts and urge the revival of a political solution after it has been stalled and absent for more than 25 years.”

In his speech, he stressed “the necessity of upholding international legitimacy in letter and spirit to revive the peace process in the Middle East and reach a permanent and final solution,” noting that they always focus on the establishment of the Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with its capital, Al-Quds Al-Sharif. In the context, he stated that “the transitional governance project will not succeed without including it within the framework of establishing an independent Palestinian state,” stressing that advancing the Palestinian reconciliation project is an urgent necessity to revive the Palestinian project.

The Algerian Foreign Minister stated that, based on these gains, Algeria will continue its efforts in the Security Council, noting that “the next steps will focus on following up on the implementation of the resolution, stopping the aggression, and working to secure the arrival of aid to Gaza without restrictions.”

Axis of Resistance

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with the Head of the Political Bureau of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Tuesday evening. The Leader stressed that the Palestinians' historical patience honored Islam and made the issue of Palestine the first issue of the world. The Islamic Republic of Iran would not hesitate to support the Palestinian issue and the oppressed people of Gaza.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, for his part, said that the patience and resistance of the people of Gaza and the Resistance forces during the last six months has caused the Zionist enemy to not achieve any of its strategic goals in the Gaza war. He also hailed the efforts of the Iranian government and nation in supporting Palestine and the people of Gaza. The war in Gaza is a world war and the American ruling body is the main accomplice of the Zionists, Haniyeh added.

Haniyeh said the Zionist regime is facing “unprecedented isolation” in the world, a day after the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Speaking at a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran on Tuesday, Haniyeh said the resolution indicates that “the Israeli occupation is experiencing unprecedented political isolation.”

The Hamas chief added that the resolution, passed on Monday, also showed that the United States is no longer able to impose its will on the international community. The US, the Israeli regime’s main political and military supporter, did not use its veto power and abstained from voting, allowing the resolution to be adopted. Although it was delayed and has some shortcomings, the Security Council resolution is a sign of the unique resistance of the Palestinian people, Haniyeh said.

Despite incurring heavy costs in the war on Gaza, the Zionist regime has failed to achieve its military goals and is instead losing political and international support, he noted. He also expressed hope that Muslims worldwide would have a stronger presence at this year’s Quds Day rallies, held each year on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani, welcomed the UN Security Council's resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza as a positive but insufficient step. Kanaani said in a short statement on Monday midnight that after six months of failure to adopt a deterring resolution on Israel’s “war crimes and genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza, the UN Security Council vote was “a positive but insufficient step”.

"A more important step than adopting this resolution is [an] effective action to implement it,” Kannani said. He also called for the complete and long-term cessation of Zionist regime’s aggression against Gaza and the southwestern coast, the cessation of the Gaza siege, and the reopening of humanitarian aid crossings. Kanaani also advocated for international assistance and resources to begin immediate reconstruction of Gaza, particularly homes, critical infrastructure, and hospitals.

Kanaani described the "child-killing Zionist regime's" response to the resolution as a clear indication of their anger over their "irreparable defeat both on the field and in international politics." He expressed his expectation that the UN Security Council would hold the regime accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people over the last six months, as well as any potential continuation of these atrocities despite the resolution.

The UN Security Council approved a resolution for an immediate ceasefire during Ramadan and the release of Israeli captives, with the US abstaining from vetoing it. The resolution was globally welcomed but opposed by Israel. This decision followed Israel's raid on Al Shifa hospital that resulted in the deaths of over a dozen patients. As fighting continued around the al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza on Tuesday, the al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis remained non-operational due to an Israeli siege.

Iran's representative to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Mojtaba Reza Khwah, said that since the formation of the Israeli colonial entity, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been aware of its genocidal nature and has therefore always stood against the illegal occupation of Palestine. Redha Khwah added: The crimes of the Israeli entity in Al-Shifa, Al-Mamadani, and Nasser hospitals and its attacks on Palestinian women are extremely arrogant, and that many crimes have occurred that have not been announced due to the absence of the media.

He continued that the Islamic Republic of Iran , since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, and at the behest of Imam Khomeini (may God be pleased with him), has established the International Day of Jerusalem, in which millions of Iranians participate, on the last Friday of the blessed month of Ramadan. He criticized Western double standards regarding human rights and asked: Do the millions of Palestinian mothers, children, journalists, and doctors who have been displaced, displaced, and killed not deserve to form several international fact-finding committees? Shouldn't those with the Western veto, in light of the testing of their latest weapons on our Palestinian brothers, bear responsibility?

Reza Khwah, a deputy in the Islamic Shura Council, added: We in the Islamic Republic of Iran have always stressed that peace is impossible without achieving justice.

Hamas is governed by two entities: its political office in Qatar and its executive arm in Gaza. In Doha, the political bureau of Hamas is headed by Ismail Haniyeh, while in Gaza, Yahya al-Sanwar is the head of the movement’s political bureau and a prominent leader in its military arm, the “Al-Qassam Brigades.”

Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, is in Tehran for talks with Iranian authorities, arriving shortly after the UN Security Council's adoption of a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Haniyeh met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the latest developments in Gaza.

"Examining the latest situation of the war in Gaza and the ongoing aggression of the Zionist regime against the people of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are among the most important agendas of the trip and the talks between the officials of the two sides," official news agency IRNA reported. Since the beginning of Israel's military aggression and genocide against the Palestinians, Iran has used its diplomatic power to try to stop the war and provide immediate humanitarian aid to Gaza. The visit comes at a crucial time, just one day after the ceasefire resolution was adopted, making it Haniyeh's second visit to Iran since the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza in October.

Haniyeh, who is based in the Qatari capital of Doha, previously met with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in November.

The media website (KHAMENEI.IR) published a report by the writer Muhammad Mehdi Abbasi that presented the consequences of America’s wrong position and choice in its war on Gaza, which revealed the true essence of American human rights in the world, made it a pariah, and scattered its plans and calculations in the region.

“Perhaps there are few living consciences today in America and the West in general that can remain silent and floundering in the face of one of the greatest crimes of the past hundred years. More than 32 thousand victims of the crime that claimed their lives in Gaza, and according to the words of one United Nations official, It is the highest rate of genocide in the world since the genocide in Rwanda. Now one person is protesting his country's participation in this genocide by burning himself in front of the Zionist embassy, another is resigning from an important position in the US State Department, and another is participating in anti-war demonstrations in the streets of Washington. New York and San Francisco!.

On the other hand, the American government finds itself, contrary to the will of the majority of Americans, in a crisis and a huge quagmire. For participating in the brutal killing of the people of Gaza at the hands of the Zionist entity. In his speech on the occasion of Nowruz a few days ago, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khamenei, used an accurate expression of the US government’s position on the Gaza crisis, saying that it was “choosing the worst possible position,” and enumerated three dangerous consequences of this wrong choice:

The true essence of American human rights has been demonstrated to the world. In the first days of the war, Joe Biden traveled to Tel Aviv to announce his support for the Zionist entity. It was also the first bill approved by the US Congress after a period of recess, approving the US aid package for Israel. These days, the American government is looking forward to approving another package worth $14 billion to aid the Zionist entity. In addition, the Washington Post announced in a controversial report that since the start of the war on Gaza on October 7, America has concluded more than 100 separate military and arms deals with “Israel”! Some US senators, such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren explicitly referred to the US government's role in the current crisis in Gaza.

Therefore, no one in the world today can hide America’s contribution to the brutal crimes committed by the Zionist entity. A partnership that showed the world the true essence of American human rights, and raised the moral face of this country.

In his speech on the occasion of Nowruz, Imam Khamenei once again emphasized the influence of the Palestinian resistance and the patience of the people of Gaza in exposing and exposing the claims of civilization and human rights in the West, saying: “The events in Gaza demonstrated the extent of the injustice and darkness that prevail in the world, and the Western world has proven this, this civilized world!” Whoever claims human rights and such matters, what darkness dominates the lives, thoughts and actions of these people?

America has become more of a pariah in the region and the world. In recent months, various cities around the world have witnessed marches and mass gatherings to protest the crimes of the Zionist entity in Gaza, and America’s participation in them. The protests even reached the heart of America, that is, Washington, DC, and inside the US Congress building. Interestingly, this general hatred of the US government even extended to the US elections. In the Democratic Party primaries in some important states, such as Michigan, more than 100,000 people used the “Uncommitted” option, which is considered a type of protest vote, in response to the Biden administration’s policies towards Gaza.

Opposition to America among the governments of the region has increased over recent months, as has popular anger toward this country among Islamic peoples. CNN reported that the Biden administration has received dire warnings from American diplomats throughout the Arab world that America’s support for the heinous Zionist military campaign in Gaza will cost America the loss of public opinion among the Arab people for an entire generation. A new poll conducted by the Washington Institute also confirms this claim. According to this poll conducted for residents of 6 Arab countries in the region, only 7% of the residents of these countries believe that America played a positive role in the Gaza war! Also, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the famous Al-Ahram newspaper in Egypt declared in a memorandum some time ago that America is the number one enemy of the Arab world today! The negative vote of the countries of the region on the recent decisions of America and its allies in the United Nations is further evidence of this issue.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution analyzes the relationship between America's severe decline in the region and its performance regarding Gaza as follows: “America took the worst possible position in the Gaza issue. She did something that made her an outcast in the whole world. Those who demonstrate in defense of Palestine in the streets of London, Paris, and other European countries, and in America itself, are in fact expressing their disgust with America. Yes, America has become a pariah in the world. “She was an outcast in the area, and she became an outcast tenfold.”

The Gaza war has proven that there is no longer a place for America and its policies in West Asia. Perhaps the first and largest plan of the Americans, which was destroyed by the resistance; It was a project to normalize relations between Arab and Islamic countries with the Zionist entity. The latest estimates indicate that public opinion in the Arab world these days strongly opposes recognition of the Zionist entity. For example: According to a new opinion poll, 89% of the Arab world opposes recognizing the state of Israel. This number is not only an almost unanimous position against normalization in the Arab world, but it is also a 5 percent increase in opposition to the Zionist entity compared to the 2022 poll, in which 84 percent opposed recognition of “Israel.”

Political thinkers and analysts in the West also acknowledged the failure of this plan during the past few months. For example: “I think the biggest casualty of these recent events is the issue of normalization of Saudi-Israeli relations,” Frederick Kemp, CEO of the Atlantic Council, said in an interview a few weeks ago. “There was a horizon for reaching an agreement; People gave him 50/50 luck, but now the luck is zero.” Or Zainab Ribois, a prominent researcher at the Hudson Institute in America, who believes that the first achievement of the Hamas movement and the axis of resistance in the recent war is stopping the normalization of relations between the Arabs and the Zionist entity. America's main acting power in the region, the Zionist entity, was also subjected to strong blows during these months, and today, in addition to the military losses and heavy economic costs of the Gaza war, it is also facing widespread internal tensions and disputes.

Regarding the cost that the resistance front brought to America in the region, Imam Khamenei says the following: “The resistance has revealed its true existence, capabilities and status and has proven to the world the meaning of resistance. “These people have scattered all of America’s accounts.”

in conclusion; Today, America is paying a heavy price for its wrong choice in dealing with the Gaza crisis. Every minute that this war continues, the Biden administration will become more and more mired in domestic anger, and America’s decline internationally will also accelerate.”

Allied for Democracy

'Diplomatic pressure is meaningless to Hamas,' senior Israeli official told i24news. In contrast, 'to Israel, it can be perilous, as Mr. Biden well knows. His fence-sitting opens up Israel to more pressure to end the war while Hamas still reigns in part of Gaza'. "The feeling is that the passing of the resolution at the [United Nations Security Council] UNSC has weakened Israel's position and leads to more calls for a cessation of the fighting, thereby preventing Israel from achieving the goals of the war." The Israeli official also said that Israel has chosen "to remain silent vis-à-vis its relations with the United States since announcing it will not send the delegation to Washington." According to the source, Israel seeks not to "inflame the situation beyond the damage caused last night."

With the resolution of the dispute crisis with the Biden administration, the resignation of Minister Gideon Sa'ar from the emergency government came, increasing the possibilities of the fall of Netanyahu's government. Sa'ar's resignation is due to his not being included in the war council, according to what the minister himself announced, adding that he will not be able to bear responsibility as long as he does not have any influence. He criticized what he called the slowdown in the conduct of military operations in the Gaza Strip , which prolonged the war in the Strip, and also prolonged the conflict on the northern front with Hezbollah, which means the continuation of the crisis of tens of thousands of displaced settlers from the north.

The resignation crisis opened the doors to a more complex coalition crisis. Although Netanyahu does not oppose Sa’ar joining the war council, his joining the council means the joining of both the head of the Jewish Power Party, Itamar Ben Gvir, and the head of the Religious Zionism Alliance, Bezalel Smotrich, which will lead to To the immediate withdrawal of Ministers Gadi Eisenkot and Benny Gantz from the emergency government .

The resignation step was viewed differently between the right and the left inside Israel. While Smotrich considered that Sa’ar’s resignation weakens the soldiers and the continuation of the war in Gaza; Opposition leader Yair Lapid saw the resignation as a first step towards dissolving Netanyahu's government , considering that the resignation speech criticized the conduct of the war and the formation of the war council. Hinting at going to early elections.

Minister in the War Council, Benny Gantz, escalated his rhetoric against Netanyahu, and vowed to resign if the final outline of the conscription law was approved, which in its current form grants religious school students an exemption from compulsory service. Stressing that he will not be able to support a solution that does not enhance equality in the burden, as he put it, internal crises seem to paralyze Netanyahu’s movement at the political level, increase the burden of war, and threaten to prolong the conflict.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, during an official visit to Washington, where the two discussed developments in the Gaza Strip and the war against Hamas. “The negotiations on the hostage issue and Hamas’ positions, require us to join hands in our military and diplomatic efforts, and to increase the pressure [on Hamas]," Gallant was quoted as saying, according to an Israeli readout of the meeting. The U.S. Defense Secretary was quoted as saying the civilian casualties have been “far too high” and entry of aid supplies “far too low." Austin called for the increase of aid delivery by land, and highlighted the safety of those sheltering in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah as a top U.S. priority, a point of tensions with Israel as a military operation has been planned.

Robert Wood, deputy U.S. ambassador to the UN, reiterated the American position, saying "We continue to advise the Israeli government against a major ground operation into Rafah." "We share Israel's goal of defeating Hamas, which is responsible for the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust and we share the goal of ensuring Israel's long term security. As we have said though, a major military ground operation in Rafah is not the way to do it. It risks killing more civilians. It risks wreaking greater havoc with the provision of humanitarian assistance. And so our advice to Israel is there is a better way. That is a message that President Biden, Secretary Blinken, Secretary Austin and Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield all have communicated to senior Israeli officials in recent weeks, and we will continue to emphasize," Wood concluded.

The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken who had just concluded his sixth wartime visit to Israel, reiterated to Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant Washington's “opposition to a major ground operation in Rafah," Hamas' last stronghold that has also become a shelter to the Palestinians displaced since the start of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ground operation in the Strip. Blinken told Gallant that a operation in Rafah, “would further jeopardize the welfare of the more than 1.4 million Palestinian civilians sheltering there.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suddenly canceled his country's high-level delegation's trip to Washington, revealing the widening differences between the Israeli Prime Minister and the administration of US President Joe Biden, according to a report by the Washington Post. Senior Biden administration officials believe they made clear to their Israeli counterparts in ongoing talks over the weekend the possibility of the United States abstaining from voting on a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, rather than using its veto power.

But the White House was surprised by what happened when Netanyahu suddenly canceled a high-level delegation's trip to Washington, which Biden had specifically requested in a phone call last week to discuss US concerns about the large-scale Israeli military operation in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. The remarkable turn of events turned the growing disagreement between Biden and Netanyahu into a “general rift,” according to the Washington Post.

The cancellation of the meeting constitutes a new major obstacle to the efforts of the United States, alarmed by the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, to force Netanyahu to consider alternatives to a ground invasion of Rafah, a relatively safe last refuge for Palestinian civilians, according to Reuters. The threat of such an attack has increased tensions between the United States and Israel, and raised questions about whether the United States might restrict military aid if Netanyahu defies Biden and goes ahead with the attack.

For Biden, who has a deep connection to Israel and has been extremely reluctant to break with Netanyahu, this breach was the culmination of months of frustration. Since the war began with a Hamas attack on October 7, Biden and his senior aides have supported Israel at almost every turn. The support continued even as Netanyahu openly challenged the United States on almost all major issues, including the US administration's desire for the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza, increasing the amount of humanitarian aid reaching the Strip, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

In the face of growing international isolation over the tens of thousands of Palestinians killed in Israeli air and ground strikes in Gaza and the hundreds of thousands more approaching starvation, the administration has repeatedly responded by supporting “Israel’s right to defend itself,” and has continued to send weapons to Israel. Washington often avoided using the word "ceasefire" earlier in the nearly six-month-long war in the Gaza Strip, and used its veto power at the United Nations to protect Israel during its response to Hamas.

But with famine looming in Gaza, and amid mounting global pressure for a truce in the war that Palestinian health authorities say has killed about 32,000 Palestinians, the United States abstained from voting on a resolution calling for a ceasefire during the month of Ramadan, which ends in two weeks.

Frank Lowenstein, a former State Department official who helped lead Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in 2014, pointed to key factors that may have led to widening rifts between Biden and Netanyahu. He spoke to the Washington Post about the deep differences between Washington and Israel over the large ground operation in Rafah, where more than a million Gazans live. They have sought refuge from Israeli attacks in the far north, the catastrophic humanitarian situation, and Israel's announcements of new settlements during US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to the country on Friday.

“Biden did everything he could for months to avoid a major public battle,” Lowenstein said, indicating “a very dangerous shift in the White House’s position toward how to manage the Israelis throughout the remainder of this war.” He added: "The Israelis must either pay attention now or we will most likely continue down this path."

For his part, John Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, stressed that there is no reason for this to be a "deadly blow" to relations. He told Reuters: “So I don’t think the door is closed to anything.”

Biden, who is seeking re-election to a second term in November, is facing pressure not only from Washington's allies but also from a growing number of his Democratic colleagues to rein in Israel's military response to the October 7 Hamas attack in southern Israel, according to Reuters. Netanyahu faces internal challenges of his own, especially demands from members of his far-right coalition to take a tough stance against the Palestinians. He must also convince the hostages' families that he is doing everything to secure their release while facing repeated protests demanding his resignation.

Netanyahu, aware that opinion polls predict his crushing defeat in any election that may be held now, knows that there is widespread support for continuing the war in Gaza among Israelis who are still deeply traumatized by the October 7 attack, so he appears willing to risk testing his tolerance. Washington. All members of Netanyahu's emergency unity government support continuing the war until Hamas is eliminated and the hostages returned, and there has been little sign of willingness to heed US calls for moderation, despite the growing risk of international isolation.

Mara Rodman, who served as Middle East envoy during the Obama administration, explained that although the underlying relationship could withstand the recent spat, “the personal dynamics between Biden and Netanyahu are likely to be particularly tense.” “Geopolitical relations, like personal relations, go through difficult periods,” she said.

Netanyahu also had a tense relationship with President Barack Obama, and the US decision to abstain from a UN Security Council vote condemning Israeli settlements in late 2016 heightened tensions between them. At that time, Netanyahu traveled to Washington to deliver a joint speech before Congress in which he criticized the nuclear agreement proposed by Obama with Iran, bypassing traditional protocol and angering White House officials.

For his part, Aaron David Miller, a former American negotiator in the Middle East who worked with administrations from both the Republican and Democratic parties, told Reuters that the recent dispute “shows that trust between the Biden administration and Netanyahu may be collapsing.” He added: "If the crisis is not managed carefully, it will continue to worsen."

US Senator Bernie Sanders said on Tuesday that the Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip throughout the month of Ramadan "disturbed" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On his account on the “X” platform (formerly Twitter), Sanders indicated that Netanyahu canceled the visit of an Israeli delegation to America after it abstained from voting against the resolution. He explained that what bothered Netanyahu the most was "the return of $3.3 billion in taxpayer money to finance his immoral war (on Gaza). No more money for Netanyahu to starve Palestinian children to death."

In another statement, Senator Sanders criticized the US State Department, which said that [Israel] gave “written assurances” that it would use the weapons it purchased from the United States “in accordance with international law.” Sanders described what the US State Department said about the fact that [Israel] does not violate international law in its war on Gaza and does not interfere in US humanitarian aid to the Palestinians as “nonsense.”

The US Senator said: "The State Department's position is a mockery of American law and the guarantees provided to Congress." He stressed that thousands of Palestinian children suffer from hunger because Netanyahu does not allow trucks loaded with humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.

Operation Iron Swords - By the Numbers

• 74,787 Gazans injured, 28% adult male
• 45,000 bombs dropped in Gaza
• 40,000 Gazans killed, including buried under rubble
• 33,000 Gaza targets attacked
• 32,700 Gazans martyred
• 20,528 Palestinians in Israeli prisons [Haaretz, 20 Mar 2024]
• 15,000 rocket launched from Gaza
• 14,793 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
• 9,920 Gazan women martyred
• 9,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons
• 9,000 IDF psychological assistance
• 8,000 Gazans missing under the rubble
• 7,740 arrested by Israelis in the West Bank since Oct.7th
• 6,000 HAMAS combatants killed [HAMAS]
• 5,500 IDF wounded [reports]
• 4,750 West Bank Palestinians wounded
• 3,484 administrative detainees
• 3,600 wanted persons arrested throughout Judea and Samaria
• 3,079 IDF wounded [IDF]
• 2,100 Gazan women are missing
• 1,609 terrorists killed on the first day
• 1,600 wanted persons arrested throughout Judea and Samaria affiliated with Hamas
• 1,160 Israelis killed on the first day
• 595 Israeli officers and soldiers killed
• 433 West Bank Palestinians martyred
• 252 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.