Operation Iron Swords - Day 173 - 27 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)

Amit Sosana became the first Israeli woman to speak publicly about her exposure to what she says was “sexual assault and other forms of violence,” during 55 days of her detention by the Hamas movement, which is classified as a terrorist group in the United States and other countries, according to a report by the New York Times. Amit Susana (40 years old) was kidnapped on October 7, from Kibbutz Kfar Azza, and appeared in surveillance camera footage resisting her kidnappers. Susana, who was kidnapped from her home by at least 10 men, said she was subjected to a horrific series of events that saw her beaten and dragged to Gaza.

In her interview with the newspaper, Susana recounted what she witnessed during her “detention by Hamas, being held alone, chained from her ankles, and forced to perform sexual acts at gunpoint.” Susana's interviews with the New York Times highlighted the psychological and physical torment she said she experienced at the hands of her kidnappers, and she provided extensive details about her ordeal in several locations in Gaza, including private homes and an underground tunnel.

Susana said that several days after her captivity, her guard began asking her about her sex life. Susana confirmed that she was detained alone in a child’s bedroom, and was chained by her left ankle. She told the New York Times that sometimes, the guard would come in and sit next to her on the bed, lift her shirt and touch her. Susana added that the guard “repeatedly asked her when her period was,” and when her period ended, around October 18, she tried to pretend that she was bleeding for about a week.

Around October 24, the guard, who called himself Muhammad, attacked her, she said. Early that morning, she said, the guard opened her chain and left her in the bathroom. After she took off her clothes and started washing herself in the bathtub, the guard returned and stood in the entrance holding a gun. She added: "He came towards me and put the gun to my forehead." After the guard beat Susana and forced her to remove the towel, he "groped her, made her sit on the edge of the bathtub, and hit her again," she told the New York Times.

She added: "Then he forced me, after pointing the gun at me, to perform a sexual act with him." The Al-Hurra website was unable to verify the accuracy of what the former Israeli hostage of Hamas said through independent sources, and the movement did not comment on what was published by the New York Times until the time of publication of the report.

The New York Times reported that Susana's account is consistent with what she told two doctors and a social worker less than 24 hours after her release on November 30 as part of a week-long truce. The New York Times said, “Their reports (the two doctors and the specialist) regarding what she narrated indicate the nature of the sexual act, and the newspaper agreed not to reveal the ‘details.’”

Earlier in March, the United Nations published a report indicating that rape and gang rape, among other acts of sexual violence, likely occurred during the Hamas attack on October 7. She said there was "clear and convincing" evidence that the hostages were raped while being held in Gaza, and that currently detained prisoners continue to face such abuses.

The oversight board at Meta, the company that owns Facebook, called for an end to the comprehensive ban on the Arabic word “martyr” after a year-long review that concluded that the company’s approach was “exaggerated” and unnecessarily blocked the speech of millions of users. The council said the social media giant should only remove posts containing the word "martyr" when they are linked to clear signs of violence or if they separately violate other Meta rules.

The Meta Oversight Board announced that it had accepted a request from Meta for a policy advisory opinion on its approach to moderating the Arabic term “shaheed,” when used to refer to individuals it classifies as dangerous, including terrorists. As part of this, we are inviting people and organizations to submit public comments. Beyond reviewing individual cases to remove or restore content, the Board can also accept requests from Meta for guidance on its wider content policies. After receiving the request from Meta and input from external stakeholders, the Board provides detailed recommendations on changes that Meta should make to its policies on a given topic.

The Oversight Board has accepted Meta’s request for a policy advisory opinion on its approach to moderating the Arabic word “shaheed” when referring to individuals it classifies as “dangerous,” including terrorists. The word has multiple meanings but is often translated as “martyr,” and accounts for more content removals under the Community Standards than any other single word or phrase on Meta’s platforms. The company acknowledges that its current approach may result in significant over-enforcement, particularly in Arabic-speaking countries, and has explored alternatives. However, it points to the difficulties and tensions in moderating use of the term at scale.

Meta must send the Board's recommendations through its official policy development process and give regular updates on this, including through its newsroom. While the Board's policy advisory opinion is not binding, Meta must provide a public response and follow-on actions within 60 days of receiving our recommendations. To date, the Board has taken on three other policy advisory opinions, publishing its first in February 2022 on the sharing of private residential information on Facebook and Instagram, and its second on Meta’s cross-check program in December 2022. In July 2022 the Board began a review of Meta's COVID-19 misinformation policies.

Meta asked the Board whether it should continue to remove content using “shaheed” to refer to individuals designated as dangerous under its Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy, or whether a different approach would better align with the company’s values and human rights responsibilities. Meta also requests guidance on similar content issues that may arise in the future. Meta says it removes content referring to designated dangerous individuals as “shaheed” because it translates the word as “martyr.” It therefore considers it a form of praise. Praising a designated individual is prohibited under the Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy. However, the company acknowledges that the meaning of “shaheed” varies.

In its request, Meta describes the word “shaheed” as an “honorific” term, used by many communities around the world, across cultures, religions, and languages. The company says the term has “multiple meanings” and is “used to describe someone dying unexpectedly or prematurely, at times referring to an honourable death, such as when one dies in an accident or in a conflict or war.” Meta states that the common English translation is “martyr,” and assumes this meaning for the purposes of content moderation, in all contexts. However, it notes that “there is no direct equivalent to the term in the English language.”

The Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy prohibits “praise, substantive support, or representation of designated entities and individuals.” Its definition of praise includes, giving “a designated entity or event a sense of achievement,” legitimizing “the cause of a designated entity,” and aligning “oneself ideologically with a designated entity or event.” This definition was added following a recommendation by the Board (“Nazi quote” case recommendation two). Because Meta assumes “shaheed” means “martyr,” it is considered a form of praise when used to refer to a designated entity. The Board previously recommended that Meta publish its list of designated entities, or illustrative examples (“Nazi quote” case, recommendation three). Meta has not published the list and provided no further updates on this recommendation following a feasibility assessment.

Removal of the word “shaheed” can result in severe “strikes,” or sanctions, for users. The company acknowledges that its current approach may result in significant over-enforcement, particularly in Arabic-speaking countries. Given the multiple meanings of “shaheed” and difficulties in accounting for context at scale, Meta accepts that it may be removing speech that is “not intended to praise a designated individual.” For example, where "shaheed” is used to refer to a premature death or a deceased person, rather than to glorify their conduct. Meta does not apply its policy exception for neutral news reporting to the word "shaheed,” as it assumes the word not to be neutral.

Because of these concerns, Meta initiated a policy development process in 2020 to reassess its use of the term “shaheed.” This included a research review and stakeholder consultation. Meta describes as key findings of this stakeholder engagement that the meaning of “shaheed” depends on context, and that in some instances the term has become desensitized and disconnected from praise. During this process, Meta identified two scalable policy options for use of the word “shaheed.” However, each had drawbacks, there was no consensus among stakeholders, and Meta did not settle on a new approach. The company emphasizes that due to the volume of content on its platform, a key practical concern is whether enforcement works at scale.

War Termination

The head of the Hamas movement abroad, Khaled Meshaal, revealed the demands of the Hamas movement in the ongoing negotiations regarding Gaza, and the conditions for the release of Israeli prisoners. Meshaal said in a speech during a women’s event in Jordan, “We insist in the negotiations on stopping the aggression, withdrawing from Gaza, returning the displaced to their places, especially in northern Gaza, providing all necessary relief, shelter, and reconstruction, and ending the siege.”

Meshaal stressed that "the Israeli prisoners held by Hamas will not be released except when these goals are achieved," and said: "We are managing the negotiating battle with firmness and good political maneuvering, as we do in the field." Meshaal considered that "we are facing an open battle, which is a turning point in the history of the conflict, and this battle has revealed the ugly face of the enemy on the international scene." Meshaal urged “the nation to engage in the battle and to mix the blood of this nation with the blood of the people of Palestine so that we gain honor and resolve this conflict in our favor.”

Qatar announced on Tuesday that the Doha talks on Gaza are still ongoing between the parties at the level of technical teams , but there is no timetable for the negotiations. Israel and Hamas exchanged accusations regarding who was obstructing the agreement to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip , and each side held the other party responsible for the failure. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council on Monday adopted its first resolution for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The United States did not use its veto against the resolution and abstained from voting, after obstructing previous attempts to issue a resolution by resorting to the veto, making it the first ceasefire resolution adopted by the Council after four previous failures.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said - today, Wednesday - that indirect negotiations are continuing between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) to reach an agreement to exchange prisoners and ceasefire, while the main dispute centers on the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip. This comes the day after Israeli media reports, yesterday, Tuesday, that the negotiations had reached a dead end, and that Tel Aviv had summoned its negotiating delegation from the Qatari capital, Doha.

The Broadcasting Authority quoted unnamed Israeli sources as saying, “Despite Hamas’s negative response to the proposal related to the prisoner exchange deal, negotiations with the movement are continuing.” A senior Israeli official said that the United States is continuing to communicate with the Egyptian and Qatari mediators. While an informed foreign source - which the Commission did not name - reported that the main point of disagreement revolves around the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, but it is still possible to reach a settlement.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that the Israeli War Council will hold a session this evening, Wednesday, to discuss the response of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) to the proposed prisoner exchange deal, while Israeli reports indicate that the main dispute currently focuses on the return of displaced Palestinians to the northern Gaza Strip. Earlier today, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel are still continuing to reach an agreement to exchange prisoners and ceasefire, despite reports that Tel Aviv has summoned its negotiating delegation from the Qatari capital, Doha.

The Broadcasting Corporation quoted unnamed Israeli sources as saying, “Despite Hamas’s negative response to the proposal related to the prisoner exchange deal, negotiations with the movement are continuing.” A foreign source told the Commission that the main point of disagreement revolves around the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, but a settlement can still be reached. At the same time, an Israeli source said that reaching a compromise on the return of the displaced was possible, but the Israeli delegation was not authorized to resolve the issue, he said.

Operational Update

Approximately 253,000 Israelis have been evacuated from settlements in northern and southern occupied Palestine since November 1, according to figures released by the "National Emergency Management Agency" in "Israel" (NEMA), as reported by the Knesset Information and Research Center. Among these, about 94,000 were evacuated or voluntarily relocated to other settlements, while around 88,000 others were transferred to hotels. Additionally, approximately 70,000 settlers decided to evacuate of their own accord. According to the "Israeli Institute for National Security Studies," this is the largest evacuation of settlers in "Israel" since 1948, which poses an economic and societal burden on Israeli society.

Operational Update - Gaza

A launch was detected from the Gaza Strip towards the Kisofim area that fell in an open area. In a quick closing circle, an aircraft attacked the space from which the rocket was launched and eliminated the terrorist who launched the rocket. In recent weeks, IDF troops have been operating in the 'Hamad' neighborhood in the west of Khan Yunis to locate land routes, investigate and destroy them. The forces eliminated dozens of terrorists, in face-to-face encounters and with the help of air support.

IDF and Shin Bet forces led by Division 98 continued fighting in the El Amal and El Karara area. In the last day, the forces eliminated terrorists and found weapons in the area. The fighters of the 7th Brigade Combat Team have eliminated three terrorists in the last day. An aircraft attacked and killed two more terrorists who approached the forces armed with an RPG missile. The combat teams of the Commando Formation and the Givati Brigade continued to operate in the El Amal area in Khan Yunis, the fighters eliminated a number of terrorists in cooperation with the Air Force. During a raid on terrorist infrastructure in the area, the fighters located weapons, including cartridges, launchers, Kalashnikov-type weapons and grenades.

In the last day, Air Force aircraft attacked dozens of targets in aid of the maneuvering forces, including tunnels, military buildings, armed terrorists and other terrorist infrastructures. In the center of the strip, the Nahal Brigade's combat team eliminated a number of terrorists in the last day. In one of the attacks, a terrorist was identified near the forces, in a quick closing circle, an aircraft attacked the terrorist and eliminated him.

IDF and Shin Bet forces continue targeted fighting in the area of Shifa' Hospital. The combat teams of the 401st Brigade, the Nahal Brigade and the 13th Fleet under the command of the 162nd Division are fighting in the area while avoiding harm to civilians, patients, medical teams and medical equipment. In the last day, the fighters eliminated dozens of terrorists, located terrorist infrastructure and weapons in the area of the hospital. So far, hundreds of terrorists associated with the terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip have been arrested in the area of the hospital, and dozens have been killed.

Hamas terrorists are regrouping at Gaza hospitals, forcing the Israeli military to conduct mop-up operations in them, Channel 12 reported on Monday. The operation at Shifa Hospital has been going on for over a week. According to the IDF, 170 terrorists have been killed in firefights in and around the compound. Another 500 have been detained. Large amounts of weapons have also been confiscated, many of which were hidden among hospital equipment, patients and displaced civilians.

The Israel Defense Forces’ Military Intelligence Directorate on Tuesday released footage of captured Palestinian terrorists admitting to interrogators that 600 to 1,000 Hamas operatives have been hiding out in Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital. The detainees, identified as Nabeel Rajab Abed Shteivi and Bakr Ahmed Bakr Qanita, were captured during an IDF operation at Shifa launched last week in an attempt to root out a resurgent Hamas presence in the compound, which Israeli forces first captured in mid-November.

“Shifa, or schools and places like that, are our shelters,” says Shteivi, who worked on producing missiles for Palestinian Islamic Jihad. He notes that Hamas controls all of Shifa’s buildings, and has a vast presence in the specialist departments. “You might see someone who doesn’t look like a nurse but is dressed in a nurse’s uniform,” the PIJ terrorist explains.

The Hamas Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip reported on Tuesday that 12 people, including children, were killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted a tent in which a displaced family had taken refuge in the Al-Mawasi area, about 30 kilometers south of Gaza City. The Ministry announced that Israeli tanks and military vehicles imposed a siege on the Nasser Medical Complex in the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.

On the other hand, two associations representing the families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza said that a hostage who was kidnapped in the October 7 attack launched by Hamas was killed and that his body is still in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel will not be able to achieve its goals of dismantling Hamas and returning dozens of hostages unless it expands its ground attack on the southern city of Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population has taken refuge in crowded places.

Alalam News Network, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, reported that Al-Shifa Hospital and its surroundings, west of Gaza City, have turned into a real war zone. Massive destruction in areas adjacent to the complex. Occupation aircraft bombed homes, buildings, and residential apartments in the vicinity of the hospital, accompanied by artillery shelling and shooting from Israeli drones on homes and everyone moving on the roads surrounding the hospital, which led to the death of dozens and the injury of others, while the occupation forces continued their storming of the medical complex and detained doctors and patients.

Hospitals in the south were also subjected to bombing and raids. In Khan Yunis , the occupation forces stormed the Nasser Medical Complex, west of the city, and arrested a number of medical personnel and displaced people amid a continuing attack on Al-Amal Hospital. The occupation aircraft also launched a series of raids on the vicinity of the Gaza European Hospital.

The Israeli bombing also targeted various areas of the Gaza Strip, focusing on the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip. While the western and southern areas of the city of Khan Yunis witnessed intense artillery bombardment, it was reported that a number of civilians were martyred and wounded in the bombing of a house in the Khirbet Al-Adas area, north of Rafah Governorate. Other homes were also targeted in Al-Shaboura Camp, Al-Shouka Area, and Yabna Camp in the center, east, and south of the governorate.

Areas in the central Gaza Strip were also subjected to bombardment, and Israeli gunboats opened fire towards the coast of the Nuseirat camp , while buildings were leveled to the ground in the Palestine Street area in Gaza City.

The Al- Quds Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement - broadcast a new video clip that included scenes of its fighters targeting an Israeli military vehicle, as well as fierce clashes between them and the Israeli occupation forces penetrating the vicinity of the Al- Shifa Medical Complex, west of Gaza City. The scenes - broadcast by Al Jazeera - showed one of the fighters carrying his weapon and pointing it at the occupation forces. The video clip also included scenes of fierce fighting between Al-Quds Brigades fighters and the occupation forces, and an exchange of gunfire between the two sides was heard during the clip.

On the other hand, the Al-Quds Brigades said that they bombed with Badr 1 missiles a gathering of Israeli vehicles and a command headquarters southeast of Kissufim on the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian resistance, especially the Al-Quds Brigades and the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) - continues its operations against the occupation forces, which have continued their devastating war on the Gaza Strip since the seventh of last October, leaving tens of thousands of martyrs, most of them children and women. As well as massive destruction to infrastructure.

The Al-Quds Brigades announced on Wednesday that its mujahideen bombed with “Badr 1” missiles a concentration of Zionist enemy vehicles and a command headquarters southeast of “Kissufim.” For its part, the Israeli Army Radio reported that a rocket was detected that was fired from Gaza and landed in an uninhabited area near Kissufim in the Gaza Strip. The Al-Quds Brigades also announced in a statement that they had bombed gatherings of enemy soldiers in the vicinity of the Al-Shifa Complex with 60-caliber regular mortar shells. The Al-Quds Brigades showed scenes of fierce clashes and the targeting of a Zionist military vehicle in the vicinity of the Shifa complex, west of Gaza City.

An Egyptian source announced that Cairo had received information about Tel Aviv’s intention to postpone the Israeli occupation army’s invasion of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip until after Eid al-Fitr. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry had confirmed that his country categorically rejects any military operation in Rafah, due to the humanitarian catastrophe that would spiral out of control and unprecedented complications.

The city of Rafah, this small geographical area crowded with more than a million and a half displaced people, has become the focus of operations by the Israeli occupation army . An informed Egyptian source confirmed that Cairo had received information about Tel Aviv’s intention to postpone the invasion of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip until after Eid al-Fitr, which is expected to be In the second week of next month. He added that security contact between the Egyptian and Israeli sides continues on an almost daily basis, but the Israeli side refuses to reveal what it is hiding regarding the Rafah operation, but Cairo has received assurances that if the military operation is carried out, it will have specific goals.

This information comes after Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry confirmed that his country categorically rejects any military operation in Rafah, due to the humanitarian catastrophe that will spiral out of control and unprecedented complications. For his part, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Israeli War Minister Yoav Galant warned of the dangers of invading Rafah, stressing Washington's rejection of such a large-scale military operation.

According to political and military experts, the Israeli army does not have the military capacity to carry out this operation, especially in light of the leaks that came out of Tel Aviv and show that the Israeli army no longer has sufficient ammunition to carry out the Rafah invasion, and that it must prepare ammunition supplies before the invasion. In addition, the international community is now standing strongly against Tel Aviv, especially after the recent Security Council vote on the ceasefire resolution in the Gaza Strip. And the threat of the Rafah operation is only part of the negotiations that are taking place now and an attempt to put pressure on the resistance, which is clinging to its position despite the severity Military situation.

Experts believe that if the Israeli army goes to the Rafah operation, it will fall into a real crisis, especially since it has so far witnessed strong resistance in the northern and central Gaza Strip, and resistance missiles are still coming out from there towards the settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip.

The US Department of Defense ( the Pentagon ) announced that Israel will play a role in ensuring the security of the proposed temporary port to provide humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. In a press conference yesterday, Tuesday, Assistant Pentagon Spokesperson Sabrina Singh stated that the sea corridor to provide aid to Gaza was one of the issues discussed by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant , in Washington. She added that efforts related to establishing the temporary port are continuing.

She also stated that the United States will distribute aid through its partners and non-governmental organizations in the region, noting that no further information is available regarding the details of this stage. The spokeswoman said that since the beginning of this March, more than 8 tons of food supplies have been dropped into Gaza through 17 air drops.

During his State of the Union address on March 8, US President Joe Biden stated that he had issued instructions to the army to establish a temporary port near the coast of Gaza, indicating that more humanitarian aid would reach Gaza by sea through this port. On the same day, the President of Greek Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, announced, during a joint press conference with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen , the approaching opening of a sea corridor to transport humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Last month, a Pentagon spokesman revealed details of the proposed port, which will be 500 meters long and is expected to take about two months to build. Israel welcomed the idea, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made press statements in which he claimed that he was "the owner of the port idea."

Operational Update - Judea-Samaria

The soldiers of the IDF, the Shin Bet and the Security Guard operated tonight to arrest ten wanted persons throughout Judea and Samaria. In a brigade operation to counter terrorism in Jenin, in the Menashe Brigade, an aircraft eliminated two armed terrorists from the air. Engineering forces destroyed a vehicle in which ready-to-use charges were found, and arrested two suspects who were in the vehicle prior to its destruction. During the operation in Jenin, the forces eliminated a terrorist who threw explosives at the force and hit other terrorists. At the same time, engineering tools uncovered charges buried under axles, another wanted person was arrested and weapons were confiscated.

In an operation in Kirwat Bnei Hassan in the Ephraim Brigade, the forces arrested a wanted man and confiscated weapons. The wanted persons who were arrested and the means of warfare that were confiscated were transferred to the security forces for further treatment, there are no casualties to Israeli forces. So far, since the beginning of the war, approximately 3,600 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria Division and the Bekaa and Valleys Division, approximately 1,600 of whom are associated with the terrorist organization Hamas.

Three Palestinians were killed by Israeli occupation forces’ bullets in the city of Jenin and its camp in the northern West Bank, while the occupation pushed military reinforcements to the town of Qabatiya, south of the city, amid ongoing confrontations and clashes. The Israeli occupation forces bombed the Al-Damj neighborhood in the Jenin camp with a drone, resulting in the death of the two young men, Hamza Al-Arrawi and Muhammad Nasser Bani Ghurra, and the injury of a number of others.

At dawn today, the Israeli occupation forces stormed the city amid heavy firing towards citizens, resulting in the wounding of a young man with two bullets. He was then transferred to Jenin Governmental Hospital before his death was announced as a result of his wounds. In turn, Wissam Bakr, director of Khalil Suleiman Governmental Hospital in Jenin, reported the martyrdom of the young man, Ayman Yousef Hassan Azouqa (19 years old), and said that he arrived at the emergency department in an ambulance and died as a result of being hit by bullets in the chest and thigh.

The occupation forces conducted their patrols, reinforced with military vehicles, in several neighborhoods of the city and on the outskirts of the camp, amid armed clashes with resistance fighters, coinciding with the sound of sirens. Earlier tonight, Al Jazeera's correspondent said that Palestinian resistance fighters were engaged in armed clashes with the occupation forces during their storming of the Jenin camp in the West Bank.

The occupation forces also stormed the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, where confrontations broke out between young men, resulting in the injury of 5 young men who were subsequently transferred to hospitals to receive treatment. For his part, Al Jazeera's correspondent said that the occupation forces sent military reinforcements to the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, amid ongoing confrontations and clashes. The Palestinian Red Crescent announced that a young man was seriously injured by occupation bullets during confrontations in Qabatiya, near Jenin. For its part, the official Palestinian News Agency (Wafa) reported that the occupation forces carried out a systematic destruction of the infrastructure in the town, especially near the Hisbah area.

In the city of Bethlehem in the southern West Bank, two Palestinians were injured and three others were arrested during confrontations with the Israeli army. Wafa Agency said that two citizens were shot and three were arrested, on Tuesday evening, during confrontations with the occupation forces in the town of Al-Khader, south of Bethlehem. According to the agency, the occupation forces fired bullets, stun grenades, and toxic tear gas during the confrontations, which resulted in two citizens being injured by live bullets in their lower extremities, who were subsequently transferred to the hospital. Others suffered from suffocation and were treated on the field. The agency indicated that 3 citizens were arrested during the same confrontations.

In the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank, the Red Crescent indicated that a Palestinian was injured by bullets from the occupation forces in the town of Burqa, north of the city.

With its location, details, objectives and results, the "Deir Ibzi' operation" west of the city of Ramallah , at dawn last Friday, constituted a new addition to the Palestinian resistance operations in the West Bank - which have come to be described by their type - whether individual or adopted by cells supported by some organizations and factions. Since the beginning of this March, the West Bank has witnessed 5 commando operations, which caused deaths and injuries among the ranks of Israeli occupation soldiers and settlers, and their impact was greater in their place, time, and method of implementation.

With the occupation's direct admission, it confirmed the quality of these operations and that the "Deir Ibzi' operation" enabled the perpetrator to prepare well for it, not by chasing him and barricading him for about 7 hours, but by planning it in advance and erecting stone barriers to hide through it, according to the Israeli Walla News website. The perpetrator also clashed from a distance of 30 meters with the occupation soldiers with a rifle equipped with a telescope, and was able to kill one of them and wound 6 others. He demonstrated proficiency in military methods, defense and attack.

This quality was not limited to guerrilla operations only, but also appeared when the resistance fighters confronted the occupation army’s incursions into the Palestinian areas, and prepared them in advance using homemade explosive devices and other means of resistance. This comes as Israel talks about finding in every military operation at the brigade level 30 to 40 explosive devices, some of which weigh 150 kilograms, most of which are self-produced, according to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

Before "Deir Ibzi'", the "Eli" settlement operation south of Nablus was also a landmark event, especially since it led to the killing of two settlers. It was followed by the "Homesh" settlement operation north of Nablus, targeting soldiers and penetrating their fortifications with an explosive device, wounding 7 of them, then luring two members of the Shin Bet resistance fighter. Near the "Gush Etzion" settlement, south of Bethlehem, and they were shot directly at them.

While the occupation warns of other operations due to the spread of weapons and their ease of access to the resistance, political and security experts and analysts who spoke to Al Jazeera Net attribute the reason for the spread of these operations to the horror of the war on Gaza and the occupation’s ongoing violations in the West Bank, which means that they will not only increase, but will develop and take new forms.

Security expert Major General Wassef Erekat says that the recent operations are “as qualitative as the testimony of the occupation itself,” whether in terms of their perpetrator, timing, method, choice of targets, and the extent of their impact on the Israeli army and society.

These operations are considered to be self-defense in the face of the occupation’s arrogance, its killing of Palestinians, the severing of ties with the West Bank, its economic and military besiegement with more than 700 barriers, and in the face of settlers’ incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, preventing Palestinians from entering it, and restricting them. All of this - in the opinion of the security expert - makes it likely that operations will increase and increase their pace, and he says that the occupation’s attacks are the biggest incentive for Palestinian youth to escalate their operations. Since they are “individual operations,” according to Erekat, this will increase their success and effectiveness, because they are complex for the security and intelligence agencies, as they are limited and unpredictable and are carried out by individuals who make their decisions without consulting anyone, and thus choose the time and place without any circulating information.

For two decades, guerrilla operations in the West Bank have been characterized by their succession in the form of “waves,” according to the assessment of writer and political analyst Nihad Abu Ghosh. They were spontaneous, emotional, and carried out by young men. Then they became more organized through battalions spread throughout various areas of the West Bank, such as the Jenin and Lions’ Den brigades in Nablus.

Abu Ghosh says, "We are (now) facing a new and rising wave of resistance operations, characterized by greater organization and precision and the participation of more security personnel who have training and experience in dealing with weapons and the geography of the place, as well as maturity. Israel believed that the perpetrators were young, desperate, poor young men who were suffering from social problems." He added, "But we now have new types of people carrying out specific guerrilla operations, and the standards now include every Palestinian who is married and has family and financial stability, including teachers, doctors, and businessmen. This confirms that resistance is the people’s reaction, and reflects a general situation rooted in culture, society, and the convictions of many."

These people - as the political analyst says - carry out their operations “for individual motives” and are not directed by a partisan or official decision, and are not due to misery or the economic situation, but rather the result of the accumulation of the state of oppression experienced by the entire Palestinian people. Regarding the continuation of these operations, Abu Ghosh expects their increase and quality as well, which is what Israel itself says, and he believes that they will remain individually or in small “circular” groups, meaning limited cells that are not linked to the organizational structures of the factions. But its spread throughout the West Bank will continue to worry Israel, because the entire West Bank has become a front and an area of clashes with the occupation, as there are more than 300 settlers, and dozens of camps and army checkpoints.

Statistics from the Palestine Information Center (given) indicate that since the war on Gaza, 29 specific operations have been carried out, resulting in the killing of 18 soldiers and settlers, and the injury of 111 others.

For his part, Adel Shadid, a political analyst and specialist in Israeli affairs, considered that the resistance in the West Bank and its operations are increasing in quality as well. He explained that this reflects a group of variables, the most important of which is that the West Bank has overcome the shock that occurred on October 7, which was not only a shock to Israel, which sought to adopt a policy of intimidation at the beginning of the war, but also to the entire Palestinian situation in the West Bank and the occupied interior, which began to move with activities that do not call for... Not only does it stop the war, but it also supports Gaza.

The West Bank also realized that there is an international Israeli project aimed at isolating it from Gaza, and showing that the war is not against the Gaza Strip, but only against the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), thus weakening the Palestinian situation, as Shadid says. He believes that this left a sense of danger, and the national situation began to restore itself through cells and individuals who carried out specific operations that carried a political message more than a military and security one, that Gaza and the West Bank are one national situation, and this is important because it canceled the Israeli legitimacy for the war, and its fragmentation through its tools for the Palestinian situation.

The quality of the resistance operations - according to Shadid - lies in the fact that they took lessons from past lessons and advanced and adapted their work to the current reality. Although they were few operations, they constituted a “state of deployment” in all the cities of the West Bank, which will force the occupation army to redeploy in those areas, and will affect On the course of the war as well. The political analyst attributed the occupation's inability - despite all its security and intelligence measures to completely control and prevent these operations - to the development of self-resistance cells and ideology. He says, "The occupation has major failures, and despite its redeployment in the West Bank, it realizes that it cannot prevent resistance in general."

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.

Fighter jets eliminated a terrorist squad that was staying in a military structure of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the area of Tir Harfa in southern Lebanon, and attacked another terrorist squad in the area of the village of A-Nakura. A Hezbollah aircraft was located in the area of Rosh Hankara. IDF forces were rushed to the scene to recover the tool, the incident is being investigated. Fighter jets attacked a military structure in the Al-Baria area in southern Lebanon. In the building, a central terrorist associated with the organization "Hagama Islamia" who had previously promoted plots towards Israeli territory was eliminated, along with other terrorists who were in the building.

Northern Command's command training on readiness for a northern arena took place at the Northern Command's headquarters, led by the Northern Command's commander, Major General Uri Gordin, and with the participation of the division commanders, brigade commanders and battalion commanders in regular and reserve, who take part in the defense battles on the northern border. With the outbreak of war, the Air Force froze the annual training program and all resources and attention were directed to the war effort. In the last few weeks he gradually returned to training and now the training plan for the current war year has been approved.

According to the Palestinian Ma’an Agency, this comes as the occupation army announced, today, Wednesday, the approval of the training program for the Air Force, which gradually resumed its training in the past weeks, after it had frozen it against the backdrop of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, and the continuation of border confrontations with Hezbollah since the eighth. Since last October. The occupation army said that the new training program will focus on enhancing the readiness and preparedness of the Air Force to fight a comprehensive war “on the northern front and other fronts,” and “engaging in long-term combat through planning and implementing operational models and scenarios related to the characteristics of the various sectors and threats.”

The Israeli army said the training program "will focus on increasing the readiness of the Air Force for war in the northern direction and in other directions for a long period." The Israeli army confirmed that the training program will include carrying out large-scale and long-range strikes, flying deep into potential enemy territory, in addition to training in carrying out surprise attacks. It added: "The training program was coordinated in a way that does not conflict with operational activities in the war in the Gaza Strip and interaction with ground forces." 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.”

Hezbollah announced that it had targeted the Kiryat Shmona settlement and the 769th Brigade Command in the Kiryat Shmona barracks with dozens of missiles, and Israeli media confirmed that one person was killed and a number of others were wounded. The Ynet website reported that at least 30 missiles were launched in a bombing from southern Lebanon targeting Kiryat Shmona and the surrounding area, and one of these missiles directly hit a building in the city. He said that a 25-year-old worker was killed after he was seriously injured as a result of a direct hit at a factory in Kiryat Shmona, while another person (30 years old) was slightly injured, and another missile caused severe damage to the building and vehicles.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the bombing of the Kiryat Shmona area, and said in a statement: “In response to the massacre committed by the Zionist enemy in the town of Habariya, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance bombed at 08:00 a.m. on Wednesday 03/27/2024.” Kiryat Shmona colony and the 769th Brigade command in Kiryat Shmona barracks with dozens of missiles.”

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah announced today, Wednesday, that it had targeted a deployment of Zionist enemy soldiers in the vicinity of the "Shtola" settlement in the Upper Galilee, and the "Ruwaisat Al-Alam" site in the occupied Lebanese Kfar Shuba hills, with artillery shells, achieving direct hits. The Lebanese Resistance said in a statement today: This comes in support of the steadfast Palestinian people in Gaza and in support of their resistance.

Earlier today, the Islamic Resistance had targeted the “Kiryat Shmona” settlement and the leadership of the “769th Brigade” in the Zionist enemy’s “army” in the settlement, in response to the massacre committed by the Zionist enemy in Al-Habbariyeh, south of Lebanon. Previously, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon published, at dawn today, scenes of the targeting of the Zionist “Yerden” barracks in the occupied Syrian Golan, on Tuesday, with more than 50 “Katyusha” missiles, which is the main command headquarters in times of war, and includes the reserve logistical stores of the Habashan 210 Brigade.”

At dawn on Wednesday, the Islamic Resistance published scenes of the targeting of the Israeli “Yarden” barracks in the occupied Syrian Golan. The barracks are the main command headquarters in times of war, and include reserve logistical stores for the Habashan 210 Division. Yesterday, Tuesday , the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon announced that it had targeted the “ Yarden ” barracks with more than 50 “Katyusha” rockets, in response to the Israeli attack that targeted the Bekaa .

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah, announced, on Wednesday, morning its targeting of the occupied settlement of "Kiryat Shmona" and the Israeli Occupation Forces' command in the settlement, known as Brigade 769, located in northern occupied Palestine. The Resistance emphasized that this operation, carried out using dozens of rockets, came in response to the massacre committed by the Israeli occupation in Hebbariyeh, southern Lebanon, and in support for the resilient Palestinian people in Gaza and their Resistance.

The Israeli occupation acknowledged the significance of the operation and the losses it inflicted on its internal front, as Israeli media confirmed the killing of an Israeli settler as a direct result of a missile strike by Hezbollah on a factory in "Kiryat Shmona". Israeli media also reported two injuries and indicated that firefighting crews have been dispatched to the site of the missile strikes after fires broke out.

"Israel is stuck on the Lebanese front," said the head of the local authority in "Kiryat Shmona", adding, "The sirens sounded 5 times while 30 rockets were launched from Lebanon, most which reached Kiryat Shmona scoring direct hits on homes, factories, and cars." "We were attacked with dozens of rockets, and it's dangerous to be here even for a minute, so I asked the army to forcefully close down Kiryat Shmona," he noted, urging Israeli settlers there to seek shelter as "the event is not over yet, and there is fear of additional rocket launches."

In addition, a correspondent for Israeli news broadcaster Channel 12 in the North acknowledged that it was "a tough morning in Kiryat Shmona, with many rockets and a lot of damage to property," explaining that the rockets were launched from Lebanon in 7 different rounds towards "Kiryat Shmona". This comes after the Israeli occupation targeted the Lebanese Succour Association quarters in Heberiyyeh killing 7 paramedics and destroying the building in a deliberate escalation.

The Israeli army claims that Hezbollah seeks to escalate the border confrontations with the Israeli army by carrying out infiltration operations of fighters into Israeli areas through the “Islamic Group” organization, according to what was reported by the newspaper “Haaretz”, while warning that “the Lebanese interior is turning into a battlefield.” And that any “limited operation in Lebanon may develop into a comprehensive war.”

Former US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter said on Tuesday evening that it is not logical from a military perspective for "Israel" to launch an all-out war on Lebanon. During an interview with Al Mayadeen, Ritter emphasized that Hezbollah possesses various weapons sufficient to impair Israeli capabilities and systems, suggesting that "Israel" would likely lose any war it wages against Hezbollah.

Operational Update - Syria / Iraq

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced, this Wednesday morning, that the Israeli Ovda Air Base was targeted by drones, yesterday evening, Tuesday. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said in a statement: “The Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, on Tuesday evening, 3/26/2024, targeted the Zionist entity’s Ovda air base in our occupied territories with drones .” She added that this comes "in continuation of our approach to resisting the occupation, supporting our people in Gaza, and in response to the massacres committed by the usurping entity against Palestinian civilians, including children, women and the elderly."

Last Sunday, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said in a statement: “The Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeted, at dawn on Sunday, by drone, the headquarters building of the Ministry of Defense of the Zionist entity in our occupied lands.” The statement added: "This qualitative operation comes in these blessed nights to confirm our continuation of destroying enemy strongholds and our completion of the second phase of operations to resist the occupation, which will escalate during the blessed month of Ramadan in support of our people in Gaza and in response to the Zionist massacres against defenseless Palestinian civilians."

Last week, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced that it had targeted the power station in Tel Aviv with drones, a day after it had targeted Ben Gurion Airport deep in Israel with drones. Before that, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced that it had targeted an Israeli army drone base in the occupied Golan, using drones. From time to time, the resistance claimed responsibility for bombing American bases in Syria and Iraq, in response to the Israeli army’s military operation in the Gaza Strip, where the resistance declared its support for the “Palestinian resistance.”

A member of the Iraqi Fatah Alliance, Mahmoud Al-Hayani, confirmed today, Wednesday, that America is occupying Iraq through agreements that are considered a hidden occupation, and that Washington has not implemented all agreements and treaties on the ground. The Iraqi “Information” Agency quoted Al-Hayani as saying: “The United States of America is working to implement the paragraphs that serve its economic interests only,” noting that “the strategic framework agreement included service and investment paragraphs, but they have remained ink on paper until now.”

He added: "America is contradicting itself by bombing Iraqi territory while it is obligated to protect the country's skies and not violate it according to the agreement," pointing out that "Washington continues violations in the political and socio-economic files." Al-Hayani concluded his speech by saying: “The failure to support investment in Iraq during the past years revealed the claims of America, which continues to talk about activating the investment sector to no avail,” indicating that “the agreements concluded with America are based on the occupation and are framed by legal articles only.”

America continues to manipulate many files in order to pressure the Iraqi government in other aspects, targeting the Iraqi dinar once, bombing security forces and civilians, as well as the movement of ISIS gangs to carry out terrorist operations from the western regions.

Operational Update - Yemen

The commander of the US Fleet for the Red Sea Operation, Admiral Mark Miguez, said that his forces were able to reduce the capabilities of the Houthis, but they still have a lot of work to accomplish. The US fleet commander added, "The Houthi attacks slowed down and shifted from using cruise missiles to less dangerous marches," noting that "our intelligence did not know accurately the number of Houthi missiles at the beginning of the conflict." Miguez pointed out that "with Iran's support for the Houthis intelligence and militarily, it is not possible to predict when the mission will be completed," noting that "Iran currently has two ships in the region, one of which is for intelligence off Djibouti and the other for support."

Yesterday , Tuesday, the Houthi "Ansar Allah" movement announced that its forces carried out 6 operations during the past three days using missiles and drones in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea and on Israeli sites. Yahya Saree, spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, said that two American ships, “MAERSK SARATOGA” and “APL DETROIT,” were targeted in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, and the British ship “HUANG PU” was also targeted in the Red Sea and the ship “PRETTY LADY” while heading to Israeli ports.

Since last November, the Houthi "Ansar Allah" movement has continued its attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, targeting "Israeli ships associated with Israel or those heading to it," in order to "support the Palestinian people in Gaza," while the United States and its allies have formed a military force to deal with... Houthi strikes. American and British aircraft launched several strikes on various areas in Yemen, while the American army carries out missions separately from any naval coalition in the region.

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 adoption by the UN Security Council on Monday of a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza attracted the approval of many countries, but experts doubted the possibility of implementing it on the ground, “despite the positive spirit it contains,” according to one of them. It is noteworthy that Qatar confirmed that talks between Hamas and Israel regarding a truce and hostage exchange in Gaza are still continuing, despite the exchange of accusations between the two warring parties regarding the lack of progress.

The United States abandoned its usual approach to providing protection to its ally Israel at the United Nations by abstaining from voting yesterday, Monday, instead of using its veto. But Washington described the text of the summary resolution as "non-binding." US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the United States fully supports "some critical goals in this non-binding resolution," but does not agree with everything in the text - which also did not condemn Hamas.

The White House said on Tuesday that National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held talks with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for the second day in a row as Washington seeks to dissuade Israel from launching a ground attack on Rafah. In addition, the United States announced that it would “continue” dropping humanitarian aid from the air into Gaza, despite a call by Hamas to stop these operations following drowning and stampede incidents that resulted in the deaths of 18 people.

American officials have been trying for weeks to negotiate an agreement under which sick, elderly, and wounded hostages held by Hamas would be released in exchange for a six-week ceasefire and the release of some Palestinian prisoners.

“This resolution must be implemented by everyone, as stipulated in Article 25 of the Charter,” French Ambassador to the United Nations Nicolas de Rivière told a Security Council meeting on the Middle East on Tuesday. During the same meeting, Russia's UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia asked whether Washington's description of the resolution as non-binding meant that the United States "no longer considers itself bound by the provisions of the UN Charter." "If that is the case, then there is no point in our discussions in the room at all. One of the permanent members of the Security Council has explicitly said that he does not accept the Charter of our organization," he said.

The adoption by the United Nations Security Council for the first time of a resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, with the United States abstaining from the vote, sparked international praise from Madrid to Pretoria, while Israel denounced it. Russia itself was rebuked by the UN General Assembly for violating the UN Charter by invading Ukraine in February 2022. Russia used its veto to prevent the Security Council from taking any action against it over Ukraine. China's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Geng Shuang, said Tuesday that the council's decisions are binding and "this is not a matter of doubt or challenge." He added that the American statement that Monday's decision is not binding "makes us question the political will and sincerity of the United States."

In response to a question about whether the resolution was binding, British Ambassador to the United Nations Barbara Woodward said on Monday, “This resolution needs to be implemented immediately... It sends a clear message from the Council, the message of a unified Council, and we expect all Council decisions to be implemented. This (resolution) is not "Different." The United Nations Security Council has the power to impose sanctions and authorize the use of military force to maintain or restore international peace and security.

Adoption of the resolution requires the approval of at least nine votes and that the United States, Russia, China, France, or Britain do not use their veto power. The Council is unlikely to take any action against Israel or Hamas if neither implements the resolution demanding a ceasefire during the month of Ramadan, which ends in two weeks, and the release of hostages. “Indeed, it is unfortunately necessary to acknowledge that many Council resolutions fail regardless of their legal status,” said Richard Gowan, UN Affairs Director at the International Crisis Group. “Warring parties around the world have ignored or only pretended to support previous UN calls for a ceasefire,” he added.

Ahmed Mohamed, writing for Alalam News Network. Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, stated "It has become clear that America’s permission to pass Resolution No. 2728, after obstructing the issuance of three resolutions since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip , does not mean, in any way, the end of American support for the Israeli entity, nor can it be described as a shift in American policy. Or an indication of a disagreement between America and the Israeli entity, regarding the genocide that has been taking place, in front of the eyes of the world in Gaza, for about 6 months.

"International law experts believe that any resolution issued by the Security Council , in order for it to be binding, must be issued under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, which gives the Security Council the right to take military and non-military measures to confront the threat to international peace and security. The resolution must also stipulate that the Council “decides” the course of action, instead of merely “demanding” or “calling” for it, like other resolutions issued by the Security Council that “demanded” the Israeli entity to stop building settlements in the occupied West Bank. However, The entity completely ignored it, as a non-binding decision is a decision that does not entail any consequences if it is not complied with.

"Here, a questioner may ask: Why if America passed the resolution, knowing that it will not affect what is happening on the ground, and will not tie the hand of the Israeli entity, which is still committing fraud in Gaza and threatening to invade Rafah, even though two days have passed since the adoption of the UN resolution? It is clear that America, through its position, tried to satisfy the families of the American prisoners, and the “Israelis”, who are exerting pressure on the Biden administration, a pressure that demonstrated the inability of the American administration to liberate the Americans by military force, even after the almost complete destruction of the Gaza Strip, and the killing of... More than 32 thousand Palestinians, most of them children and women, which placed the American administration in the crosshairs of international public opinion, which held it directly responsible for all the atrocities taking place in Gaza, at the hands of the Israeli occupation forces, which are heavily armed with American weapons.

"In addition to the families of the prisoners, increasing opposition has emerged among Biden’s electoral base, to his blind support for the brutal war that “Israel” is waging against the defenseless in Gaza. The opposition has even extended to the ranks of the Democratic Party itself, to which Biden belongs, which is what prompted the latter to pass the resolution, which Overall, it is in the interest of the Israeli entity, as it does not stipulate a permanent ceasefire, but rather a temporary ceasefire, lasting until the end of the blessed month of Ramadan, nor the withdrawal of the occupation forces from Gaza, nor the return of the displaced to their areas, and all it emphasized is the immediate release of Prisoners, without any conditions, which is an Israeli demand par excellence, and then Netanyahu will be able to raise the sign of victory, and continue his aggression against Rafah, after the end of the period.

"We ask those who see America’s passing of the latest resolution as a shift in American policy towards “Israel”, have they found a change in the amount of American weapons that have been flowing daily to the entity for 6 months, which amounted to more than forty thousand tons? Did Biden stipulate to “Israel” that is? Conditions in exchange for supplying it with weapons? Did he pressure the entity to open the crossings and send humanitarian aid to the hungry in Gaza? Did he put pressure on Netanyahu to prevent him from planning to invade Rafah? Did he put pressure on “Israel” to stop committing brutal massacres against children and women? And civilians, which are transmitted audio and video to the world? Did he punish them by cutting off the flow of money to them, or doubled the amount of this money? Or does he still reject even the United Nations reports regarding “Israel” committing genocide in Gaza and starving its people and torturing them with means that exceeded the brutality of “ISIS?” He denies all of this, and he stood by “Israel,” to the exclusion of all countries of the world, when the International Court of Justice convicted it of committing genocide in Gaza?

"The latest decision can only be described as a Biden trap, as it equates the Israeli occupier with Hamas, which resists the occupation, with the occupation forces armed with the latest American and Western weapons, and with resistance to the occupier who only carry light weapons. By passing this decision, Biden tried to obscure the situation. His main and direct role in the genocide being committed in Gaza, but it is a miserable attempt, as Biden has entered history from its dirtiest doors, and shame will haunt him in his life and death, as a war criminal and a killer of children and women."

Axis of Resistance

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei pledged steadfast support for the resilient people of Gaza, commending their resistance against the Israeli occupation during a meeting with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. During his meeting with Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, Imam Khamenei praised the exceptional resistance demonstrated by the Palestinian Resistance forces and the people of Gaza. He emphasized, “The historic patience exhibited by the people of Gaza in the face of the crimes and brutalities committed by the Zionist regime, with full support from the West, is a great phenomenon that has truly dignified Islam and despite the enemy's wishes, it has turned Palestine to the world's first issue.”

While underlining that the massacre of the Gazans and the genocide in this region affects any individual who has a conscience, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution added that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to support the cause of Palestine and the oppressed and resistant people of Gaza. Imam Khamenei emphasized the importance of having the support of both global public opinion and the public opinion of the Islamic world, particularly the Arab world, for the people of Gaza. He commended the propagational and media activities of the Palestinian Resistance as being very effective and superior to that of the Zionist enemy. He also called for continued efforts to further improve these measures.

The Leader also paid tribute to the memory of Martyr Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy chief of Hamas’ political bureau, who was recently assassinated at the hands of the Zionist regime. “This honorable martyr was a prominent figure whom the Almighty God blessed with martyrdom at the end of his life as a reward for his struggles and efforts,” he remarked.

During the meeting, Haniyeh, conveyed his gratitude and appreciation for the support extended by both the populace and government of the Islamic Republic of Iran towards the Palestinian cause especially the people of Gaza. He presented a report on the latest field and political developments surrounding the war on Gaza. “The exemplary patience and steadfastness displayed by the people of Gaza and the Resistance forces over the past six months, stemming from their firm faith, has prevented the Zionist enemy from achieving any of its strategic goals in the Gaza war,” he stated.

The head of Hamas’ political office emphasized that the "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation shattered the belief in the unbeatable strength of the Zionist regime, and now, after six months, the Zionist enemy has suffered heavy losses with thousands of its soldiers being killed or injured. “The war in Gaza is a world war and the US governing body is the main accomplice of the Zionist crimes as it is in charge of guiding the military operations of the Zionist regime,” he added. In his closing remarks to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Haniyeh underscored that, “Despite all the brutalities, crimes and genocide that continue to take place in Gaza, the people of Gaza and the Resistance forces remain steadfast and will not permit the Zionist enemy to achieve their goals in any way.”

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said, when he received on Wednesday the head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and his accompanying delegation, that the Islamic Republic of Iran is firmly rooted in defending the rights of the Palestinian people and is proud of its support for the Palestinian cause. President Raisi added that the Palestinian issue, in light of the heroic resistance and steadfastness shown by the oppressed and oppressed people of Gaza, has transcended the borders of the Islamic world to turn into a global issue concerning humanity.

He stressed that the peoples of the world strongly hate the criminal Zionist entity and its main supporter, America, while they are extremely concerned for the oppressed people of Gaza. He considered that the large and epic movement of the Palestinian resistance forces in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood was a unique phenomenon and that the defeats it inflicted on the Zionist entity are irreplaceable, saying that what has been proven today to all the peoples of the world is the right of the Palestinian cause and the position of its defenders, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, since the fabricated and criminal Zionist entity It is the basis and origin of the entire security deterioration in the region, and it is an entity hostile to peace.

The President of the Republic considered that any diplomatic move by America and the Zionist entity in the region is misleading and deceptive, saying that the countries that were seeking normalization with this criminal entity are now ashamed before their people, adding that the recent incidents in Gaza constitute another major scandal for America and some Western countries in supporting the Zionist entity. The killer of children, while the nature and true face of America and the West were revealed to the people.

He referred to the comprehensive efforts of the Islamic Republic of Iran to create harmony among Islamic countries to support the oppressed people of Gaza, criticizing the reaction and inaction of the leaders of some Islamic countries towards the crimes of the Zionist entity. He said that Hamas and the rest of the Palestinian resistance groups, with their courage and struggle, and the oppressed Palestinian children with their pure blood, proved that the greatest war crime in history. The genocide was carried out in Gaza with the support of America and is condemned.

In conclusion, Raisi stressed that the decisive and final victory will be for the Palestinian people and that defeat will be for the Zionist entity and its protectors, saying that the Islamic Republic of Iran is firm and steadfast in defending the rights of the Palestinian people and will always stand by the Palestinian people and is proud of its support for the Palestinian cause.

As for the head of the Hamas Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, in the meeting, he praised the efforts of the Islamic Republic of Iran in supporting the oppressed Palestinian people, considering that the religious and ideological outlook in defending the Palestinian cause results from the deep-rooted and profound outlook of the officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Haniyeh gave a detailed explanation of the current facts and prospects for developments in Gaza, and said that the Al-Aqsa Flood operation achieved a unique achievement for the Palestinian people.

Hamas re-played a recording of Muhammad Daf from the beginning of the war in which he calls on the Arab and Islamic nations to stand up "and start crawling towards Palestine", without allowing any country to stop them. The recording re-cycle could indicate the pressure the terrorist organization is under after the IDF's announcement of the assassination of Daf's deputy, Marwan Issa, in an air force attack. "There is no tomorrow for Palestine. Do not allow restrictions, borders or regulations to deny you the honor of participating in the liberation of Al-Aqsa Mosque," he said in his statement. "To our people in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia and all over the Arab and Islamic homeland - start marching today. Don't allow restrictions, borders or regulations to deny you the honor of participating in the liberation of Al-Aqsa Mosque."

The leader of the revolution, Mr. Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, confirmed that the Yemeni people are coming in the tenth year of the American-Saudi-Emirati aggression with advanced military capabilities to protect Yemen, support the oppressed Palestinian people, and confront enemy conspiracies. In his speech on the eve of the ninth anniversary of the National Day of Resilience, Mr. Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi indicated that Yemen is coming with a faithful, Mujahid army that combines actual experience, construction, and public mobilization, with unprecedented popular awareness, and complete cohesion on the internal front. He said, "We are very keen on understanding and peace with all Arab and Islamic countries and on brotherhood and positive relations, and we do not have a hostile orientation towards any Arab country or any Arab or Islamic country."

He added, "We are now in a clear and direct confrontation between us and the evil trio of America, Israel, and Britain. Yemen has taken an honorable position alongside the Palestinian people and fully supported them, and our media is directing all its energy and capabilities to support the Palestinian people." The Revolutionary Leader reiterated the continuation of Yemeni military operations and action at various levels, including broad popular movement and activities in all fields.

He added, "From the beginning, we have been concerned with the major issues of our nation, foremost of which is the Palestinian issue, which many Arabs are neglectful about, and our people are within the framework of the current situation in which their position and directions are clear in this aspect." He went on to say, "There is no justification for Saudi Arabia and the UAE to continue their clear procrastination regarding peace entitlements in light of the current stage."

He continued, "The Saudis and the Emirates must move from the stage of reducing escalation to peace entitlements if they really want peace that is in the effective and real interest of everyone, and serious steps are taken in accordance with a clear agreement that includes what we have been emphasizing and what discussions and negotiations have taken place over it throughout all the past stages, an agreement that leads to To a complete end to the siege, aggression and occupation, to the exchange of prisoners and to end the problem for the good and interest of all.” He pointed out that the entitlements for peace, as emphasized in the past, are clear: stopping the aggression, lifting the siege, ending the occupation, exchanging prisoners, and compensating for damages. These are clear and clear entitlements and legitimate and fair demands of the Yemeni people.

Mr. Commander advised the aggression coalition to move from the phase of reducing escalation to a clear agreement in accordance with the direct discussions and negotiations that took place around it to achieve this and get out of this situation. He said, "There is no Arab country that has an actual and real interest in serving American policies, and the consequence of that is loss and calamity. Therefore, we advise everyone to liberate themselves from blind subordination to America. Our position at this stage is clear and we hope that we will reach a fair and just solution that leads to the implementation of these entitlements for peace. As for the Americans, the Israelis, and the British, Our position towards them is clear.”

The Leader of the Revolution thanked and appreciated all those who stood with Yemen during the nine years, at the forefront of which is the Islamic Republic of Iran, which clearly and explicitly stood in solidarity with Yemen, and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which had a supportive and cooperative position and faced many problems as a result of that, and the resistance in Iraq, and all the free people of the world who stood. With Yemen in its ordeal and oppression. He considered the National Resilience Day an important occasion for the dear Yemeni people, noting that after nine years of steadfastness, the victory of God Almighty and His support, care and aid to the Yemeni people became clear to everyone in all these years.

He pointed out that nine years have passed since the beginning of the aggression against the Yemeni people, and steadfastness is the title of Yemen’s rightful position. He pointed out that the various Yemeni people moved to confront the aggression with sincerity, dedication, steadfastness and bravery, and behind them were their families who were patient and steadfast during those years. Mr. Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi explained that thousands of martyrs, wounded, and prisoners wrote heroics and epics of sacrifice and redemption that will remain for history and a school for generations, and at the forefront is the steadfastness of the stationed on all battle fronts with constant attention and constant patience to prevent any penetration or advance of the enemies.

He stressed that the role of those who took action in the humanitarian, economic, mobilization, educational, political and other fields was an honorable one, pointing out that general cohesion was the most prominent symbol of the state of society in Yemen, especially with the unjust and stifling siege. He pointed out that the aggression against our country, from its first moment, was treacherous, unjustified, without precedent, brutal and criminal, with dangerous goals, under American supervision, within the framework of an American-Israeli-British plan, and implementation by the coalition.

The leader of the revolution stated that the aggression against Yemen came within the framework of a comprehensive plan in the region to rearrange its situation under the leadership of the Israeli enemy and liquidate the Palestinian issue, and one of the goals of the aggression against Yemen is to enable the Zionist enemy to lead the region and arrange its situation as appeared in the normalization program or the so-called “deal of the century.”

He stated that the aggression against Yemen has no legitimacy, no legitimate goals, and no legitimate practices, and the headlines raised by the coalition were exposed, as the Arab embrace has no basis, but rather an effort to bring the region into the Hebrew embrace. He pointed out that the aggression coalition sought from the beginning to destroy and occupy Yemen and confiscate the right of the Yemeni people to freedom and independence, and since the first raids, the aggression coalition targeted civilians and committed crimes, and the targeting was comprehensive for all aspects of life.

Mr. Abdulmalik Badr al-Din al-Houthi also confirmed that the raids of the aggression coalition killed people in their homes, whether in cities or villages and even in Bedouin camps, and the raids of the aggression coalition killed people in all their gatherings, in weddings and sorrows, and on various occasions. He reported that the aggression coalition was focusing on killing the Yemeni people in markets, hospitals, mosques, schools, and roads, and the aggression coalition targeted the Yemeni people with siege, starvation, and conspiracies against the national currency, transferring the functions of the Central Bank of Yemen, and so on.

He revealed the number of air strikes launched by the aggression coalition against the Yemeni people, while they were counted at 274,302 bomb and missile raids, and this is not a complete count, considering the nature of the aggression as criminal, brutal, and for bad purposes. He explained that the aggression coalition destroyed 186 university facilities, many of which were completely destroyed, and 1,843 mosques, which is a large number despite the sanctity of the houses of God, and 427 hospitals and health facilities despite the limited health services in Yemen, and health staff and patients were also killed.

He reviewed the educational facilities destroyed by the aggression, amounting to 1,331 schools and educational centers, 146 sports facilities, 269 archaeological sites, 63 media facilities, and more than 12,775 agricultural fields, and targeting 15 airports despite the weak infrastructure in Yemen. However, Sana’a Airport continued to be subjected to air strikes. The American-Saudi-Emirati aggression.

The leader of the revolution stated that the enemy targeted 354 electrical stations and generators, and also targeted seven thousand and 940 roads and bridges, killing large numbers of citizens, as well as targeting 647 networks and communication stations and three thousand and 332 tanks and water networks, which clearly demonstrates the aggression coalition’s aggression and its bad goals.

He pointed out that the aggression targeted 2,155 government facilities, which are built for the benefit of the country, 417 factories, 397 fuel tankers, 12,534 commercial facilities, and 484 poultry and livestock farms. It also targeted more than 10,000 means of transportation, more than a thousand food trucks, and 712 markets. It included mass massacres against the people of Yemen, and 493 fishing boats, and the fishermen were among those who suffered the most from the aggression coalition, and many of them were martyred at sea.

He reported that the aggression coalition targeted 1,43 food stores in the context of harassing the Yemeni people, starving them, and targeting their economy and food, and 434 gas stations... indicating that the targeting affected all landmarks and components of life in Yemen, and such can only be said of unjust aggression. Mr. Abdulmalik Badr al-Din al-Houthi confirmed the martyrdom and injury of more than 50,000 civilians, most of them children and women who were not martyrs in the field, as a result of the American-Saudi-Emirati aggression in nine years.

He reiterated that there are brutal crimes known to the world, and news of them has spread in various countries, many of which are devastating to humanity. He asked, “Whoever destroys more than half a million homes, is his war for the benefit of the Yemeni people or to target a specific group of the Yemeni people? And is targeting universities?” Could it express the interest of the Yemeni people, service of the Yemeni people, or for the sake of the Yemeni people?

The siege and starvation were considered a parallel aggression alongside the military aggression, which resulted in great suffering, while there was systematic targeting of the economy, the national process, and the bank, control of oil and gas wealth and ports, and the imposition of a comprehensive siege on the Yemeni people by closing airports and preventing people from traveling, matched by cohesion on both sides. The official, popular, and internal front in an honorable manner contributed to the failure of the aggression coalition to achieve its goals.

He said, "Despite the scale of aggression, crimes, and comprehensive destruction, it did not break the will of the people, and this is a great blessing and a great divine blessing, but our people are still suffering very greatly as a result of the aggression and siege." He also confirmed that the aggression coalition launched major military operations to invade all the governorates and provided them with significant media and political cover. However, it failed to occupy the geographical and strategic depth of Yemen despite its control over a wide area.

The leader of the revolution stated that the aggression coalition took control of Yemen’s sovereign, oil and gas wealth, many ports, and a large area of ??the coast, and the densely populated governorates remained in confrontation, resistance, jihad, and steadfastness, and this is of very great importance for the whole country. He pointed out that the inevitable failure of the aggression became clear in achieving its goals of complete occupation and complete control over the Yemeni people, and the aggression coalition was counting on the fact that it would initially resolve the battle within two weeks, but its hopes and the hopes of those who planned the aggression were disappointed, and the enemies over many years reached almost despair of reaching... achieve their goals, and suffer huge losses.

He reported that the number of dead and wounded from all formations of the coalition of aggression and mercenaries amounted to 282,879 dead and wounded, in addition to the enemy losses in machinery and equipment, which amounted to 18,397 vehicles and equipment. He stated that the air defense operations amounted to four thousand and 585 operations during which 165 warplanes and reconnaissance aircraft were shot down, while the operations of the naval forces and coastal defense amounted to 38 operations and were of very great importance in deterring the enemy. Among the most prominent naval operations was targeting the Medina frigate and the warship Swift and seizing a ship. “Rawabi.”

He stressed that the missile force and the air force had a large presence in confronting aggression on the fronts and operations outside the borders, indicating in this regard that the missile operations amounted to 1,828 operations, including 1,237 operations in military and combat operations, and 589 operations outside the borders.

Mr. Abdulmalik Badr al-Din al-Houthi touched on the operations of the Air Force, which amounted to 12,090 offensive and reconnaissance operations, indicating that most of the operations of the Air Force were within the framework of defensive and offensive combat missions, including 997 operations outside the borders. He explained that the number of operations supporting the ground forces amounted to 211,136 sniping, artillery, anti-armor, and engineering targeting operations, stressing the enemy’s failure to destroy military capabilities, and the result was completely opposite.

He stressed the enemies’ keenness from the beginning to deprive the Yemenis of obtaining weapons to defend themselves, while the enemies possessed all types of weapons, including internationally prohibited ones. He pointed out that the American obtained very huge sums of money from the Saudis and the Emirates, so they were the largest deals of the era and deserved to be called “ "Deal of the century."

The leader of the revolution stopped at the path in manufacturing weapons, including missiles and various other military capabilities, which started from scratch and from very simple stages. Thanks to God and his success, the path developed in all types of weapons and capabilities in various fields. He stressed that the development of military capabilities was a successful upward path despite the blockade and very difficult economic conditions, and the enemy’s attempt to put great pressure on the Yemeni people through the economic situation through the blockade and depriving them of the revenues from their oil and gas wealth.

He reiterated the Yemeni people's continued steadfastness and steadfastness and the development of military capabilities, which was and still is an important issue and a basic requirement for achieving victory, defeating the aggression, and restoring what the aggression coalition occupied. Mr. Leader called on the rest of the countries to review their miscalculations and aggressive policies towards Yemen, indicating that the Yemeni people are at the forefront of peoples’ concern and concern for Arab national security and the security of the entire Islamic nation. He said, "Our people are keen for security, stability, and relations to prevail in the Arab and Islamic countries on the basis of one nation, and there is no Arab country that has any justification for adopting hostile policies against our dear people, considering this to be an illusion or fantasy."

He called on all Arab countries and the Islamic world to view the Yemeni people as a people who embody true brotherhood and as a support for the entire nation... stressing that the Yemeni people care about their nation to be a dear, strong, fraternal, and cooperative nation, and the enemy of the nation is clear. The leader of the revolution pointed out that the enemy of the Yemeni people is the enemy of the entire nation, and the Israeli enemy poses a real danger to all Muslims, especially the Arabs. He stressed that the Israeli hostility to the Arabs is known, clear and explicit in their culture, schools, curricula and heritage.

He said, "The normalization project came to leap beyond Israeli aggression to spark wars and strife within our nation, and from the tragedy for our nation when countries, governments, and regimes moved to deploy all their energies and capabilities to serve American policy." He stated that it is a great tribulation for the nation and a clear loss for some Arab countries to employ their capabilities and capabilities to serve American and Israeli conspiracies, expressing deep regret over the American continuation of the policy of implicating some Arab regimes in the internal hostile trend and stirring strife within the nation.

He stated that the Takfiris were exposed in the face of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, and they did not have any serious position even at the level of issuing fatwas. He considered the aggression against Yemen to be an aggression under American, British and Israeli supervision and planning in the context of a plan to target the region in general. Mr. Abdulmalik Badr al-Din al-Houthi stressed that the general goal behind targeting the nation is to liquidate the Palestinian issue and for the Israelis to be the ones to lead the region, pointing out that normalization for the Israeli enemy is a means to consolidate and strengthen its control and influence to extend to the entire nation and the Arab world.

Allied for Democracy

The NBC television network reported on Wednesday, citing a US official, that the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed the White House that it wanted to set another date for a canceled meeting regarding a planned military operation in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. In an article published Wednesday in the New York Times on the internal pressures exerted on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by members of his coalition, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was quoted as saying: "Biden prefers the line of Rashida Tlaib and Sinwar to the line of Benjamin Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir." “I would have expected the president of the United States not to take their line, but rather to take ours,” Ben-Gvir added. The minister went on to criticize U.S. President Joe Biden for trying to pressure Israel, saying the American leader is "enormously mistaken." “[Biden] constantly sought to impose restrictions on Israel and talks about the rights of the other side, who include, I remind you, many terrorists who want to destroy us,” Ben-Gvir elaborated.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced today (Wednesday) that following a meeting between the rector of the university, Professor Tamir Shafer, and Professor Nadira Shilhov-Kyvorkian, who was suspended from teaching due to incitement , the researcher has been reinstated. This is after about two weeks ago Shalhoub-Kiborkian was suspended because she claimed that Israel is committing "genocide" in Gaza and the university decided to suspend her "in order to maintain a safe climate on campus for the benefit of the students". The university stated that in a meeting held between Rector Shilhov-Kiborkian, she made it clear that as a critical feminist researcher, she believes all the victims and does not doubt their words, and that she did not deny the fact that on October 7 there were rape cases in the Gaza Envelope. After this clarification, it was decided that there is no obstacle on the part of the university for Shalhoub-Kivorkian to continue teaching at the School of Social Work and Social Welfare.

Al-Alam’s correspondent in Ramallah reported that deciding on the Haredi conscription law could lead to destabilizing the foundations of the political system in the occupying entity, because the Haredim have 17 seats in the Knesset, constitute 13 percent of the Israeli street, and are direct supporters of Benjamin Netanyahu. While the religious parties oppose the recruitment of "Haredim", the secular and nationalist parties support it, which caused a problem for Netanyahu within his government.

In this regard, Haaretz newspaper indicated that the two religious parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism , threatened not to participate in the government session if the draft law on religious service in the army was presented to a vote. The Council of Ministers postponed its meeting, which was scheduled to approve the draft military service law for religious Jews, due to the difficulty of reaching an agreement. The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation indicated that “the government has until Wednesday to respond to the Supreme Court regarding the non- recruitment of religious Jews .”

French journalist specializing in Middle East affairs, Georges Malbrunot , citing a source he described as knowledgeable, said that the United States of America is threatening to blow up the ruling coalition in Israel led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He added, in a tweet on the X website, that Washington aims behind this to force the Israeli Prime Minister to concede and abandon a military operation in Rafah, which Netanyahu has long threatened.

He said that this represents one of the reasons for Netanyahu's anger at Washington, pointing in this context to the resignation of the head of the New Hope Party, Minister Gideon Sa'ar , from the Israeli emergency government, last Monday evening. Sa'ar had stipulated in order for him to remain in the emergency government that he join the war council, about two weeks ago when he broke up the partnership with the head of the "National Camp", Benny Gantz, the minister in the war council.

But this was prevented by the request of the head of the “Jewish Power” party, Minister Itamar Ben Gvir , and the head of the “Religious Zionism” coalition, Minister Bezalel Smotrich , to join the war council if Sa’ar’s accession was accepted, and it became a coalition crisis and the main problem for Netanyahu, who conducted negotiations with Ben Gvir. In order to persuade him not to obstruct Sa'ar's accession, but the negotiations failed.

Analysts believe that the administration of US President Joe Biden may continue to press for a change in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu without withdrawing its support for the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu's desire to continue the war without stopping clashes with the Biden administration's interest in temporary truces that will allow it to improve its image in the presidential elections at the end of this year. The Biden administration is witnessing widespread criticism within the ranks of the Democratic Party and among various sectors of American society, due to its position in support of the war of extermination carried out by Israel in Gaza.

Although both sides agree on the main war goals, Netanyahu fears that the Biden administration will employ a temporary ceasefire for several weeks in order to double its pressure on him and bring about political change. The Biden administration has used its opposition to the invasion of Rafah without a clear plan to evacuate civilians as a major pressure card on Netanyahu, who rejects the American opposition and has been threatening for weeks to invade Rafah, regardless of Washington’s position. In this context, the United States refrained from using its veto against the immediate ceasefire decision, and caused reactions in Israeli circles that held Netanyahu and his government responsible for what they described as the unprecedented deterioration in the relationship with the American administration.

The US State Department said that the administration of President Joe Biden has not yet reached a conclusion that Israel has violated international laws of war, but the assessment is continuing and it has not yet reached a final assessment. Spokesman Matthew Miller explained in a press conference that the administration is scheduled to submit a report to Congress by May 8 as part of a National Security Memorandum reminding countries that receive American weapons to abide by international law and not obstruct humanitarian aid. Miller added, "The assessment of the extent of countries' compliance with international humanitarian law is ongoing, and we have not reached a final conclusion."

The memorandum does not impose new conditions on how US military equipment can be used, but it requires the Biden administration to send a report to Congress within 90 days on the extent of countries’ compliance with the requirements. A US official said that Israel provided written guarantees last week, as required by the memorandum, stating that the weapons supplied by the United States are not being used to violate humanitarian laws in Gaza.

Although it was expected that Israel would be dissatisfied with the United States allowing the passage of the UN Security Council resolution issued on Monday calling for a ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan, the reaction of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quite sharp, according to "Time " magazine. Following the issuance of the resolution by the Security Council after the United States abstained from voting on it, Netanyahu announced the cancellation of a planned visit by a delegation of his senior advisors to Washington to hold talks about the war and alternatives to engaging in a ground battle in the city of Rafah that would affect more than a million civilians in the southern Gaza Strip.

The magazine believes that Netanyahu's behavior was not far from his long history of antagonizing American presidents, especially Democrats, and provoking their anger. It cited a situation that occurred with Bill Clinton after Netanyahu gave him a “lecture” at the White House in 1996, which angered the American president at the time and said to his employees, according to the American magazine, “Who the hell is that and who does he think he is? Who is the superpower here?” The magazine believes that the longest-serving prime minister in Israel did not learn from the experience, and perhaps concluded that he would escape the reaction this time, as always happens, as “Netanyahu, who describes himself as an expert on US affairs, believes that American support is a given” according to "Time".

Although the position of President Joe Biden and his Vice President Kamala Harris began to shift recently, and they stated that the Israeli military response to the Hamas attack on October 7 was exaggerated and that the Hebrew state was bombing Gaza indiscriminately and killed many civilians, Netanyahu still... Continuing his approach, it seems that he is gambling on Donald Trump's return to the White House by winning the presidential elections next November, according to "Time".

The magazine says, “Netanyahu and the right-wing extremists in his government who want to annex the West Bank, and now want to rebuild Jewish settlements in Gaza, believe that if Trump returns to the White House, he will once again allow Israel to do whatever it wants. From their point of view, if the Republicans can “Seizing the Senate and retaining the House of Representatives, Israel will indeed achieve that.”

But the magazine believes that “this is a very bad bet” because “Trump cannot be relied upon to adhere to any position he expresses at the present time, in addition to that he holds a grudge against Netanyahu for congratulating Biden on his victory in the elections in 2020, in addition to the fact that he originally asked the Prime Minister "Israel will end this war quickly and focus on peace."

Former US President, and the expected Republican nominee for the upcoming presidential elections, Donald Trump, called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to quickly end the war in Gaza. "Netanyahu believes that he will appear strong in the eyes of his political base if he challenges American presidents and other foreign critics, and he and his closest officials strengthen relations with Republicans, especially hawkish conservatives who admire what the small Jewish state can achieve in a region with an overwhelming Muslim majority."

The magazine attributes the alliance between a superpower and a small country in a far-flung strategic region to factors such as “shared democratic values, the importance of the American Jewish community, evangelicals’ strong connection to the Holy Land, and memories of the Holocaust.” But this alliance "is not a natural matter that can be taken for granted, as over time and changes in American demographics it could lead to the erosion of support for Israel." Netanyahu's insensitivity to his practices has led to a decline in support among progressive Americans, in addition to the fact that leftists have begun to position Zionism as one of the things that deserves condemnation, noting that this appears clear from the current intense protests on American universities against the war in Gaza.

But at the same time, “Israel still enjoys broad support in the United States, although this support has been continually eroded by the behavior of Netanyahu and hard-liners in his government.” The magazine quotes former Israeli ambassador to Washington Danny Ayalon: “It seems that American officials speak politely but firmly with their counterparts, but the Israelis pretend that they do not understand what is being said to them.” Therefore, Biden's decision to abstain from voting at the United Nations, instead of protecting Israel, as usual, by using his veto power, was a message to Netanyahu that he had had enough.

The newspaper indicates that Netanyahu believes that he can respond through his decision to cancel the Israeli delegation’s visit and his confirmation of his intention to storm Rafah and endanger the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians, but the truth is that Israel cannot afford to endanger the American aid that is already flowing.” In addition to $3.8 billion in annual direct military aid, the United States has sent more than 400 transport aircraft and 30 ships carrying 20,000 tons of ammunition, missiles, and other essential military equipment to help Israel continue the Gaza war. The United States is the main arms supplier and protector. to the Hebrew state. The magazine quotes a former Israeli military commander as saying, “Without this resupply, the Israeli army will not be able to continue fighting for more than another six months.”

The US Department of Defense, the Pentagon, is pushing for a “new approach” in the Gaza Strip, to achieve the Israeli goal and dismantle the remaining Hamas brigades classified as terrorists in the United States and other countries, while at the same time finding an alternative approach that “protects Palestinian civilians” in the city located on the Egyptian border. According to a report by the Washington Post.

US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, urged Israel to abandon its plans to launch a major ground attack against Hamas militants in southern Gaza, at a time when the administration of President Joe Biden is trying to limit the escalating humanitarian crisis at a time of severe tension between the states. The United States and its closest allies in the Middle East. In his talks with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant at the Pentagon, Austin stressed the need to avoid exacerbating what he described as the worsening “catastrophe” in Gaza, where Palestinian civilians face widespread hunger, disease and danger.

Echoing warnings made by the Biden administration months ago, Austin said there was a “moral imperative and a strategic imperative” to protect civilians in the Hamas-controlled Strip. He added: "In Gaza today, the number of civilian casualties is very high, and the amount of humanitarian aid is very low."

Gallant's visit to Washington this week gains additional importance after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suddenly canceled the visit of a high-level delegation to the American capital. Biden had invited Netanyahu to hold discussions about the planned Israeli operation in Rafah, the last stronghold of Hamas. This decision, which surprised American officials, exacerbated already escalating tensions between the Biden administration and the Netanyahu government, according to the Washington Post.

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.The two sides disagree over Israel's settlement policies and its rejection of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The United States supported Israel militarily and diplomatically, but expressed its dissatisfaction with the rising civilian death toll in the Gaza Strip and the deteriorating humanitarian situation.

The Washington Post quoted a senior defense official who declined to reveal his identity, saying that the Biden administration supports Israel's goal of dismantling the remaining Hamas brigades in Rafah, but "finding an alternative approach" that protects Palestinian civilians "is in fact the priority." Austin, who as an Army general oversaw counterinsurgency campaigns in the Middle East and Afghanistan, has deep experience fighting militant groups and in the United States' struggle to avoid civilian casualties. The Biden administration hopes to use these lessons to reduce civilian deaths in Gaza.

The Pentagon official said that Austin acknowledged the need to dismantle Hamas-affiliated brigades in Rafah, but stressed the "moral duty" of the two allied countries and the "common strategic interest" of protecting civilians, according to what Agence France-Presse reported. He said, "The Secretary expressed our goal to help Israel find an alternative to a large-scale, and perhaps premature, military operation that may endanger more than a million civilians sheltering in Rafah." He continued, "In order to do this, there is a requirement to ensure that these civilians can leave, that they do so safely, and that their humanitarian needs can be met as they head to other parts of Gaza."

He noted that Gallant affirmed his "commitment to dealing with these issues." The official did not specify the details of alternative proposals to the military operation proposed by Austin, but he pointed to the need to increase humanitarian aid and stressed that the maritime humanitarian corridor is expected to be ready and operational within weeks. The official pointed to “the sequence of humanitarian and military operations, the strengthening of security on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, and the “precise targeting” of armed leaders.

One day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to continue the war against Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States and other countries, until “complete victory” in the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces bombed the city of Rafah on the Egyptian border, raising fears of an imminent ground attack. He added that talks on the operation would continue, and it was not clear whether the discussions included detailed military plans.

The conflict in Gaza has intensified debate over how far the United States must go to ensure that partners receiving US arms and military support adhere to international standards, including the laws of war. The United States has delivered more than 100 arms shipments to Israel since the start of the war. The official was asked if Austin was confident that the Rafah process would not take place before further consultations with the United States, and he refused to answer, according to Agence France-Presse. The defense official declined to say whether the United States would impose conditions on military aid to Israel if it did not comply with American requests, but pointed to Israel's pledge to comply with international law, according to the Washington Post.

During the daily White House press conference, the day before yesterday, Monday, and after the United States abstained from voting on Security Council Resolution 2728, which demands an immediate cessation of fighting in the Gaza Strip, a journalist asked the official spokesman for the National Security Council, John Kirby, in which he said, “There is American officials today say that Netanyahu is behaving this way because he faces some internal political pressures, but aren’t there also internal political pressures facing President Biden , and this is part of the reason for what you allowed today (i.e. refraining from using the veto ) ?

The journalist added, "You have members of the Democratic Party who say that Biden is doing this wrong. You have a public opinion that believes that support for Israel is misplaced. Isn't this part of the reason behind what happened today?"

But Kirby responded angrily, saying, “No, not at all, and I have to object to the premise of the question. President Biden makes decisions based on the national security interests and considerations of the United States, and this decision to abstain from voting on this resolution is consistent with the national security interests of the United States, and quite frankly, "It is consistent with the national security concerns of the Israeli people."

The Israeli war in the Gaza Strip is causing real damage to America’s image around the world, making the Biden administration appear complicit in the aggression against the children, women, and elderly of Gaza, and Washington’s recent airdrop of food and relief aid onto the displaced and hungry residents of Gaza, while saving time. The same military weapons that have forced them to flee and put them at risk of starvation, anger millions around the world. However, what is more important is that it also affects internally, and puts Biden’s chances of re-election at risk, which gives the White House another reason to harden its position, and to deal with the changing internal reality in the United States. The speech of the leader of the Democratic majority in the Senate, Senator Chuck Schumer, who is Jewish and one of the The strongest defender of Israel, declaring that the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are bad for Israel, which Biden in turn supported.

An Arab diplomat told Al Jazeera Net that "there are no actual differences between the Israeli and American positions. If the Biden administration wanted to pressure Netanyahu, it would not have waited 6 months before sending symbolic signals of its dissatisfaction with the way Israel carried out its military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which resulted in... More than 32 thousand civilians were killed.

He explained, "Former President Ronald Reagan put pressure on the Likud government and forced Israel to leave Lebanon. Bush Sr. stopped loan guarantees to Israel before the Madrid Conference. America is not a small country, and it has many cards and tools to force an ally that completely depends on it, intelligence-wise, diplomatically, legally, and militarily, to do what it wants." “Biden simply sees that there is no need for that. What concerns him is the global embarrassment and the voice of the Arab and Muslim American voter.”

The American position reflects the awareness of US President Joe Biden and his team of the importance of the votes of the progressive movement, the youth, and hundreds of thousands of Arab and Muslim Americans, especially after the states of Michigan and Minnesota sent harsh messages to President Biden in the primary elections in the two swing states. Biden lost the votes of more than 100,000 Democratic voters who voted “uncommitted,” by 13.2% in the state of Michigan, or the equivalent of 102,000 voters, and in the state of Minnesota more than 45,000 voters voted for the same option by up to 19%.

The results of the primary elections in Michigan and Minnesota not only reflected an assessment of President Biden's strength, in two of the most important swing states that represent a major battleground against his rival, Republican candidate Donald Trump , but will also serve as a decisive test of the price of Biden's refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, Gregory Avtandilian, an expert on Middle East peace and a professor at the American University in Washington, said, “Biden hopes, by allowing the UN Security Council resolution to be passed, to garner support among progressive Democrats, who have strongly criticized his policy in Gaza.” On the contrary, a number of commentators believe that the United States’ abstention from voting is the first real indication that pressure on President Biden to address the disasters of his position on the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip is bearing fruit.

Over the weekend, intense negotiations took place following the US threat that it would veto any resolution that did not “support diplomacy on the ground,” or the diplomatic efforts of Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, and the Biden administration sought to link the ceasefire to the release of all hostages. This connection could have made one issue hostage to the other, which is consistent with the Israeli position, which does not want any pressure against the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza until all the hostages are released, effectively making all Gazans hostages.

The resolution that was passed does not meet the American request. Instead, it combines the two demands, i.e. a ceasefire and the release of the hostages, in one clause in terms of operation, but without linking the two issues. The question remained as to whether the United States will continue to sell weapons to Israel, even if it continues to reject a ceasefire. Legally, the resolution does not oblige the United States to stop arms sales, but politically, there will be additional pressure on Washington to help implement the resolution. , instead of simply acting as a spectator to the ceasefire.

After narrowly backing Israel’s military action in Gaza in November, Americans now oppose the campaign by a solid margin. Fifty-five percent currently disapprove of Israel’s actions, while 36% approve. As the Israel-Hamas war drags on, U.S. support for its ally’s actions in the war is slipping. This follows Gallup’s February poll finding that Americans hold less positive views of both Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Like many issues, U.S. partisans find themselves on opposing sides. Most Republicans, though fewer than in the fall, support Israel's actions, while the vast majority of Democrats are opposed. Independents’ opinions are now much closer to those of Democrats.

Seventy-four percent of U.S. adults say they are following news of the Israeli-Hamas situation closely, similar to the 72% Gallup measured in November. One-third of Americans (34%) say they are following the situation “very closely.” Disapproval of Israel’s military action is similar regardless of how much attention Americans are paying to the conflict. However, those paying less attention are more likely than their counterparts to have no opinion on the matter, resulting in lower approval than seen among people paying greater attention.

All three major party groups in the U.S. have become less supportive of Israel’s actions in Gaza than they were in November. This includes declines of 18 percentage points in approval among both Democrats and independents and a seven-point decline among Republicans. Independents have shifted from being divided in their views of the Israeli military action to opposing it. Democrats, who were already largely opposed in November, are even more so now, with 18% approving and 75% disapproving. Republicans still support Israel’s military efforts, but a reduced majority -- 64%, down from 71% -- now approve.

Democrats’ widespread opposition to Israel’s actions underscores the difficulty of the issue for President Joe Biden among his most loyal supporters. Some Democratic critics believe Biden has been too closely aligned with Israel by not taking stronger actions to promote a cease-fire and to assist Palestinian civilians caught in the war zone. Biden’s approval rating for his handling of the situation in the Middle East, at 27%, is his lowest among five issues tested in the survey. This is because far fewer Democrats (47%) approve of how he is handling the situation between the Israelis and Palestinians than approve of his handling of the economy, the environment, energy policy and foreign affairs, broadly. On those issues, no less than 66% of Democrats approve of Biden. Only further contributing to Biden’s low rating on the Middle East situation, just 21% of independents and 16% of Republicans approve of his performance on the issue.

Still, it appears that the Middle East conflict has not taken an obvious toll on Biden’s political standing. His overall job approval rating is 40%, compared with 37% in October and November surveys, perhaps being lifted by Americans’ greater confidence in the U.S. economy.

The issue does not register highly when Americans are asked to name the most important problem facing the U.S. Nor does it rank highly when Americans rate each of several international issues as critical threats to U.S. vital interests. It could hurt the president by dampening turnout among would-be Biden voters who care deeply about the issue and are upset with his handling of the situation.

Operation Iron Swords - By the Numbers

• 74,889 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]
• 13,750 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
• 7,820 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
• 453 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

Not every number is reported every day, so sudden jumps generally reflect reporting artifacts rather than actual upticks. 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.