Operation Iron Swords - Day 191 - 14 April 2024
“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)
Contents |
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NEW - True Promise IRvsIL NEW - War Termination NEW - Operations NEW - Operations - Gaza NEW - Operations - Judea-Samaria NEW - Operations - Lebanon NEW - Operations - Syria / Iraq NEW - Operations - Yemen UPDATED - Operations Maps NEW - By-Standers NEW - Axis of Resistance NEW - Allied for Democracy UPDATED - By the Numbers |
War Termination
Hamas confirmed that it had responded to the truce proposal, and reaffirmed its demands based on a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of the occupation army from the entire Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced to their areas and places of residence, intensifying the entry of relief and aid, and the start of reconstruction. For months, Qatar, Egypt and the United States have been leading indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas with the aim of reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and an exchange of prisoners and detainees between the two parties. The latest proposal presented by the mediators stipulates the release of 42 Israeli detainees in exchange for the release of 800 to 900 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, the entry of 400 to 500 trucks of humanitarian aid daily and the return of the displaced to northern Gaza.
Sources revealed to Al Jazeera details of the response the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) submitted to the mediators regarding the proposed ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in Gaza. According to what the sources revealed to Al Jazeera, Hamas adhered to the proposed ceasefire framework in 3 phases, each lasting 42 days. Hamas also stipulated the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the dividing line in all areas in the first stage, and demanded the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip and the guarantee of freedom of movement in all its areas.
In its response to the mediators, Hamas stipulated that a permanent ceasefire be announced in the second phase before the prisoner exchange began, and also demanded the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip in the second phase. Regarding the prisoner exchange, Hamas offered, in exchange for the release of any civilian prisoner, the release of 30 Palestinian prisoners. It also called for the release of 50 Palestinian prisoners for every female soldier, including 30 life sentencers, and for the lifting of the sanctions that were imposed against all Palestinian prisoners after the seventh of last October. HAMAS stressed the need for the third phase to include a commitment to end the blockade and begin the process of rebuilding the Strip.
Hamas announced - yesterday evening, Saturday - that it had submitted to the mediators in Egypt and Qatar its response to the proposal that it received last Monday, expressing its readiness to conclude “a serious and real prisoner exchange deal between the two parties.” Hamas confirmed - in a press statement published through its official account on the Telegram platform - its adherence to its demands and the demands of the Palestinian people, including “a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of the occupation army from the entire Gaza Strip , the return of the displaced to their areas and places of residence, intensifying the entry of relief and aid, and the start of reconstruction.”
Sources close to the negotiations confirmed to Al Jazeera Net that although Hamas adhered to its response presented on March 14, it decided - after consultations that included the internal leadership - to respond again to the Israeli proposals, even though they did not bring anything new. The sources indicated a growing conviction among the Hamas leadership that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is deliberately disrupting the negotiations, and is continuing his media tricks to deceive the families of the prisoners and the Israeli public that he is working to release the prisoners, when in fact he does not want to reach an agreement.
These sources attribute Netanyahu's position to the fact that reaching an agreement would launch an escalating campaign within the occupation entity to hold elections that would inevitably lead to his downfall and his exposure to trials over corruption and failure on October 7, the date of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation carried out by the Palestinian resistance. The sources revealed that the latest occupation offer did not contain anything new regarding the return of the displaced to their places of residence in the northern Gaza Strip, and that it still requires a return that is controlled militarily and security-wise and within pre-determined numbers, which does not meet the demand for their unconditional return put forward by the movement.
Earlier, the Israeli intelligence service ( Mossad ) confirmed the receipt of a negative response from the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) regarding the mediators’ proposal, the day after the movement confirmed yesterday evening, Saturday, that it had submitted its response. The Mossad added - in a statement distributed by Netanyahu's office - that "Hamas rejected the proposal, and the head of the movement in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, does not want a humanitarian agreement or the return of the detainees." The Mossad saw that Sinwar "continues to exploit the tension with Iran" and seeks "a comprehensive escalation in the region," and stressed that the Israeli army will continue with full force to achieve the goals of the war on Gaza, and will make efforts to return the detainees.
Operational Update
The military and strategic expert, Colonel Hatem Karim Al-Falahi, said that there are no military developments on the field scene in the Gaza Strip after all sectors of the Israeli army were awaiting the issue of the Iranian threat. During Al Jazeera's military analysis segment, Al-Falahi pointed out that the past days witnessed a lightening of the intensity of military operations after the occupation forces were stationed in the buffer zone, "with the exception of the limited operation north of the Nuseirat camp in the middle of the Gaza Strip." But things will change and develop militarily in the areas that Israel wants to go to - according to Al-Falahi - such as the return of concentrated bombing on the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, in addition to resolving the Rafah issue. He added that Israel wants to complete its military operation by going to the border city with Egypt according to the political and military levels to achieve the goals of the war on Gaza.
Coinciding with Al-Falahi’s speech, the Iraeli army announced - today, Sunday - the summoning of two brigades of reserve forces to carry out further operations in the Gaza Strip, days after it withdrew a number of priority combat positions there. Al-Falahi confirmed that the American objection to the invasion of Rafah is related to finding safe shelter areas for civilians and displaced people, indicating that there is an agreement in principle to go to Rafah, but with a difference in the details of the operation and what will result from it.
The strategic expert expected that civilians would begin leaving Rafah as soon as the focused Israeli bombing of the city began, adding that it was not the occupation army’s concern for them to have a safe shelter, citing its firing on displaced persons wishing to return to the northern regions via Al-Rashid (Al-Bahr) Street. It should be noted that Israeli ground forces are stationed on the border strip separating the Strip and the Gaza envelope, at a distance ranging between 500 meters and one kilometre, in addition to the Netzarim axis and the northern Gaza Valley, according to the interactive map presented by Al Jazeera.
Operational Update - Gaza
The Israeli army said that within days two reserve brigades will be mobilized for operational tasks in the Gaza Strip based on an assessment of the situation, adding that this will allow the effort to continue and prepare for defense and maintain the security of the population, as he put it. This comes while a statement issued by the Israeli Prime Minister said that the Mossad confirms the receipt of a “negative response” from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) regarding the approach presented by the mediators, considering that this confirms that “Yahya Sinwar does not want to reach a prisoner exchange deal.”
The Israeli army announced "Recruiting two reserve brigades will allow the effort to continue, prepare for defense, and maintain the security of the population," A few days ago, the Israeli army announced that the 162nd Division had begun a surprise military operation in the center of the Gaza Strip, indicating that this operation was being carried out by the combat group of the 401st Brigade, the combat group of the Nahal Brigade, and other units under the command of the 162nd Division.
A few days ago, the Israeli occupation army announced the withdrawal of all ground forces from the Gaza Strip, including the 98th Division with its three brigades, from the Khan Yunis area after 4 months of fighting, leaving only the Nahal Brigade operating in the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza to separate the north from the center and the south. Israeli media said at the time that the withdrawal of the 98th Division from Khan Yunis came within the framework of preparations for an operation in Rafah.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper also reported, citing sources in the Israeli army, that one of the reasons for the withdrawal is to leave places for the displaced who will be asked to leave Rafah, stressing at the same time that there is no connection between the American pressures exerted on Israel and the withdrawal from Khan Yunis. The sources added - according to the newspaper - that the occupation army is preparing to continue operations against the " Hamas brigades " that they did not deal with in Deir al-Balah and Rafah, and that the army can return to Khan Yunis if necessary.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for invading Rafah and imposing control over the entire Gaza Strip , despite international warnings against carrying out a military operation in the city crowded with thousands of displaced people. After Israel announced that it had received a negative response from the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) regarding a proposal for a truce in Gaza, Smotrich said in a post on the “X” platform that “abandoning Israeli red lines and pursuing Hamas in order to reach an agreement will only lead to eliminating the opportunity to return all "Detainees."
Smotrich, who heads the Religious Zionism Party, added: “It is time to learn lessons, change direction, and head to Rafah now, and restore full Israeli control over the entire Gaza Strip.” Regional and international warnings are mounting regarding Israel's plans to carry out a ground invasion in Rafah, and the danger this poses to hundreds of thousands of displaced people who have taken refuge there as a last refuge in the far south of the Strip.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced on Sunday that Hamas responded negatively to the ceasefire proposal presented by the mediators last Monday. He considered that the rejection of the truce proposal shows that the head of the movement’s political bureau in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, “does not want a humanitarian agreement or the return of the hostages” who have been detained in the Strip since the Al-Aqsa Flood operation carried out by the Palestinian resistance on October 7.
Operational Update - Judea-Samaria
Operational Update - Lebanon
Operational Update - Syria / Iraq
Operational Update - Yemen
Maps
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All maps are lies. “Not only is it easy to lie with maps, it is essential,” wrote cartographer Mark Monmoneir in his book How to Lie with Maps. He showed that condensing complex, three-dimensional spaces onto a two-dimensional sheet of paper [in old days] is bound to be reductive. But it is impossible to comprehend the war in Gaza without reference to maps, otherwise the entire conflict is reduced to an endless series of meaningless acts of random violence and the suffering of civilians. The first characteristic of guerrilla warfare is the loss of a front line. Evidently, different mappers have different ideas of how to depict the war in Gaza, notably those that seek to depict Israeli progress in the ground campaign. Part of the problem is latency. The news that forms the basis of the maps takes time to filter out to mappers, and the cartographers take time in crafting their maps, and it takes time to curate them. These processes are uneven among mappers, so their maps may differ in detail. Probably there is some ideological bias, or at least thematic apperception, which is understandable in wartime. It may come as no surprise that al-Jazeera maps depict rather less Israeli territorial progress than other sources. Finally, there remains the epistemological question of just exactly what are the colored in areas depicting. Naively, this might be understood as areas of Israeli control, that are no longer contested by the HAMAS. Or possibly these are areas of Israeli presence, in many of which the possibility of an RPG-wielding HAMAS militant popping out of a tunnel unexpectedly remains a live possibility. With the "zero-range" combat characterized by small unit tactics on both sides, maps may be prey to a fallacy of misplaced concreteness.
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Bystanders
Axis of Resistance
The Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) described the military operation carried out by Iran against Israel as a “deserved natural right” that falls within the right of the countries and peoples of the region to defend themselves. Hamas explained in its statement that the Iranian operation represents “a deserved response to the crime of targeting the Iranian consulate in Damascus and assassinating a number of Revolutionary Guard leaders there.” The movement called on the Arab and Islamic nations “and the free people of the world and the resistance forces in the region to continue their support for the Al-Aqsa flood ,” and stressed the right of the Palestinian people “to freedom and independence and to establish their Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.”
The Palestinian national and Islamic forces and factions in Lebanon accompanied the Iranian attack with drones and missiles on Israel at dawn on Sunday, which lasted for about 5 hours, in response to the bombing of its consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus, at the beginning of this April, which led to the martyrdom of a number of its military leaders and advisors. The Palestinian factions confirmed that the Iranian response is legitimate, natural and expected, to impose a new equation and rules of engagement that prevent Israel again from targeting any diplomatic representations or Iranian lands. Because she will receive the appropriate response.
The factions unanimously agreed that the Iranian “attack” carried a message that went beyond considering it a response to the targeting of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, to a retroactive response to the assassination of its leaders, especially in Syria, on the one hand, and to all the massacres carried out by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
While the Palestinian factions in Lebanon ruled out that the escalation in the region would turn into an open war, after Israel read the decisive messages regarding Iran entering directly into the line of historical conflict with it and launching marches and missiles directly from its territory and not through the allies as was usual, it saw that the coming hours and perhaps days would be It will decide the future and fate of the region.
Jihad Taha, spokesman for the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), described the Iranian response to the targeting of its consulate in Damascus as a natural and legitimate response in accordance with Iranian sovereign rights and international laws, noting that the Iranian consulate is considered an integral part of Iranian sovereignty. Taha stressed to Al Jazeera Net the need to confront the "destructive, colonial Zionist project" that seeks to commit more crimes and massacres against the Palestinian people, their land, and their sanctities, which are inconsistent with international laws.
Taha called on the international community to assume its responsibilities in confronting “Zionist persistence” and defending the rights of the Palestinian people. He stressed the need to support the steadfastness and resistance of the Palestinians in the face of aggression, calling on the Arab and Islamic countries to translate their decisions recently issued at the Arab-Islamic Summit into supporting the Palestinians and confronting Israeli settlement in the West Bank.
In turn, Secretary of Relations for the Islamic Jihad Movement in Lebanon, Haitham Abu Al-Ghazlan, considered that the “ Al-Aqsa Flood ” operation on October 7, 2023, opened the door wide for the fall of the theory of Israeli superiority, and in the Iranian response within the Israeli entity, the theory of security superiority fell. The image of Israeli superiority and deterrence faded. The evidence for this is the American, British, French and “neighbors” assistance, as Gallant said, in confronting the Iranian attack.
Abu Al-Ghazlan told Al-Jazeera Net, "Although the Iranian response was based on a message of not wanting to ignite a regional war, it showed a clear Iranian challenge to the United States, and its size was surprising to the Israeli entity, which crossed the red lines by targeting the Iranian consulate in Damascus." He added, "The importance of the response decision lies in the decision-making first, and its effects on the regional security system second, and in revealing the state of "Israeli popular" panic and anxiety regarding the depth of the crisis of confidence in Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the ruling class, and the decline in national immunity and Israeli internal cohesion.
Abu Al-Ghazlan pointed out that the war of extermination waged by the Israeli enemy against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip was a translation of the failure of the Israeli-American goals to eliminate the Palestinian resistance. The goal of the support fronts in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and Iran is to stop the aggression against the Gaza Strip. Therefore, the Iranian response is part of these fronts to achieve the goal of stopping the aggression.
For his part, Haitham Abdo, official of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Lebanon, considered that the strike directed by Iran against Israel was a “deserved and natural response in the context of the Zionist attacks on Iranian territory by targeting the Iranian consulate in Syria.” Abdo told Al Jazeera Net that this strike comes in response to the massacres and genocide committed by the occupation against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. It also comes "in the context of responding to all assassinations of leaders and attacks on Iranian territory, including the assassination of scholars in Iran."
Abdo believes that this response is not just sending a message or a response to the attack that occurred on the consulate in Damascus, but rather a “strategic change in the balance of power.” He added, "From now on, there will be no attacks or assassinations of any Iranian leaders or any attacks on consulates or Iranian lands without a response." He continued: “The enemy will now understand well that any action he takes will face an appropriate response. An example of this is the strong response that came to the Zionist attacks. Therefore, today represents a turning point in the Iranian strategy to confront the Zionist settlement, as deterrence and Iran’s deterrent power will be stronger in the future.”
Abdo also considered that this “attack” comes in the context of responding to all Zionist attacks on resistance axes in the region, “and not just on the Iranian consulate.” He pointed out the weakness of the Zionist entity in dealing with this response, and how it failed to overcome it, even with the participation of many countries. Western countries such as Britain, the United States, and even Arab countries helped repel these missiles over their territories before they reached the occupied interior.” He pointed out that this Iranian response, whether in decision-making or implementation, is “a precedent and will be built upon for the future, and that what comes after April 13 will not be the same as before.”
While a member of the political bureau of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine , Fathi Kulaib, told Al Jazeera Net: “The Iranian response to the Israeli enemy’s targeting of the Iranian consulate in Damascus came as expected, and is clear in its intended goals.” Kleib continued: “The Iranian forces targeted military areas, and were not targeting civilian targets.” He added, “It was clear that the direct target was the military base in the Negev, which was successfully targeted.” He pointed out that the message from the response confirms Iran's readiness to deal with any Israeli threat. Therefore, any targeting of its forces, whether inside Iran, Syria, or any other region, will be responded to in the same way as this response occurred, as he put it.
According to Kleib, despite the support that Israel received from the United States, Britain, and France, Iran is capable of overcoming Israeli defenses and the Western alliance. But Iran is not interested in expanding the scope of the conflict at the moment. Kleib believes that the future of the conflict or escalation depends largely on the Israeli reaction, which tries to minimize losses and show victory. On the other hand, Iran succeeded in setting new rules in dealing with Israel, and its message was clearly conveyed. He added, "It is important to note what is happening in the Gaza Strip, as if the aggression there is stopped, there may be a change in Western dealings, including dealings between Israel and the United States."
Allied for Democracy
Israeli media said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the ministers in his government not to make statements or give press interviews regarding Iran. This coincided with the start of the Israeli War Council session to discuss options for responding to Iran. Hebrew media reported that the meeting would discuss the response to the retaliatory attack launched by Iran with missiles and drones on Israel last night.
At dawn on Sunday, the expanded political and security ministerial council ( cabinet ) met, followed by a war council meeting in an underground bunker in the Ministry of Defense in the city of Tel Aviv (central), according to the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. The Cabinet authorized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Defense Council Minister Benny Gantz to determine how Israel would respond to the Iranian retaliatory attack.
For his part, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told NBC that President Joe Biden does not believe that the Iranian attack requires escalation into a broader war. Reports broadcast by CNN and the Wall Street Journal on Sunday also stated that the United States will not participate in any Israeli attack in response to Iran’s attacks. An American official told the Axios news website that Biden and his senior advisors are deeply concerned that the Israeli response to the Iranian attack will lead to a regional war with disastrous consequences.
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir said, “We must not follow a policy of containment in order to create deterrence in the Middle East. Rather, we must respond madly,” as he put it. Israeli Army Radio also quoted Israeli War Council Minister Benny Gantz as saying that Israel will build a regional alliance to confront the Iranian threat. He added, "We will collect the price from Iran in the manner and time that suits us, and we must strengthen the strategic alliance and regional cooperation that we have established and which have proven successful when put to the real test."
Operation Iron Swords - By the Numbers
- 1,900,000 IDPs in Gaza
- 76,371 Gazans injured, 28% adult male
- 70,000 tons of explosives dropped on Gaza
- 70,000 housing units completely destroyed
- 70,000 Israeli IDPs from Lebanon border
- 45,000 bombs dropped in Gaza
- 43,000 Gazans killed, including buried under rubble
- 33,000 Gaza targets attacked
- 33,729 Gazans martyred
- 20,528 Palestinians in Israeli prisons [Haaretz, 20 Mar 2024]
- 15,140 Israelis injured [i24 TV]
- 15,000 rockets launched from Gaza
- 14,520 Gazan children martyred
- 13,000 HAMAS combatants killed [N12]
- 13,000 HAMAS combatants killed [IDF]
- 11,000 arrested by Israelis in the West Bank in 2023
- 10,000 Gazans missing under the rubble
- 9,920 Gazan women martyred
- 9,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons
- 9,000 IDF needing psychological assistance
- 8,365 arrested by Israelis in the West Bank since Oct.7th
- 6,800 IDF officers and soldiers injured [Channel 12]
- 6,000 HAMAS combatants killed [HAMAS]
- 5,500 IDF wounded [reports]
- 4,750 West Bank Palestinians wounded
- 4,700 sites targetted in Lebanon
- 3,484 administrative detainees
- 3,700 wanted persons arrested throughout Judea and Samaria
- 3,188 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
- 604 Israeli officers and soldiers killed since the start of the war
- 456 West Bank Palestinians martyred
- 363 people [including fighters] killed in Lebanon
- 260 Israeli officers and soldiers killed in Gaza
- 240 Hezbollah fighters killed in Lebanon
- 126 people recovered, including 91 Israelis, 11 bodies, and 24 foreign workers
- 116 living hostages in Palestinian custody
- 70 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.
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