Operation Iron Swords - Day 137 - 20 February 2024
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NEW - War Termination NEW - Operations NEW - Operations Maps NEW - By-Standers NEW - Axis of Resistance NEW - Allied for Democracy UPDATED - Oasis of Martyrs UPDATED - Hostages |
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that the United States wants Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement on a humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip before the beginning of Ramadan. Miller said during a press conference: “We would like to reach a humanitarian truce before the beginning of the month of Ramadan. We would like to reach it before the end of the week. We would like to reach it as soon as possible.” In a related context, White House Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said that the US administration believes that the time has not yet come for a complete and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
“An unprecedented decision that amounts to declaring a religious war against more than 2,000 million Muslims.” This is how the head of the Freedoms Committee of the Higher Follow-up Committee in the Palestinian interior, Sheikh Kamal Al-Khatib , described the decision of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to impose restrictions on the entry of Palestinians from the interior. Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan; In response to the recommendation of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir .
Al-Khatib stated, during an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera Net, that this “clash” will have unprecedented consequences and effects on Palestine and the entire region, stressing that the Palestinian people will not submit to the decision to prevent them from praying in Al-Aqsa Mosque, especially during the month of Ramadan.
First of all, what do you think of the decision to restrict the entry of Palestinians from inside Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan?
This decision is characterized by two characteristics: hatred and stupidity. Because whoever takes such a step is a hateful person because of his knowledge of the sensitivity and sanctity of the time, “the month of Ramadan,” and the place, “Al-Aqsa Mosque.” The decision also indicates its stupidity; Because he does not know the nature of a Muslim waiting for this season to spend some of his days in Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Therefore, this decision is historic and unprecedented, and comes in the context of the crisis that the Israeli establishment is experiencing with the presence of a right-wing leadership represented by Netanyahu and Ben Gvir.
Every year, before Ramadan, we hear about preparations to demonize it, but this demonization has turned into an act represented by preventing us from going to our Al-Aqsa Mosque, our first love. This is a clash with our faith that has no explanation other than declaring religious war, not against the two million Palestinians inside, nor the 14 million total Palestinian people. Nor 400 million Arabs; Rather, it is a declaration of war on two thousand million Muslims by confronting their faith.
Why did Netanyahu ignore the recommendations of the police and Shin Bet and choose the most extreme recommendation, despite its danger?
He ignored her because he wanted to reach this result, for things to flare up and for the situation to deteriorate. Because this would prolong his rule and postpone the elections. He only cares now about how long he stays in the prime minister's chair in Israel, and so he ignored and violated the recommendations of the Shin Bet and the police.
We all know that Netanyahu's government is based on direct support for right-wing parties. He considers himself dependent on a rope around his neck being pulled by Ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Israeli society has handed over its reins to those who will inevitably lead it into the abyss. Did the Palestinians’ silence regarding the violation of Al-Aqsa since October 7 lead to this result?
What has happened since the seventh of last October are conditions that have imposed themselves on all the Palestinian people, with differences between the Palestinians of the interior and the people of the West Bank. Unfortunately, due to the presence of the Security Coordination Authority (referring to the Palestinian Authority), which was a heavy stick that contributed to the implementation of Israeli policies on our people.
I do not think that this decision came from reading past events. Rather, it has always been on the minds of religious groups, especially regarding the issue of storming Al-Aqsa, performing prayers there and dividing it, and now the circumstances have come to implement it, due to the belief that the Palestinian people are in a state of clinical death.
But I am certain that the issue of Al-Aqsa Mosque has always had special calculations, the truth of which is known only to those who have knowledge of the nature of peoples. I am certain that Al-Aqsa Mosque will be an earthquake with aftershocks not only in the region, but beyond that.
To what extent is the announcement of the restriction decision, before a final decision is made, a measure of the Palestinians’ pulse and reaction before implementing it on the ground?
Announcing a government meeting first and waiting for what comes out of it, and following up on its decisions, is not a test of the pulse as much as it is a proactive policy through which Netanyahu and his government wanted to put the dots on the letters early. They know what they want, and the media that accompanied the decision knows its seriousness, and hence this media shock was unprecedented, even in the Israeli media, which described it as a disaster and a real danger.
What is the danger of the decision on the future of Al-Aqsa Mosque, changing the status quo there, and confirming its division?
I confirm that this decision will not find its way to light. Because I am confident that our people will not give up their love for Al-Aqsa Mosque, specifically in the month of Ramadan. Since the Omari conquest, Al-Aqsa has been subjected to two occupations. The Crusader who left after 90 years, and the Israeli who will inevitably leave despite the passage of 75 years.
But the features of the next stage will be decided not only by Netanyahu, but also by our Palestinian people, who will not surrender Al-Aqsa to these brutal policies.
The occupation did not talk about restrictions on settlers storming Al-Aqsa during Ramadan, especially during Purim. What are the consequences?
There are seasons of prominent raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque, the most prominent of which are on the holidays of Passover and Purim, and others on the Day of Atonement and Rosh Hashanah, and some of them intersect with the month of Ramadan, as happened in past years, but the intersection of Purim with Ramadan, in light of these restrictions and decisions, will result in, in my estimation, something beyond imagination. Al-Aqsa will be targeted.
Once again, no scenario can be drawn that approximates the reality of the circumstances that Al-Aqsa will go through. This is a historic month, an unprecedented Ramadan, and it will have unprecedented repercussions.
How can the Palestinians in Jerusalem and inside confront this decision in light of the security grip?
The Supreme Follow-up Committee for the Arab masses had a very clear position in rejecting this decision and calling for its revocation. There is no doubt that a meeting will be held soon to study it, and it will be followed by a coordination meeting in Al-Aqsa Mosque with the Islamic Endowments Department and the National and Islamic Forces in Al-Quds Al-Sharif, as is usual.
Our people cannot accept this decision, meaning that “they will not say, ‘We hear and we obey. We will not go to Al-Aqsa,’ especially those who are accustomed to crowning their annual worship in Al-Aqsa during the blessed month of Ramadan. This is a large percentage of the people, and no one will be able to prevent it.
We will go to Al-Aqsa Mosque. If they attack us or prevent us, this is a responsibility they bear. We go to pray, to worship, to perform Tahajjud in the mosque, like every year, and we are not committing a sin or violating a law by praying there.
Washington used its veto power again against an Algerian draft resolution in the Security Council regarding the Israeli war on Gaza, which obstructed the demand for an immediate ceasefire for humanitarian reasons. This is the third time that Washington has used its veto power since the start of this war. The resolution received the support of 13 member states of the Council, with one vote abstaining. The American delegate justified the American veto by saying that presenting this resolution at this time was not appropriate, because accepting it would undermine efforts to exchange detainees, as she put it.
The American delegate to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said that Washington does not support taking action on this draft resolution, and if it is put to a vote in its current form, it will not be adopted, which is what happened during today’s vote. In her statement at the beginning of this February, Greenfield saw Algeria’s initiative to issue a new resolution as a “threat to undermine” the ongoing negotiations between the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) and Israel, with American, Egyptian and Qatari mediation, to establish a new truce that includes the release of Israeli detainees in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners imprisoned in Israel. The American delegate added that the UN Security Council must ensure that "any action it takes in the coming days will lead to increased pressure on Hamas, so that it accepts the proposal on the table."
Algeria's permanent representative to the Security Council, Ammar Benjameh, said that rejecting the draft resolution constitutes approval of starvation as a means of war against the Palestinians. China also expressed its frustration at the Council's failure to adopt the resolution. For his part, the Russian delegate said that the Algerian draft resolution was balanced, and that Washington, with its decision, gave Israel a license and cover to kill the Palestinians.
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) condemned in the strongest terms the American veto against the Algerian draft resolution in the UN Security Council. Hamas said that US President Joe Biden and his administration bear direct responsibility for obstructing the issuance of a decision to stop the aggression.
The HAMAS Gaza Municipality said that the Israeli enemy has destroyed about one million square meters of roads and streets since the beginning of the aggression and genocidal war it is committing against civilians and humanitarian services and facilities in the city. The municipality stated in a statement on Tuesday: The destruction in the streets and roads is unprecedented, as the enemy targeted by bombing or bulldozing the paved streets, islands, sidewalks, traffic signals, and various facilities related to the roads and streets. It added that the enemy targeted and destroyed about 3,600 traffic signals and signs, 260,000 meters of front stones and sidewalks, and 160,000 linear meters of lighting networks and lanterns, as well as unpaved roads by bulldozing, closing, and destroying residential buildings, shops, facilities, and industrial facilities.
There is no end to the war in sight, as both sides still see the other as an “existential threat,” and there is no clear path to any kind of “permanent peace” between them.
Majid Al-Ansari, spokesman for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced that no fruitful progress had been made in the course of negotiations between the Zionist entity and Hamas, and warned against any Israeli aggression against Rafah. The Qatari Foreign Ministry confirmed, "Any Israeli attack on Rafah , if it occurs, will affect the ongoing negotiations regarding a ceasefire and achieving a prisoner exchange deal."
On the other hand, he explained that “ Qatari mediation efforts are continuing, communication between all parties is continuing, and Netanyahu’s statements will not affect Qatar’s role in the mediation.”
He announced the arrival of a Qatari plane to Al-Arish carrying 20 tons of aid to Gaza, confirming the arrival of a new batch of wounded Palestinians to Doha coming from the Gaza Strip. Al-Ansari stressed that the humanitarian aspect occupies priority in the ongoing negotiations on a new exchange deal, considering that “the deterioration of the humanitarian conditions and the extent of destruction in the Gaza Strip is unprecedented.” He continued: "We look with great concern at the reality of the Palestinian brothers in the northern Gaza Strip," stressing, "We always demand that aid must reach all parts of the Gaza Strip."
The Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman expressed, "The situation in Rafah is very worrying, with about one and a half million people there. He stressed, 'We reject any attack on Rafah,' adding, 'There is no safe place in the Gaza Strip.'" Al-Ansari continued by saying: “Qatar is working closely with the American administration within the framework of negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of prisoners in Gaza.” Qatari mediation efforts resulted in a prisoner exchange deal and a truce that lasted for days in the Gaza Strip, before the occupation army resumed its intensive raids on the Strip.
Al-Alam correspondent reported the occupation talks about a buffer zone surrounding the Gaza Strip at a depth of 1 km. The Al-Alam correspondent in Ramallah reported that the matter prompted the families of the Israeli prisoners to tell Benny Gantz that Netanyahu, Ben Gvir, and Smotrich consider the families of the Israeli prisoners to be their enemies, as they are demanding the return of their sons, and this is what has deepened the crisis and disagreement within Israel.
The correspondent pointed out that the matter in Tel Aviv is not related to the issue of war, meaning that within the Israeli war government there is an agreement to complete the war. Even Benny Gantz wants to complete the war, and that the only one who constantly sends messages about the necessity of stopping the war and that it is no longer producing results is “Ghadi.” Eizenkot," but the rest of the members of the war government insist on continuing the war, and the disagreement within the war government is over priorities, while are the prisoners the priority or is destroying the Hamas movement the priority? Benny Gantz believes that liberating the prisoners is the priority, while Spotrich, Benny Gvir, and even Netanyahu believe that the continuation of the war is the priority.
The correspondent noted that the second matter is that we point out two main points that were present today in the Hebrew media, and they are eye-catching. The first point is the map published by the Israeli occupation in which it talks on Israeli Channel 12 about a buffer zone surrounding the Gaza Strip at a depth of 1 km, meaning that the Gaza Strip is From the north to the south, a buffer zone of one kilometer deep will be established, and this area will be a completely destroyed area, and the Palestinians will not have any right to be in it, indicating that any Palestinian who is present in this area will be subject to execution.
The correspondent stated that the second important point is the article published by the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz under the title “Burn the State.” In this article, the newspaper says that the decision to prevent Palestinians, who are specifically from the territories occupied in 1948, from praying in Al-Aqsa Mosque in the blessed month of Ramadan means that Benjamin Netanyahu has sentenced the Israeli entity to burning, and the newspaper indicates that this decision confirms that Netanyahu is taking strange decisions that do not apply to reality and are not in line with it, because playing on the religious string means destroying the situation in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and in the territories occupied in the year 1948.
“There were 24 regional battalions in Gaza — we have dismantled 18 of them,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told foreign reporters. “Now, Rafah is the next Hamas center of gravity.”
Israeli Army Radio revealed that there are estimates within the army and security leadership that the ground operation in Khan Yunis is nearing an end, and that its position regarding the start of a ground operation in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip , will soon be decided. The radio said, quoting military officials, that the ground maneuver in Khan Yunis is about to end, and that the forces of the 98th Division will complete their mission in the region soon, noting that “there are a few targets remaining in the region, and the forces are expected to reach them in the coming days.”
Israeli Radio added that the occupation army is also close to deciding its position on whether it will launch a ground military operation in Rafah, and the senior leadership in the army and the political level - after the completion of the Khan Yunis operation - must decide what the next mission of the 98th Division will be, and whether it will head towards... Rafah or not?
Axios reported that the Israeli army had prepared the plan for the ground military operation in Rafah, and is expected to present it to the security ministerial council this week, but it noted that Israeli and American officials have acknowledged that the start of the Rafah operation will not take place for several weeks, and it may be after RAMADAN month; That is, in mid-April. The website also quoted Israeli officials as saying that they need to move forward with the Rafah operation to dismantle four battalions affiliated with the Al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), but they will not do so without coordination with the United States and Egypt.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), said that its fighters are waging fierce battles with the occupation forces south of the Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City. Al-Qassam added that it had spotted a number of Israeli planes that came to transport the dead and injured in the clashes that took place in the Zaytoun neighborhood.
For his part, Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that occupation aircraft were bombing several areas in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood. For its part, the Israeli army announced that 22 officers and soldiers were injured in battles in the Gaza Strip during the last 24 hours.
The Al-Qassam Brigades announced that they had targeted an occupation force, consisting of 15 officers and soldiers, barricaded inside a house, with two anti-tank and anti-personnel shells in the Al-Hawouz area, west of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip. The statement stated that Al-Qassam forces heard the screams of Israeli soldiers after they caught fire inside the house in which they were holed up.
The Al-Qassam Brigades also announced the sniper shooting of two Israeli soldiers in the Al-Amal neighborhood, west of Khan Yunis. The statement added that Al-Qassam fighters clashed with an occupation foot force at the site, killing and wounding its members.
The Al-Qassam Brigades broadcast scenes of occupation aircraft being targeted with Sam-7 missiles in the airspace of Gaza City. The brigades said that the operation was carried out in cooperation with the Mujahideen Brigades. The Palestinian resistance said that its resistance fighters engaged in violent clashes with occupation soldiers and vehicles with appropriate and varied weapons on the front lines of advance east of Gaza City. She added that the resistance fighters achieved confirmed and direct casualties among the ranks of the occupation forces. Violent clashes and fierce battles broke out on Salah al-Din Street, east of the Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City, during the occupation’s attempt to advance there.
The combat team of the IDF paratrooper brigade continues to deepen the fighting in western Khan Yunis, the fighters raid terrorist targets, eliminate many terrorists at close range and with accurate sniper fire.
The 646th Reserve Brigade has been fighting in the Gaza Strip for the past few months. During their activities, the fighters of the brigade combat team eliminated many terrorists, located weapons and destroyed a strategic underground route of the terrorist organization Hamas that crosses the Gaza Strip from north to south.
The forces of the 7th SDF continue intense fighting in the west of Khan Yunis, and have killed dozens of terrorists in the last day. The brigade attack cell directed an aircraft, using which some of the terrorists were eliminated by quick circuit closures, other terrorists were eliminated through tank fire and sniper fire. Soldiers of the Givati Security Guard in Khan Yunis identified a number of terrorists armed with an RPG-type missile and a Kalashnikov-type weapon and eliminated them at short range.
The Air Force under the direction of the fire center of Division 98 attacked a Hamas weapons warehouse in the area of the city of Khan Yunis, during the attack sub-explosions were detected in the compound indicating the presence of many weapons in the area. In the center of the Gaza Strip, the Nahal TDF continues to operate and eliminated a number of terrorists throughout the last day. During the fighting, the brigade's fire complex identified a terrorist in the area, aimed sniper fire at him and he was eliminated within a few minutes.
The results of the war of starvation - which the Israeli occupation forces are pursuing against the residents of the Gaza Strip - have begun to appear clearly with the depletion of food supplies and commodities and the imposition of a stifling siege that prevents the entry of humanitarian aid to the northern Strip and its residents.
In this context, the military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, says that all divine religions, international laws, and UN agreements prohibited the use of hunger as a weapon and considered it a war crime. Al-Duwairi confirms - during his analysis for Al Jazeera - that Israel's goal is to empty Gaza of its population and practice forced displacement, noting that everything that is happening is tools to achieve this.
It is estimated that there are between 300,000 and 700,000 people in Gaza City and its north, and according to the strategic expert, Israel wants to evacuate them from the region and push them to move south. Al-Duwairi cites the statements of Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, in which he threatened to strike Gaza with a nuclear bomb, as well as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich , who called for keeping only 150,000 residents of Gaza, in addition to Defense Minister Yoav Galant , who said that Israel is fighting human animals, “there is no water and no electricity.” "No food or fuel."
He points out that the occupation did not commit a war crime without using it, and it also employed all means to achieve its goal, such as starvation, destroying infrastructure, practicing forced displacement, and fighting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ).
Regarding the operations carried out by the occupation army in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, east of Gaza City, with the aim of destroying the infrastructure of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), Al-Duwairi said that these statements are a refutation of the occupation’s previous claims of eliminating Hamas’ military capabilities in the northern sector.
He added that there is another dimension to what the occupation is doing in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, as it falls within the framework of a systematic process to create a buffer zone from the outskirts of Beit Hanoun in the north of the Gaza Strip to Rafah in the south, in addition to starting to open a road from Juhr Al-Dik in the east of the Central Governorate to Al-Rashid (Al-Bahr) Street, with the aim of separating the north. from the rest of the sector, and is working to secure it with large military forces.
It should be noted that at the beginning of this month, the occupation army bombed a gathering of displaced people who were waiting for humanitarian aid to arrive at the Kuwait Roundabout (southeast of Gaza), and an UNRWA aid convoy was targeted on Al-Rashid Street by Israeli naval boats.
Israeli special forces stormed the Jenin camp after besieging it from all axes, amid armed clashes with resistance fighters. The correspondent reported that explosive devices were detonated in the occupation army's vehicles during its storming of the city of Jenin, and Israeli reconnaissance planes also flew at a low altitude in the sky of the city of Jenin and its camp. Medical sources reported that a Palestinian was wounded by bullets from the occupation forces during the confrontations in Jenin, while Israeli Army Radio reported that Israeli forces eliminated a number of militants in the Jenin camp.
The soldiers of the IDF, the Shin Bet and the Mageb worked tonight to arrest 11 wanted persons throughout Judea and Samaria and throughout the Bekaa and Emekim division. The forces operated in an operation that lasted over six hours in the village of Burka in the Samaria division, this after last night's attack in which an Israeli citizen was injured by the throwing of an explosive device. As part of the operation, the fighters interrogated suspects and searched buildings. In Bir Zeit in the Binyamin Brigade the forces located and confiscated weapons, in the city of Ramallah terrorist funds were confiscated and in Beit Surik the forces confiscated additional weapons.
In the village of Rantis in the Ephraim Brigade, the forces arrested a wanted man and confiscated additional 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 our forces. So far, since the beginning of the war, approximately 3,150 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria Division and the Bekaa and Valleys Division, over 1,350 of whom are associated with the terrorist organization Hamas.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant considered on Tuesday that the attempts of Lebanese Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah (to support Gaza and carry out operations against Israel) “fail.” In his statements at the Tel Shamim base, Yoav Gallant said: “Nasrallah’s attempts fail. We operate with military freedom everywhere. We strike in Damascus, we strike in Beirut, Sidon, and Nabatieh, and we work according to our needs in order to ward off threats to the State of Israel.” Gallant added: "Every day we win, and every day Hezbollah loses, and if Nasrallah escalates, we will respond with greater force, and this will continue."
Israeli media addressed the increasing number of incidents in which drones launched by Hezbollah infiltrated into the depths of the occupied territories without being detected, questioning whether the Resistance movement has found a gap in the Israeli army's interception and detection system. In a serious incident earlier today, a Hezbollah drone was found in the yard of Moshe Davidovich, the head of the "Mateh Asher" Regional Council and Confrontation Line Forum in northern occupied Palestine. Davidovich was quoted by Israeli media as saying that the UAV had made it past all anti-air and detection systems and mechanisms.
This evidence took place just one day after a drone made its way uninterrupted 50 kilometers deep into northern occupied Palestine and reached Tabaraya. Israeli Channel 12 reported that "Hezbollah's drone incident .. is an additional example of the weakness of the security institution in detecting relatively small aerial objects." For his part, the military affairs correspondent for the Israeli channel KAN warned that Hezbollah's drones crossing into the north undetected raises serious questions about the current systems in place.
Itay Blumenthal pointed out that "officials in the Air Force are talking about complex events and a great challenge in detecting Hezbollah's aerial objects, as they generally fly at a low altitude." He added that "the enemy is constantly studying the Israeli army's capability to detect and locate," explaining that "the more primitive the aerial object is, the harder it is to detect as it has a very low thermal footprint."
Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant visited earlier today a base in northern occupied Palestine housing "Israel'" new "new giant missile-detecting" balloon Sky Dew. According to Kan, this system is "still non-functional" and had been out of service for about two years due to a balloon tear, and repairing the fault took about two years. The channel added that the security minister threatened Lebanon with the Israeli Air Force, but "did not talk about detection systems."
Earlier today it was reported that an aircraft belonging to the terrorist organization Hezbollah was located in the Western Galilee region. The incident is being investigated. Fighter jets attacked a terrorist infrastructure in the area of Leyda and a number of military buildings in the areas of Aita al-Sha'ab used by the terrorist organization Hezbollah. Another military building was attacked in the Kfar Kila area, where a number of operatives were identified. IDF forces attacked additional areas in the territory of Lebanon. Earlier, a number of launches were detected in areas from Mesgav with and Margaliot, there were no casualties. Since the morning hours, fighter jets have attacked a number of Hezbollah terrorist targets in Lebanese territory. The forces attacked two launch positions in the Yaron and Marvin areas, alongside two terrorist infrastructures in the A-Dahira and Yaron areas. Two military buildings were attacked in the Khula and Leida areas.
The military spokesman for the Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Sarie, explained that the Yemeni Armed Forces’ Air Force carried out a military operation with a number of drones against a number of enemy American warships in the Red and Arab Bahrain. He also carried out a military operation targeting sensitive sites of the Israeli enemy in the Umm al-Rashrash area in southern occupied Palestine, using a number of other drones.
Pointing out that the naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a targeting operation against an Israeli ship “MSC Silver” in the Gulf of Aden with a number of appropriate naval missiles. Adding that these operations come as a victory for the oppression of the Palestinian people, who until this moment are subjected to aggression and siege, and in response to the American-British aggression against our country.
During the past 24 hours, the armed forces targeted two American ships in the Gulf of Aden, the first, “Sea Champion,” the other, “Navis Fortuna,” and a British ship, “RUBYMAR,” as well as shooting down an American MQ9 aircraft in the airspace of Hodeidah Governorate with a home-made surface-to-air missile, while "carrying out hostile missions against our country on behalf of the Zionist entity".
Yahya Sare'e, Spokesperson of the Temeni Armed Forces and Director of the Moral Guidance Department of the Armed Forces, said: "In the Name of God. Allah almighty said (Permission has been given to those who have been fought because they have been wronged, and indeed, God is Able to grant them victory.) God Almighty has spoken the truth.)
"Triumphing the operessed people of Palestine, who until this moment are subjected to aggression and siege in the Gaza Strip, and within the response to the American-British aggression against our country.
"The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out with the help of Allah Almighty-two specific military operations in which they targeted two American ships in the Gulf of Aden, the first was "Sea Champion" and the other was "Navis Fortuna". The targeting operation was carried out with a number of appropriate naval missiles, and the casualties were Accurate and direct, thanks to God.
"The total number of armed forces operations during the past twenty-four hours reached four operations. The first targeted a British ship and the operation resulted in its complete sinking, thanks to Allah. The second operation targeted the American aircraft "MQ9" in the airspace of Hodeidah Governorate, while the last two operations targeted two American ships.
"The Yemeni Armed Forces affirm their full right to take further military measures in the Red and Arab seas in defense of our people, our country, and our nation, and in confirmation of their position in support of the oppressed Palestinian people, and that their operations in the Red and Arab Bahrain will escalate and will not stop until the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted..
Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs, the best protector, and the best helper."
A Hebrew report stated that maritime transport companies received a painful blow in the Red Sea, at the hands of the Yemeni "Ansar Allah" group (Houthis), especially those linked to Israel. A report monitoring the impact of the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea on Israeli ports"Centcom" reveals a weapon used by the Houthis for the first time against American ships in the Red Sea The report stated that the Houthi attacks prompted transport companies to avoid passing through Bab al-Mandab and divert their routes, tripling the time for their arrival to Israeli ports.
For her part, Khitam Salama, from the Strategic Planning Department at Haifa Port, confirmed the impact of these attacks on work in the port, and explained: “Of course, they affected our work, and I think they affected the entire region.. The ships will arrive eventually, but they will take longer than before.” In a normal situation, for example, a ship that normally took a week now takes three weeks.” She added: "At the port, we are trying to meet the largest number of orders while reducing the number of ships coming to us. A large ship arrived to us today and we have been waiting for it for nearly three weeks."
It was noted that the security situation prompted insurance companies to impose additional fees on containers, and the fees amounted to about 65 tenths of the value of the ship, in line with the costs of the trip and the duration of arrival, which doubled in addition to the risks of war. Khitam Salama commented on this situation, which doubled work at the port, saying: “Coordination... shifts with equipment with ships coming to the port... communication with shipping companies with which we conclude agreements... we are trying to meet orders... the port operates 24 hours a day, 7 days.” That is, we are working around the clock in line with this state of emergency. This situation requires us to work more and at a higher capacity to satisfy shipping companies.”
For its part, the Israeli Tax Authority pointed out that it compensates ships that suffered war damage by 100%, but the continuation of the Israeli war on Gaza will keep the situation as it is in light of the Houthi group linking the safety of ships to ending the war.
Analysts and experts agreed that the region is a candidate for all possibilities in light of the continuation of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip , developments in the Red Sea, as well as the unpredictability of the decisions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The senior researcher at Al Jazeera Center for Studies, Dr. Liqaa Makki, says that the militarization of the Red Sea by Western and American fleets makes the region a fertile arena for intense tension, and “one of the military ships may be hit,” in light of the inability to estimate the extent of the Houthi capabilities.
Makki added - during his talk on the program “Gaza... What Next?” - that the current solutions are patchwork because they are merely attempts to repel continuous strikes without the ability to destroy platforms or prevent attacks, in addition to Washington’s unwillingness to wage war. He concludes that the Gaza war is likely to escalate, "and everyone may become involved in the Middle East crisis, and a comprehensive war may break out in which major countries will become involved, including Western Europe."
He points out that Washington is involved in the war and the decision to launch it was agreed upon by it and Western capitals with Tel Aviv “to rid the region of armed groups due to the existence of future normalization projects that integrate Israel into the Middle East as a leading state.” According to Makki, no American official called for a permanent ceasefire, but rather called for a temporary humanitarian truce, while emphasizing the necessity of defeating the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), adding that Washington and Western capitals support Israel diplomatically, militarily, and in the media.
In turn, the researcher specializing in regional issues, Muhammad Saleh Sedqian, confirms that the problem is the continued aggression against Gaza and the threat to invade Rafah , and is not the weapons that the Houthis possess . “What is happening in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab is a reflection of what is happening in Gaza.” Sedqian adds that the Iranians warned against opening new fronts more than a month after the outbreak of the Gaza war, "and other new fronts may be opened, because Tehran cannot control the actions of its allies."
He describes those who look at the Red Sea crisis apart from the Gaza war as unrealistic, citing the Houthis’ talk that they will stop launching attacks against ships heading to Israel if the aggression against Gaza stops. Sedqian points out that Netanyahu has not achieved his strategic goals, and may commit foolishness of a certain kind outside occupied Palestine, and stresses that all possibilities are open about the way the current war will end.
Moreover, after last October 20, an Iranian reading emerged about not expanding the scope of the war, as Tehran worked to implement this reading, because Netanyahu wants to lure the Americans and Iranians to Saddam.
For his part, former US State Department official William Lawrence believes that the Houthis targeted an international shipping line and turned it into a conflict within a regional agenda, adding that thousands of ships were forced to divert to the Cape of Good Hope, which put pressure on international trade. He notes that the Houthis targeted 25 ships, some of which had no connection to Israel, which prompted 25 countries to form a coalition to protect ships and commercial companies, believing that what is happening is a distraction and helps the Israelis, not the Palestinians.
He believes that the United States and the European Union are working for peace in Yemen, but the Houthis do not want to do so, and have targeted ships that have no connection to Israel and taken sailors hostage.
Regarding the recent Security Council vote against an Algerian draft resolution on a ceasefire in Gaza, Lawrence believes that Washington was wrong to use the veto and should not have used the veto, but he referred to what he called “a diplomatic game in the Security Council,” before adding that the Algerians should have communicated. With Washington, as the Emiratis did previously.
Maps
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All maps are lies. “Not only is it easy to lie with maps, it is essential,” wrote cartographer Mark Monmoneir in his book How to Lie with Maps. He showed that condensing complex, three-dimensional spaces onto a two-dimensional sheet of paper [in old days] is bound to be reductive. But it is impossible to comprehend the war in Gaza without reference to maps, otherwise the entire conflict is reduced to an endless series of meaningless acts of random violence and the suffering of civilians. The first characteristic of guerrilla warfare is the loss of a front line. Evidently, different mappers have different ideas of how to depict the war in Gaza, notably those that seek to depict Israeli progress in the ground campaign. Part of the problem is latency. The news that forms the basis of the maps takes time to filter out to mappers, and the cartographers take time in crafting their maps, and it takes time to curate them. These processes are uneven among mappers, so their maps may differ in detail. Probably there is some ideological bias, or at least thematic apperception, which is understandable in wartime. It may come as no surprise that al-Jazeera maps depict rather less Israeli territorial progress than other sources. Finally, there remains the epistemological question of just exactly what are the colored in areas depicting. Naively, this might be understood as areas of Israeli control, that are no longer contested by the HAMAS. Or possibly these are areas of Israeli presence, in many of which the possibility of an RPG-wielding HAMAS militant popping out of a tunnel unexpectedly remains a live possibility. With the "zero-range" combat characterized by small unit tactics on both sides, maps may be prey to a fallacy of misplaced concreteness.
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Bystanders
The United Nations World Food Program announced that it had temporarily suspended the delivery of food aid to northern Gaza until conditions in the Strip allowed for “safe distribution,” as it put it, despite mounting warnings of the specter of famine that has now loomed over more than 2.2 million people in the Strip.
The United Nations Population Fund expressed its horror at reports of Israeli officers stripping Palestinian women and girls in Gaza of their clothes and subjecting them to rape or execution. UN agencies also warned of an “explosion” in the number of child deaths in Gaza. The Fund added in a post on its account on the X platform that reports indicate that Palestinian women and girls in Gaza have been beaten, arrested, humiliated, raped, or executed by Israeli officers. The UN Fund stressed that "women and girls are not targets."
Axis of Resistance
Israel believes Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar fled the Gaza Strip for Egypt, said Arabic online newspaper Elaph [not a particularly reliable source]. According to the report, the Hamas chief could have taken an unspecified number of hostages with him. He is believed to have crossed the border through a tunnel he entered in the Refah area with his brother and sister. The report suggested Israel knows of eight tunnels allowing even a car to be transported across the Egyptian border.
Iranian Interior Minister Ahmed Vahidi received Hamas spokesman Osama Abu Hamdan, Islamic Jihad media department official Ali Abu Shaheen, and representatives of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Iran. During this meeting, the Iranian Minister of Interior expressed his appreciation for the Palestinian people and their resistance, and said: Today, Palestine shines in the world. When the enemy sought to normalize the relations of Islamic countries with the Zionist entity, Palestine returned to life again. He added: At a time when some countries were moving their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Operation Al-Aqsa Flood was launched to be an end to surrender and humiliation.
In turn, Osama Abu Hamdan explained the motives and objectives of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and discussed some of the achievements of this operation at the political and military levels, expressing his thanks and appreciation for the support and backing of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, the government and the people of Iran.
For his part, Ali Abu Shaheen explained the role of other resistance factions, including Islamic Jihad , in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, and mentioned the assurances of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution on the necessity of cooperation, coordination, and unity among the resistance factions. He added: The blood of Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters was mixed in this battle to embody military and political unity in a practical and tangible way.
The Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) said that the statement issued by a group of UN experts - which “documented the blatant human rights violations suffered by Palestinian women and girls specifically in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank - is confirmation and additional evidence of the crime of genocide and cleansing.” Racism committed by the occupation.”
The movement indicated that the types and forms of violations to which Palestinian women are exposed by the occupation army, such as executions, arbitrary arrests, severe beatings, and deprivation of food and medicine during detention, in addition to threats of rape and insults during interrogation, require the opening of an international investigation into this rogue entity to hold it and its leaders accountable. for their brutal crimes. Hamas described the statement as important and appreciated its issuance, and called for “its adoption as an additional document in the case file filed before the International Court of Justice to look into the crimes of genocide committed by the occupation against the Palestinian people.”
The leader of the Hamas movement, Osama Hamdan, said that the fate of the Israelis is to submit to what the resistance demands, no matter how long the battle in Gaza lasts, while the leader of the Islamic Jihad movement, Ali Abu Shaheen, held the American administration responsible for managing the war of extermination in Gaza.
In a press conference for the leaders of Hamas, Osama Hamdan, and Islamic Jihad, Ali Abu Shaheen, as part of the 24th media and press exhibition in Tehran, Hamdan said: Our position is clear and firm, the first of which is stopping the aggression completely, bringing relief to our people, lifting the siege, and exchanging prisoners is the final outcome. He added: No matter how long the battle lasts, the fate of the Israeli is to submit to what the resistance demands.
Osama Hamdan described October 7 as a special day that sent messages that the Palestinian people will not die or surrender, but will resist. He said: The occupation’s insistence on changing facts under the threat of military pressure will not affect our position. He stressed that: The occupation has not achieved any of its goals in the Gaza Strip so far, and it has not even been able to restore the prestige of its army. He stressed that: Hamas deals with the initiatives presented to it and we do not give up any of our rights. He pointed out that: The initiatives proposed so far do not live up to the aspirations and will of our people.
For his part, the leader of the Islamic Jihad movement, Ali Abu Shaheen , said : Our Palestinian people are depriving the enemy of the opportunity to achieve their goals through their steadfastness. He stressed that: Unity on the field in Gaza and unity among the resistance forces is what will prevent the occupation from achieving its goals. He pointed out that: The normalized Arab regimes are opening their borders and ports today in order to lift the siege on the occupying entity.
Abu Shaheen added: The Zionist entity continues to implement its plan to displace the people of Gaza outside its land, which threatens Arab national security. He said: We affirm that the resistance forces adhere to their principles in full, and what the enemy does not take in the field will not be achieved through negotiations. The leader of the Islamic Jihad movement stated: “We hold the American administration responsible for managing the war of genocide in Gaza .”
He said: The presence of the resistance forces is appreciated and appreciated, specifically the Yemen front, which had an extended impact through targeting Israeli ships. He added: From Tehran, we appeal to those who have a conscience and concern for Al-Aqsa to turn the month of Ramadan into the title “The Month of Al-Aqsa.”
He warned: “The Al-Aqsa Mosque of your Prophet is exposed to great danger and there are great threats. If you do not get angry at Al-Aqsa and Gaza, when will you get angry?” Abu Shaheen said: The West, with its stupidity in its management of the Yemeni influence, caused damage when it launched an aggression against Yemen, so it transferred the hostility directly to it and not to “Israel”, which is targeting its ships. He pointed out that in terms of support for the Palestinian people, the media front is important, and he said that the actual support front will help achieve victory.
Ali Abu Shaheen added: We hope that other forces will join the Yemeni position in support of the resistance. He concluded by saying: We call for turning the month of Ramadan into the month of Al-Aqsa, despite the presence of great threats in this context.
Allied for Democracy
The American website "Axios" said that White House Middle East Affairs Coordinator Brett McGurk is expected to visit Israel and Egypt this week, to discuss the possible Israeli operation in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip. The website quoted American and Israeli officials as saying that McGurk is expected to meet with the director of the Egyptian Intelligence Service, Abbas Kamel, and other Egyptian officials, tomorrow, Wednesday, and then with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his Defense Minister Yoav Galant, and other Israeli officials next Thursday. The website added that McGurk will also discuss efforts made to secure the release of the hostages.
The White House is deeply concerned that a possible Israeli military operation in Rafah, where more than 1,400,000 Palestinians are concentrated - most of whom were displaced from other places in Gaza - would lead to significant human losses.
Biden told Netanyahu in phone calls last week that he opposed such an operation without a “credible and implementable plan” to evacuate Palestinian civilians from the city. The website indicated that the United States and Egypt also fear that such an operation would push tens of thousands of Palestinians across the Egyptian border into the Sinai Peninsula.
In the same context, yesterday, Monday, Egypt and the United States held consultations in Cairo on ways to end the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip, which has been ongoing since last October 7 . This came during a meeting between the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, and a delegation from the US House of Representatives, according to what Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid reported, via the ministry’s account on the X platform.
Butcher's Bill / Oasis of Martyrs
On 7 October 2023, Hamas and other armed groups present in the Gaza Strip carried out an attack in Israel, killing more than 1,200 persons, injuring thousands and abducting some 240 people, many of whom continue to be held hostage. It was the second largest loss inflicted on the Israeli forces after the 1973 war. Palestinian armed groups launched thousands of missiles at Israel Following this attack, Israel launched a large-scale military operation in Gaza, by land, air and sea.
The 1,200 Israelis killed on the first day would be the equivalent of 36,000 Americans killed in an attack, as a proportion to Israel’s population of 9.3 million people (compared to 332 million in the USA). Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated: “Not since the Holocaust have so many Jews been killed in one day". PM Netanyahu stated "On October 7th, Hamas murdered 1,400 Israelis. Maybe more. This is in a country of fewer than 10 million people. This would be equivalent to over 50,000 Americans murdered in a single day. That’s twenty 9/11s. That is why October 7th is another day that will live in infamy."
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant considered 05 February 2024 that half the number of Hamas militants were killed or seriously injured by Israeli army forces.
A Hamas official based in Qatar told Reuters 19 February 2024 that the terrorist group estimates that 6,000 of its fighters have been killed by Israeli forces. That number is about half of the 12,000 terrorists that Israel said it has killed since the Oct. 7 Hamas-led massacre,
As of 15 February 2024, The Director-General of the HAMAS Government Information Office in the Gaza Strip , Ismail Al-Thawabta, stated "the toll of the aggression had risen to about 35,500 martyrs and missing persons, including 28,663 martyrs and 68,395 injuries. There are about 2,493 massacres committed by the occupation army. Among the martyrs were about 12,400 children, 8,450 women, 340 medical personnel, 46 civil defense personnel, and 126 journalists. There are approximately 11,000 wounded people who need to travel for treatment.... we received live testimonies stating that the occupation army committed field executions against more than 137 Palestinian civilian detainees in the Gaza and North governorates."
The HAMAS Ministry of Health in the besieged sector announced that the number of victims of the Israeli operation its beginning had risen to 29,195 martyrs, "including 12,300 dead children, 8,400 women, 340 medical personnel, 46 civil defense, and 124 journalists." He pointed out that "7,000 people are missing, 70% of whom are children and women, The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The number wounded was 68,883. The Palestinian Government Media Office in Gaza had said much earlier that the number of missing people had risen to more than 8,000, including including 4,700 children and women, amid expectations that the toll will be double thi figures.
The IDF intensified its military operations in the West Bank, and increased the pace of incursions and raids into cities, towns, and camps, resulting in the martyrdom of 398 Palestinians, the injury of about 4,500, and the arrest of 5,780, according to official HAMAS sources. As of 17 January 2023, the Israeli escalation in the West Bank led to the death of 360 Palestinians, the injury of nearly 2,200, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, and the arrest of about 6,000, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club.
More than 202 Hezbollah fighters were killed in Lebanon during exchanges of bombing operations with Israel.
Israel revised down the death toll from the October Hamas attacks in southern Israel from 1,400 to 1,200. IDF had said previously it was holding 1,500 bodies of terrorists, a total that now would increas to about 1,700.
The total announced number of Israeli officers and soldiers killed had risen to 573 since the start of the war on October 7, including 241 [235?] killed since the ground invasion as a result of the ongoing clashes with the Palestinian resistance. Among them were at least 56 with the rank of platoon commander, 43 with the rank of company commander, 9 with the rank of battalion commander, and 5 with the rank of brigade commander. These officers constitute 23% of the total deaths of the Israeli army in the war on Gaza.
Israeli media reported that 27% of the Israeli military casualties in the war were officers. In detail, the media highlighted that three brigade commanders, four battalion commanders, and other senior officers have been killed in the war so far.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that 29 of the army's deaths were caused by "friendly fire" and operational incidents since the start of the ground war in Gaza, late last October. The Israeli authority explained that "18 army soldiers were killed by friendly fire, two were killed as a result of gunfire (without explanation), and 9 Israeli soldiers were killed in ammunition, weapons, or run-over accidents." The Jerusalem Post newspaper revealed that 15 soldiers were killed in the Strip without their bodies being found.
According to some reports statistics indicate that 20% of the Israeli losses were due to friendly fire. Because the nature of the battle has become completely different from what was expected, and it lacks a front line.
Haaretz newspaper quoted the Israeli Ministry of Defense as saying that the Medical Rehabilitation Department has treated more than 5,500 wounded since the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip on October 7. Israeli Army Radio reported that the Rehabilitation Department of the Ministry of Defense is preparing to receive 20,000 wounded this year, compared to 5,500 wounded received last year since the start of the war. It was announced that soldiers wounded in the Gaza Strip battles numbered to 2,918 since the beginning of the war, including 1,296 who had been wounded since the start of the ground attack on October 27, 2023.
The Israeli army reported that 407 who are still receiving treatment for their injuries in the Gaza battles, and the condition of 48 of them is serious. The number of injured among the Israeli army since the start of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip on October 27 included 602 minor cases, 430 moderate cases, and 264 critical cases.
The Israeli army published new data about those wounded in the military operation in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army announces that 540 soldiers were injured in the Gaza Strip. According to army data, 540 soldiers, including 27 seriously injured, were injured in operational incidents since the start of the bombing of the Gaza Strip. There were also 21 accidental shooting incidents in the Gaza Strip, 54 bilateral shooting incidents and 31 traffic accidents. In addition, 388 incidents occurred, including ramming anti-tank rifles, anti-aircraft guns, weapons and machine guns.
At least 14,377 Israelis were injured, according to i24 TV.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper had reported that 5,000 soldiers had been wounded since the beginning of the war on October 7, and that the Ministry of Defense had recognized 2,000 soldiers as disabled so far.
An estimate by the Israeli Ministry of Defense expected that the number of soldiers with disabilities in the war taking place in the Gaza Strip since October 7 of last year would reach 12,500 soldiers. The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said that the Soldiers' Rehabilitation Department of the Ministry of Defense has dealt with 3,400 soldiers who were classified as disabled in the army since last October 7.
The Israeli army revealed that about 9,000 of its soldiers have received “psychological assistance” since the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, and about a quarter of them have not returned to combat. This came according to a new statement revealed by the Army Medical Corps, according to Channel 12 and the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. According to the statement, nearly 9,000 soldiers have applied for psychological assistance since the beginning of the war, and approximately a quarter of them have not returned to combat.
The statement continued, "In total, about 13,000 regular and reserve soldiers required accompaniment or medical treatment at some level during the fighting, and thousands of them were injured in the battles."
Al Jazeera military and strategic expert Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi expressed his conviction that the numbers of dead and wounded announced by Israel “cannot represent the truth,” due to a discrepancy between the Israeli army’s data and the Walla website, which is close to the army itself.
In an interview with RT, Military strategist retired Tunisian Brigadier General Tawfiq Didi said that the number of Israeli army deaths in the Gaza battles is much greater than what Israel announces. Didi explained in an interview with the “Best Saying” program on RT channel, “The number of people killed in battles can be easily known, as the equation in wars is that for every 3 wounded there is a dead person, and the numbers now in Israel hover around 12,500 wounded and disabled people, and when we divide by Three, we find that the death toll exceeds 4,000, especially after eliminating more than a thousand tanks and armored vehicles, and I know what happens when Kornet missiles hit a tank. Its ammunition explodes and no one is left alive.”
He added, "The Israelis announce their dead only of those of Jewish origin and of the first race, meaning all Arabs, Falash, and those who are among them. They are not counted because they are of the second category. So I am sure that the number exceeds 4 thousand dead, and this is a very easy military calculation."
He pointed out, "The Palestinian resistance documented everything it did, unlike the Israelis. The resistance documented shooting at tanks and armored vehicles and destroying the houses in which the Israeli soldiers were holed up, and we saw them being killed... We saw the Kornet hitting the tanks, we saw Al-Yassin 105, so the difference is clear."
Hostages
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that the destruction of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) is more important than the return of those he called kidnapped from Gaza , to which opposition leader Yair Lapid responded by saying that his position regarding the detainees is a “moral disgrace.”
Smotrich explained, "The return of the kidnapped people at all costs is not the most important matter, but rather the destruction of Hamas," adding, "Whoever calls for a (prisoner) exchange deal at any price will bring loss to Israel and reduce the possibility of returning the kidnapped ones," he said. Smotrich - who heads the "Religious Zionism" party - usually raises controversy with his statements, and he previously acknowledged to the families of Israeli detainees held by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza that he cannot promise them to return all the prisoners alive. He added, "In my estimation, what is happening to manage this war is correct, and there is a clear policy that we will follow until the end, and we are prepared to pay prices for that."
The Israeli Finance Minister's statements quickly sparked a response from opposition leader Yair Lapid, who said that "Smotrich's position on the return of the kidnapped people is a moral disgrace." Lapid previously said that Israel "will neither be safe nor a moral state nor will it win the war unless the kidnappers return."
Lapid's statements coincided with previous statements by the Minister of Heritage in the Israeli government, Amichai Eliyahu, in which he said that "dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza is a possible solution." The Israeli opposition leader also previously called for the formation of a new government, and believed that the time had come for Benjamin Netanyahu 's government to step down , stressing that the person during whose term "the greatest disaster we have witnessed occurred must be removed from our lives."
Israel announced 12 February 2024 that the total number of prisoners that the army was able to recover in exchange deals and through military operations was 126 people, including 91 Israelis, 11 bodies, and 24 foreign workers.
Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed have been held as hostages in Gaza since 2014 and 2015, respectively. Unlike the roughly 240 people kidnapped in the Hamas October 7 terrorist attacks, the campaign for the release of Mengistu and al-Sayed has received little publicity. Mengistu is known to suffer from what HRW deemed "serious" mental health issues. "Avera crossed one of the safest borders in the world, under the eyes of the security services," recalled Gil Elias, a relative. "We're talking about a mentally ill person who got lost." The calls for the release of Mengistu and al-Sayed have been barely audible during the many years they have been held captive in Gaza.
Israel had previously estimated there were 116 living hostages in Palestinian custody. Israel declared 20 out of 136 people in Gaza captivity dead in absentia, after announcing its forces had recovered the bodies of two hostages. By another count, 132 of them are still being held in Gaza, and 25 of them have been confirmed dead. Israel considers those still held by Hamas to be hostages regardless of whether they are dead or alive.
Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy earlier had told reporters that Hamas still held 137 captives. The resistance released 10 Israeli detainees, 4 Thais and 2 Russian women, who were released outside the agreement. Over the course of 6 days, Israel has received 102 detainees, women and children, including 78 Israelis, in exchange for the release of 234 Palestinian prisoners, women and children.
Eylon Levy, the Israeli government spokesperson, told reporters 01 December 2023:
- Hamas still held 137 hostages from the October attacks, in addition to four others who went missing before the war
- The hostages include two children aged four and 10 months, who, Hamas now claims, are dead
- 117 male hostages are still kept in Gaza, including the two children, as well as 20 females
- 126 hostages are Israelis, and 11 others are foreign nationals
- Foreign nationals are eight Thais, one Nepalese, one Tanzanian and one French Mexican citizen
- Ten of the remaining hostages are 75 and older.
- There are seven missing people since the October 7 attack
- Hamas had released 110 hostages so far – 86 Israelis and 24 foreign nationals.
Some of the rest are soldiers, seized when Hamas raided military bases in Israel. They may end up being held the longest. The Israeli military had not specified how many soldiers were captured, nor their ranks.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari announced on 07 February 2024 that 31 hostages detained in Gaza had died. He added in a press conference, "We informed 31 families that their detained relatives had died, and thus we announce their deaths."
According to some estimates, Hamas was initially holding nearly 210 of the 240 hostages, while Palestinian Islamic Jihad was holding the remaining 30. About 40 Israelis remained missing. More than 40 hostages taken from Israel into Gaza on October 7th are not currently in the custody of Hamas, the group responsible for the attack, according to a CNN report based on a diplomatic source briefed on the negotiations, CNN's prior reports had indicated that an estimated 40 to 50 hostages were held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad or other unidentified groups or individuals.
Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said on Hamas’ telegram account that 23 bodies of the 60 missing Israel hostages were trapped under the rubble. “It seems that we will never be able to reach them due to the continued brutal aggression of the occupation against Gaza,” he said.
The Al-Qassam Brigades announced on 11 February 2024 that the continuous Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip during the past 96 hours led to the death of 2 prisoners and the serious injury of 8 others.
The Palestinian Prisoners' Club revealed that about 11,000 arrests were carried out by the Israeli army during the year 2023 in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, in addition to arrests from the Gaza Strip before the seventh of last October. The number of people arrested by the Israelis in the West Bank since that date has exceeded 7,100. The total number of prisoners in Israeli prisons exceeds 9,000 Palestinians. Palestinian prisoner institutions said 661 were classified as “unlawful combatants” from Gaza, and this is the number available only as a clear given.
The Palestinian Prisoners' Club said that there has been a significant increase in the number of Palestinian administrative detainees in Israeli prisons since October 7, with 3,484 detainees recorded, including children and women. The club added in a statement that "this number was not actually recorded even during the years of the 1987 uprising."
Israel said on 19 February 2024 that, since the beginning of the war, approximately 3,150 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria Division and the Bekaa and Valleys Division, over 1,350 of whom are associated with the terrorist organization Hamas. On 08 January 2024 it was reported that more than 1,350 wanted persons had been arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria Division and the Bekaa and Valleys Division, more than 870 of whom are associated with the terrorist organization Hamas.
The institutions added in the statement that “the occupation arrested 210 women during the aforementioned period, and this statistic includes women who were arrested from the territories in 1948, and more than 355 children,” pointing out that “the outcome of the arrest campaigns includes all those who were arrested from homes, and through military checkpoints, Those who were forced to surrender themselves under pressure, and those who were detained.” It explained that "the number of arrests among journalists reached 50, of whom 35 remain in detention, and 20 of them were transferred to administrative detention."
The announced numbers of detainees do not include those who were detained from Gaza since the start of the operation in the Gaza Strip, as there is no accurate census of these numbers. As of 15 February 2024, the Director-General of the HAMAS Government Information Office in the Gaza Strip , Ismail Al-Thawabta, stated "the information available to us is that the occupation arrested approximately 2,600 people, including 99 medical personnel and 10 journalists."
Israel has rejected international legal adaptations since 1967, and has treated the Palestinians as criminals, and tried them before military courts and not as prisoners of war. Because the POW is not tried, but is released when the war stops, or as a result of a political agreement.
But international humanitarian law sets clear conditions relating to the Palestinians, whether as prisoners of war or organized groups with one leadership and carrying a unified slogan, and these conditions apply to Palestinian resistance fighters, specifically armed groups. International law, through the Third Geneva Conventions, which relate to prisoners of war and armed conflicts, and the Fourth Geneva Convention, which relates to civilians under occupation; Provide full protection to Palestinian prisoners and groups, including resistance factions.
The obstacles imposed by the Israeli occupation authorities became very different after the seventh of last October. They decided to cancel all trials in order to double the sentences issued against detainees, and now The scope of arguments before lawyers is very limited, due to military orders, and not according to legal data.
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