Operation Iron Swords - Day 153 - 07 March 2024
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NEW - War Termination NEW - Operations NEW - Operations - Gaza NEW - Operations - Judea-Samaria NEW - Operations - Lebanon NEW - Operations - Syria / Iraq NEW - Operations - Yemen NEW - Operations Maps NEW - By-Standers NEW - Axis of Resistance NEW - Allied for Democracy UPDATED - By the Numbers |
Ramadan is celebrated Mar 10, 2024 – Apr 9, 2024. Purim is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the survival of the Jewish people from annihilation in the 5th century BCE. The story is told in the Book of Esther and is known as the Feast of Lots. Purim dates are March 23–24, 2024.
Prime Minister's Office Statement: "At a meeting of all security elements chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it was decided: Israel strongly safeguards freedom of worship for all faiths, at all sites in Israel, especially the Temple Mount; Ramadan is sacred to Muslims; its sanctity will be upheld this year, as it is every year. During the first week of Ramadan, the entry of worshippers to the Temple Mount will be permitted, similar to the numbers in previous years. A weekly assessment of the security and safety aspects will be held; a decision will be made accordingly."
At the end of the discussion it was decided that there will be no age limit for entering the Temple Mount, but there will be quotas.
An analysis published by RFI demonstrates that news of the war on Gaza is slowly vanishing from large French media screens, particularly the daily 8 pm prime-time news bulletin on channels TF1, France 2, and M6, and the runtime given for the matter is shocking. Media anthropology researcher Celia Chirol, the first person to study French coverage of the events, said, “This is a real breach of the duty to provide information,” adding, “Of the 20 news programs analyzed from 8-14 January, only 29 seconds of airtime were devoted to Gaza and the fate of the Palestinians.”
Chirol described this lack of news on Gaza and updates on reports from Palestine as the "invisibility" of Palestinians, as news on the MeToo movement in French cinema and Jennifer Lopez's latest movie were seen as more important. Arrêt Sur Images (Freeze-Frame), a show that looks into media biases and the impact of media on public perception, found results like Chirol's.
From February 4 to 15, the show denounced news broadcasts on TF1 and France 2 after discovering that only five minutes were given to speak on Gaza during 30 hours of airtime and 46 news bulletins. Another shocking revelation showed that there were no French news channels that provided a comprehensive toll of the number of deaths in Gaza during that period, since coverage only zoomed in on the captives, several of whom are French, and announcements from Israel's cabinet.
French media watchdog Acrimed conducted its own analysis of how the French media has framed the war, saying it “may seem paradoxical at first glance, but silence is part of the media noise, and what is kept silent is no less interesting than what is said,” Its statement was released as it documented a “process of marginalization” of the besieged Gaza Strip and of Palestinians.
Media sociologist Jean-Marie Charon told RFI that "exhaustion" inevitably sets in during a major event and “It’s a fairly classic phenomenon that we find particularly in situations of war or crisis." Charon claimed that the war in the Middle East is way more complex than the war in Ukraine which still makes it in the headlines and justifies that by saying the French may feel more engaged in Ukraine because they are geographically closer to it.
The media coverage in France of the war on Gaza, as proven by studies, has been on a decline for the past 20 years. Charles Enderlin, "Israel" correspondent for France 2 between 1981 and 2015, told La Revue des Médias online media industry magazine that the fear of an "extreme backlash" from either party may be the blame, as Pascal Boniface, director of the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs, says. "France is in the Western camp, and Israel is a part of that," he said, noting, "And this is very visible in the media."
A recent Centre for Media Monitoring (CfMM) report titled "Media Bias Gaza 2023-24," unveiled notable biases in Western media reporting. In the report, significant trends in media coverage are highlighted by key findings, particularly the framing of events and unverified claims, among many other issues.
A total of 361 TV news clips were identified where the terms "beheaded" and "babies" coexisted. Nearly half of these occurrences were observed on the two right-wing British channels Talk TV (27%) and GB News (20%), while Sky News contributed to 14% of the mentioned terms. Out of the 361 instances, only 52 demonstrated any substantial challenge, rebuttal, or questioning of the claims.
Most TV channels strongly emphasize "Israel's right to defend itself," overshadowing Palestinian rights with a ratio of 5 to 1, a framing of events highlighted in the report. According to CfMM's findings, TV reporting referenced Israeli perspectives almost three times more (4,311) than Palestinian ones (1,598). In online news, the difference was almost twice as much (2,983 vs. 1,737).
Doubts are increasing about the Israeli occupation trading in the organs of Palestinian martyrs after its delay in returning some of the bodies taken from Nasser Hospital. A Al-Alam TV correspondent reported from in front of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah that the occupation authorities handed over, today, Thursday, through the Kerem Shalom crossing between the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories, the bodies of 47 martyrs that they were holding during their military operations in the Strip. The Israeli authorities had previously admitted to taking 400 bodies from Nasser Medical Hospital after storming it, but they only returned 47 bodies to the Palestinians. Al-Alam’s correspondent said that the conditions of detention of the bodies are unknown and were not reported by international bodies, and this raises doubts about the occupation’s practice of trading in martyrs’ organs.
The US ambassador to Israel confirmed Thursday that "differences are narrowing" in the talks on a ceasefire in Gaza, after a delegation from the Hamas movement left Cairo, expressing its dissatisfaction with the Israeli responses. Ambassador Jack Lew stated at the conference in Tel Aviv, saying: “I cannot tell you that (the negotiations) will be crowned with success,” but “the differences are narrowing.” The ambassador stressed that "everyone is looking forward to the approaching month of Ramadan." The Hamas delegation left Cairo without agreeing on a truce in the besieged Gaza Strip, which is threatened with famine before the start of the month of Ramadan.
Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy also said that there is no stopping military operations, explaining that the Gaza war imposes great challenges on the Israeli forces, which achieve operational achievements every day, as he put it.
According to a report published in Axios, the US government has given their allies in “Tel Aviv” until mid-March to find a temporary truce with the Palestinian resistance in Gaza. The article alleges that Washington has even threatened to cut off its weapons supply to the Zionist Entity if it does not comply. In recent weeks there have been various reports of frustration building within the US government and even that the American President, Joe Biden, has used explicit language in private to describe Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
The request of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas to accept the truce was explicit since the start of the negotiations from Paris to Cairo. It was a ceasefire for a period of 135 days in three phases of 45 days, pledging to release 100 living prisoners and about 30 bodies, in exchange for the Israeli occupation entity releasing part of it. Of the eight thousand Palestinian prisoners in its prisons and the withdrawal of its army from populated areas in the first phase of the truce, then complete withdrawal from the entire Strip in the third phase.
But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected this request from the beginning, threatening to invade Rafah after his soldiers invaded Gaza City and Khan Yunis, wreaking destruction and committing the most horrific massacres against humanity. He also rejected any ceasefire agreement that would force the “Israeli” forces to withdraw from Gaza before achieving his flimsy goal. By eliminating Hamas.
Robert Inlakesh, Political Analyst, Journalist, and Documentary Filmmaker, suggested it is impossible to tell whether the numerous leaked reports, citing unnamed US officials are all true or not, and the truth of the dialogue making US-Israeli relations is hard to ascertain. However, it is clear that there is an American push for there to be at least a temporary halt to the genocidal assault on Gaza and there are many indications that a Ramadan truce may be in reach.
Before going further in this line of analysis, there is always the possibility that foreign policymakers in Washington are either too incompetent to reach a ceasefire, or that there is an active conspiracy that is being implemented to aid the Israeli regime in what could be believed to be a calculated escalation ladder. If either of these two scenarios are about to unfold, they will represent blunders in American diplomatic and military history.
Inlakesh said yo begin with, the Israeli regime, under the direct supervision of its allies in the United States, has dramatically failed in its quest to defeat the Palestinian resistance in Gaza. After 5 months of conflict, the Israelis have little to demonstrate for their efforts to dismantle Hamas apart from a graveyard of military vehicles and a significant number of soldier casualties. It is no exaggeration to say that Gaza has become a graveyard for Israeli invaders. The tunnel system under Gaza is still intact, the military capabilities of Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades have not been dismantled and even the smaller armed groups are still demonstrating that they are in good condition.
The Israeli military’s focus has shifted towards Gaza’s Southernmost city of Rafah, following repeated failures to locate, let alone destroy, the command and control centers of the resistance. This comes after their failure to find any semblance of victory in northern or central Gaza, despite having repeatedly spread the lie that “Hamas HQ”’s existed in Gaza City and Khan Younis; specifically, at the Shifa and Nasser Hospitals.
Inlakesh noted around a month has now passed since the threats concerning an Israeli invasion of Rafah began, where some 1.4 million displaced Palestinians are situated along the Egyptian border. Despite the repeated statements issued by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, there has been no action taken beyond verbal declarations regarding a ground invasion. This can almost certainly be put down to the US Biden administration having refrained from giving the operation the go-ahead, as it is more than clear that this war is being led by Washington and not Tel Aviv.
According to a senior United Nations aid official, some 556,000 Gazans are now one step away from famine, as the Zionist Entity’s settlers continue blocking aid deliveries to the tortured population. When we couple this with the disaster that could occur, in the event of an invasion of Rafah, the pressure will begin to mount up. The potential expulsion of even a small fraction of the 1.4 million Palestinian refugees living in tents and makeshift shelters by the invading Israeli military, forcing them into the Sinai desert in Egypt, would undoubtedly provoke international and regional outrage upon the dissemination of such images.
Inlakesh said if such a catastrophe occurs during the Holy Month of Ramadan, the equation may also be quite a different one. Since Ramadan, in 2021, the Israeli occupation forces stationed in occupied Jerusalem have launched brutal assaults against Muslim worshippers in and around al-Aqsa Mosque, leading to clashes throughout the city. It is at this time of year that people gather, after breaking their fast, in various areas throughout occupied East Jerusalem, specifically in the Old City. The Zionist Entity has repeatedly placed great restrictions on worshippers entering the Old City and Al-Aqsa Mosque, while extremist Israeli settler groups have conducted provocative marches through the area and stormed the third holiest site in the Islamic faith.
This Ramadan, the Zionist regime has already declared that it will not allow Palestinians from the West Bank to visit al-Aqsa Mosque and sent strong warnings to Palestinians from the 1948 occupied territories to stay away. The people of occupied Jerusalem will be severely restricted also. With the genocide unfolding in Gaza, the Palestinians living in occupied Jerusalem may end up gathering to voice their frustration at Israeli occupation forces, which will undoubtably lead to clashes.
If the assault on Gaza is ongoing, or is to escalate, it will only make this situation more severe and could also lead to an escalation in the West Bank. In May 2021, repeated attacks against worshippers and residents of occupied East al-Quds led to a unified revolt launched by the Palestinians of 1948, West Bankers, and the people of occupied al-Quds. This revolt, often referred to as the ‘Unity Uprising’, came as a result of a building anger throughout the entire month of Ramadan, which culminated in the resistance in Gaza launching Operation Sword of al-Quds.
Inlakesh noted that as of now, there are more Zionist forces operating inside the occupied West Bank than there are in the Gaza Strip, in many areas people are completely confined to their villages and local areas. This caging in of the population inside the West Bank, which is also collectively horrified by the genocide being carried out against their people in Gaza, could transform into an uprising at any time and attacks on al-Aqsa Mosque could be the catalyst for such an escalation.
The Hamas-led offensive, which crushed the Zionist military in the South of occupied Palestine on October 7, was entitled Al-Aqsa Flood for a very specific reason. Al-Aqsa is the red line for the Palestinian people and could serve to be a redline for other regional actors if any major attack is launched upon it. The US Biden administration understands all of this and is clearly frightened by the possibility of the situation exploding.
If we see another unity uprising, it will tear the Israeli regime apart from within and completely overwhelm it, something which the US will have no power over stopping once it is initiated. What also has to be accounted for at this point, is that the Zionist armed thugs in uniform are emotionally unstable and have demonstrated extremely violent behavior against Palestinians since the beginning of the war in October. The Zionist occupation forces’ increasingly homicidal and sadistic in their implementation of violence will only further fuel any potential revolt, turning it extremely ugly.
The current Gaza-Zionist war is rooted in Israeli attacks on al-Aqsa Mosque, especially during Ramadan. This time of year can sometimes transcend traditionally understood calculations of the conflict’s dynamics. This clearly scares the Biden administration, prompting them to undoubtedly formulate strategies to address the impending developments. Only time will to tell what will to occur over al-Aqsa Mosque.
These opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinion of GlobalSecurity.org, but rather express the opinion of its writer exclusively.
Hopes of agreeing on a ceasefire truce in Gaza before Ramadan; dissipates again; With Hamas announcing that its delegation will leave Cairo to consult with the movement’s leadership; They confirmed the continuation of negotiations and efforts to stop the aggression, the return of the displaced, and the entry of relief aid. The leader of the movement, Sami Abu Zuhri, held the occupation authorities responsible for thwarting the efforts of the mediators to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, mediated by Qatar and Egypt during the four-day talks hosted by Cairo.
Abu Zuhri added that the Israeli occupation authorities reject Hamas's demands to stop the aggression , withdraw, and guarantee the freedom of aid entry and the return of the displaced.
Negotiators from Hamas, Qatar and Egypt, without the participation of negotiators from the Israeli occupation authorities, tried this week to reach a ceasefire for forty days before the month of Ramadan. The agreement presented to Hamas includes the release of some of the hostages it is still holding after the Al-Aqsa Flood operation, and Palestinian prisoners held by the occupation entity will also be released.
Hamas pledged to continue the Cairo talks, but officials in the Palestinian movement said that the release of the hostages could not take place before a ceasefire was reached along with the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and all residents of the Strip were able to return to the homes from which they left.
Tel Aviv is not attending the Cairo talks because Hamas refused to provide a list of the names of the hostages who are still alive. Hamas says this is impossible without a ceasefire, as the hostages are located in different parts of the Strip, which is witnessing ongoing fighting. Despite previous statements that the negotiations had reached a dead end, the United States said earlier that it was still possible to reach a truce agreement; And she will continue to push for it to happen.
The Wall Street Journal quoted Israeli sources as saying that Israel has so far rejected in the ceasefire negotiations the demand of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) for the displaced to return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip for fear that Hamas will reorganize its ranks there. The newspaper stressed that the point of the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip has become thorny and sensitive in the ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Cairo since the beginning of this week, as Israel believes that the return of the population to the north will be tantamount to a political victory for Hamas, according to the newspaper.
The newspaper reported that the Arab and American mediators proposed a short truce for fighting in the Gaza Strip that might last a few days, to buy time for a longer ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, to reach an agreement before the month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin on March 10 or 11. It is noteworthy that Hamas is demanding the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, the entry of 500 aid trucks daily, and the release of dozens of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of detainees, as well as the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip and reconstruction.
The Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, Herzi Halevy, said that there will be no cessation of military operations, explaining that the Gaza war imposes great challenges on the Israeli forces, which achieve operational achievements every day, as he put it. Halevy explained: “The war in Gaza presents great challenges, and every day we achieve operational achievements and eliminate Hamas saboteurs.” He added: "We pay a heavy price in the war and we will continue it because it is a war on the homeland, and despite the high price of the war, our army is progressing and improving all the time. We will not stop our military operations, but rather we will intensify their intensity."
The Chief of Staff to the IDF commanders: "The purpose of the investigation is one: learning! We experienced difficult events at the beginning of the fighting, our failure to protect civilians is a supreme task. If we do not courageously analyze what we have done, we will find it difficult to learn and improve, we will find it difficult to stand before the citizens of Israel and say that we tested and learned and will know protect them better."
"The "Iron Swords" war began with a surprise that led to dire results and a great loss of civilian and soldier lives. Since the war began, the IDF has been defending and attacking successfully and very effectively - we started hard, we recovered and we are moving forward very strongly. Investigation has a place of honor in the world of our military values. It is the lever that makes it possible to improve following failure, it is the way to be better after success, it is the tool by means of which a unit can build for itself a climbing route that will constantly take it up.
"Just as charging in the face of enemy fire requires strength and courage, so also standing up to ourselves for interrogations requires courage and leadership. The purpose of the investigation is one: learning! We experienced difficult events at the beginning of the fighting, we failed to protect civilians - a supreme task. If we do not courageously analyze what we have done, we will find it difficult to learn and improve, we will find it difficult to stand up to the citizens of Israel and say that we have tested and learned and will know how to protect them better.
"In the coming months we will conduct investigations on the defense phase at the start of hostilities and the circumstances that preceded it. The investigations on the attack and maneuver phase will be conducted by each unit that leaves the fighting, as early as possible. Military investigations in this area will be completed at a later stage, after we finish the defense investigations.
"The investigations will be carried out in the course of a multi-arena war. The IDF forces are focused on achieving the goals of the war and operate on all fronts. The existence of operational investigations while fighting is necessary to improve the IDF's combat capabilities. This requires balance and quality distribution of attention from the commanders, and the priority is of course for fighting.
"The topics of the investigation were determined in the Joint Chiefs of Staff Investigations Order, I will soon approve the investigation map with which we will start for each body. A quality investigation must start from a stable and agreed upon factual basis and the collection of materials and their clarification with the cooperation of the parties involved. Strive as much as possible to reach an agreed factual basis, there can always be differences of point of view, and one should not be afraid of conclusions and lessons in dispute, these will be discussed in depth up the chain of command, we will learn from opinions and disputes.
"The events are many and each of them has many details, we will not be able to examine in depth every move, every bullet fired. Unfortunately some of the people are not with us and we will not be able to get their point of view. Therefore, each commander must determine in each investigation - what will be the important issues for deepening, whether because of the learning potential, the seriousness of the result or any other complexity. In complex issues it is important that we investigate and come to choices that will allow diagnosis and learning. Each framework will conduct its investigations and rise to a level above it, until we summarize all the investigations at the General Headquarters.
"It is a complex, difficult and poignant process, and I am committed to leading it in light of five values:
- True - because only one straight line passes between two points.
- Transparency - because you learn better with clarity.
- Matterliness - the focus on the matter is necessary and there is a lot of background noise.
- Responsibility - because we always bear it.
- Bad things - even where difficult things happened and in this complex process, we will stand together and strengthen each other.
"As I trust the IDF's ability to fight well, I trust the ability of each and every one of us to interrogate in a poignant, yet constructive manner. This is how we will know, this is how we will learn, this is how we will protect the citizens of Israel better in the future."
Humanitarian aid including only food, water, medical supplies and shelter equipment is routed to Egypt and then forwarded to undergo Israeli security screening at either Nitzana or Kerem Shalom Crossings. From there, UN aid is sent to the Gaza Strip via Kerem Shalom, and the rest is sent to Gaza via the Rafah crossing in Egypt. A humanitarian aid delivery channel via Jordan is operational, and additional delivery channels are in the planning process.
The volume of humanitarian aid is determined, among other factors, by the ability of humanitarian organizations within the Gaza Strip to absorb the aid.
At least 257 trucks carrying humanitarian aid were inspected and transferred to Gaza for the civilian population yesterday (Mar. 6). 243 trucks were distributed by aid organizations to shelters and Gazans in need. Overnight, 11 food trucks made their way to northern Gaza. In the last 24 hours, 26 trucks traveled north, all private sector. Over the last few days, over 100 trucks were transferred to the northern Gaza Strip. Yesterday, (Mar. 6) 4 tankers of cooking gas and 3 tankers of fuel designated for the operation of essential infrastructure in Gaza, have entered the Gaza Strip.
U.S. Central Command and the Royal Jordanian Air Force conducted a combined humanitarian assistance airdrop into Northern Gaza on March 7, 2024, at 3:20 p.m. (Gaza time) to provide essential relief to civilians in Gaza affected by the ongoing conflict. The combined, joint operation included U.S. Air Force and Jordanian C-130 aircraft and U.S. Army Soldiers specialized in aerial delivery of U.S humanitarian assistance supplies. U.S. C-130s dropped over 38,000 meals, providing life-saving humanitarian assistance in Northern Gaza, to enable civilian access to critical aid. The DoD humanitarian airdrops contribute to ongoing U.S. and partner-nation government efforts to alleviate human suffering. These airdrops are part of a sustained effort and th US continued to plan follow on aerial deliveries.
Israeli aircraft continued to launch raids on various parts of the Gaza Strip. Intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations as well as heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure.
Fighters of the Magellan and Agoz units under the Commando formation and the 13th Fleet continue their raids on the 'Hamad' neighborhood, a neighborhood with high-rise towers. During the fighting, the forces eliminated many terrorists in skirmishes, sniper ambushes and directing fire from the air. In addition, two armed Hamas terrorists surrendered to the forces and were transferred for further investigation.
The forces of the 7th Brigade Combat Team continued in the last day raids on a number of terrorist infrastructures in the Hamed neighborhood in Khan Yunis and located a warehouse used for the production of weapons, cargo and military equipment. Also, the forces located shafts in the Pirim area and destroyed headquarters belonging to the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. The fighters of the commando formation continued raids and searches of buildings in the neighborhood, located weapons and eliminated a number of terrorists.
During an attack in the Al-Karara region, the combat team of the Bislah Brigade (828) identified six armed terrorists entering a military building with a launch position, a fighter jet attacked and eliminated the terrorists. In another activity of the fighters in West Khan Yunis, a terrorist armed with an RPG was identified who entered a building with underground infrastructure, a fighter jet eliminated the terrorist.
In the center of the strip, the battle team of the Nahal Brigade eliminated about ten terrorists throughout the last day. In one of the attacks, a terrorist squad was detected loading military equipment onto a vehicle near our forces, an aircraft attacked the vehicle, destroyed the equipment and eliminated several terrorists. After the attack, secondary explosions were seen that indicated the presence of Amlach in the vehicle.
In another attack, the forces on the ground detected a terrorist squad moving in their sector, the forces directed a manned aircraft to the location from a distance which attacked and eliminated the terrorists.
Israeli Channel 12 reported a massive rocket attack from southern Lebanon to "Ras al-Naqoura" in northern occupied Palestine. Lebanon's Hezbollah targeted the command of the Zionist regime with artillery attacks. The Islamic Resistance of Lebanon announced in a statement that the fighters of the Islamic Resistance, in order to support the resistant people of the Gaza Strip and to support its brave and honorable resistance, this Thursday morning targeted the headquarters of the newly established division of the "Liman" base of the Zionist regime with their artillery attacks. The bullets hit the targets directly.
The Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement in Palestine, announced that it targeted and destroyed Israeli vehicles in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, east of Gaza City. It said in a brief statement that the targeting operations were carried out with explosive devices and RPG shells. The Al-Quds Brigades published a video clip documenting the operations it carried out.
Al-Qassam Brigades announced that they had ambushed a Zionist force consisting of more than 20 soldiers and detonated a number of anti-personnel explosive devices in an apartment in Hamad Town , killing and wounding all of its members. He continued: For its part, the Al-Quds Brigades confirmed that it targeted and destroyed a number of occupation vehicles in the Zaytoun neighborhood with explosive devices and RPGs, and it showed scenes of it on its official media channels on social media sites, including Telegram.
The Al-Alam channel correspondent explained that clashes are also continuing in the areas east of Khan Yunis and Tal al-Hawa governorates and the vicinity of the Israeli army position in the central Gaza Strip, where the Mujahideen Brigades, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Martyr Omar Al-Qasim, and the rest of the factions operating in the field announce targeting Israeli army vehicles and soldiers.
Chief of Staff of the Israeli occupation army, Herzi Halevy , said that the army paid heavy prices and lost commanders and fighters, “despite the achievements it achieved in the war on the Gaza Strip.” In this context, the military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, pointed out that the occupation leaders are still talking about goals that are far from reality, such as the day after the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) in Gaza. During his analysis for Al Jazeera, Al-Duwairi pointed out that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under pressure, presented his vision for the day after the war on Gaza, describing it as not based on the objectivity of what is happening on the ground. He drew attention to the statements of the Israeli Chief of Staff, in which he said that the lack of clarity of goals dwarfs the achievements, and added that there is a gap between the political and military leaders of the occupation, before confirming that the war begins with a political decision and ends with a political decision. Regarding the occupation army’s statements about field achievements, Al-Duwairi explained that destroying homes, schools, and hospitals, committing massacres, and displacing residents are not achievements, but rather systematic destruction of the necessities of life. It is natural that the occupation succeeded in killing some of the resistance’s military and field leaders, and “this is not an achievement” - according to the military expert - who said that the achievements must be translated into a real material dimension. He stressed that the combat tunnels are still unknown and are a complex network that can only be discovered after entering them, and warned of the need to differentiate between tunnels designated for combat purposes and those for the purposes of sleeping and logistical matters.
Operational Update - Judea-Samaria
It is noteworthy that the Israeli occupation army, in parallel with its devastating war on the Gaza Strip, escalated arrest campaigns and raids into cities and towns in the West Bank, which left dozens of martyrs and thousands of detainees, according to Palestinian sources.
On 6 March, a Palestinian man died of wounds sustained on 4 March when he was shot by Israeli forces in Burin village, in Nablus governorate, while trying to help an injured child who was shot and killed. Also on 6 March, a 14-year-old boy was arrested in Beit Hanina in East Jerusalem after stabbing and injuring an elderly Israeli settler in the nearby Israeli settlement of Neve Yaakov.
The Kafir Brigade led a divisional operation to counter terrorism in the villages of Tamon and Tubas in the Bekaa and Valley region. At the direction of the Shin Bet, the forces arrested five wanted persons suspected of involvement in terrorist activities, located weapons and interrogated additional suspects. During the operation, terrorists threw explosives at the forces, there were Israeli casualties. During the night, the IDF, Shin Bet and Special Forces arrested 29 additional wanted persons throughout Judea and Samaria. In Gilzon in Benjamin, the fighters arrested six wanted men and in the village of Jaba in Shev Zion, the fighters arrested two wanted men and found weapons. In Kfar Abush in Ephraim, the forces located 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 3,450 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria Division and the Bekaa and Valleys Division, approximately 1,500 of whom are affiliated with Hamas.
The American newspaper, The Washington Post , said that the United States is “financing the rehabilitation” of the Palestinian Authority’s security forces, in preparation for the post-war period. The American newspaper visited a training center for the Palestinian security forces in the West Bank, to learn about the nature of the challenges facing these forces, which Washington considers “essential” to its plans to strengthen the Palestinian Authority, with the aim of helping to achieve stability in the Gaza Strip after the war.
A Palestinian colonel who spoke to the Washington Post anonymously said that the Jericho Training Center was first opened in 1994, and has a branch in the Gaza Strip. The training is taking place in Jericho without using live ammunition, due to “the Israeli authorities’ refusal to import ammunition” for these forces, explaining that “a selected group is being sent to Jordan to train on real weapons.”
In 2005, Washington and seven allied countries established the Office of the US Security Coordinator (USSC), based in Jerusalem, which is dedicated to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Initially, the office funded Palestinian training programs at Jordanian military academies, away from the pressures of local politics. Over time, more programs shifted to the West Bank. In 2008, the current site in Jericho was rebuilt with about 10 other training facilities for Palestinian security forces, during the early days of American efforts to rebuild, train and finance the force, according to the same newspaper.
The State Department, speaking on behalf of the Office of the US Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, declined to comment on Washington's training plans. Despite two decades of reforms, the Palestinian security forces remain underfunded, widely unpopular, and ill-equipped to shoulder the enormous responsibilities envisioned by their Western backers.
The number of members of the Palestinian security forces now amounts to 35,500 members, and the force is often in public disagreement with the public it is supposed to serve, according to the newspaper. “No matter what challenges I face, if I leave my job it will be chaos,” the colonel said.
Branches of the Palestinian security forces - including the National Security Forces, the Presidential Guard, Preventive Security, and the General Intelligence Services - report to the 88-year-old President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, who has not held elections since 2006.
On February 26, Abbas accepted the resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh and his entire government - the first step in a larger change supported by Washington and Arab countries - but there are doubts about the amount of power that Abbas will agree to give up, if any at all, as the American newspaper said.
Talal Dweikat, spokesman for the Palestinian security services, acknowledged from his office in Ramallah the “public’s lack of confidence” in the security forces. But he said the issue was a "systemic issue." He added, explaining: “When I am with my security forces, and the Israeli army comes in broad daylight - and enters Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah, and Hebron - is this not a weakening of the authority? Is this not an expansion of the gap between it and the people?” Dweikat also pointed out that the administration in Ramallah “has actually been unable to pay full salaries for two years.”
Palestinian security forces cannot intervene to stop Israeli settler violence or Israeli military operations in the West Bank, which the Israeli army says are “necessary to arrest people wanted on terrorist charges.” These Palestinian forces are also not welcome in some Palestinian towns and cities, where “armed groups have become the de facto authorities,” according to the Washington Post.
The Office for the Coordination of Israeli Government Activities in the Territories, the military body responsible for the Palestinian territories, did not respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment. Palestinian and Western officials said that major efforts would be needed to expand and train security forces at the level required for Gaza, and to obtain political approval from the Israeli government, which openly opposes the plan. A Western diplomat, who spoke to the Washington Post on condition of anonymity, said that strengthening the Palestinian security forces through the US State Department “will require a new mandate” from the Israeli government.
Sources told Al-Akhbar newspaper that Western countries were informed by Israel that the latter had set a deadline to reach a political settlement with Lebanon, otherwise it would be prepared to escalate military operations into war. The Lebanese newspaper learned from Western diplomatic sources that “the political track is not sufficient for reassurance, despite the American side’s insistence on drafting the initials of the agreement between Beirut and Tel Aviv, which revolves around consolidating the ceasefire, resolving the dispute over the disputed points, finding a formula for the Shebaa Farms and Kfar Shuba, and formulating a solutio.” sustainable prevents major collision.
It revealed that Western countries "have been informed by Israel that the latter has set a deadline of March 15 as the date to reach a political settlement with Lebanon. Otherwise, it is prepared to escalate military operations into a large-scale war." This matter has increased the concern of Western countries, which consider that “every effort should be made to support the continuing efforts of the United States and France to implement Resolution 1701 and initiate a border settlement that provides long-term security and guarantees the return of the displaced on both sides of the border.”
It said that the US President's special envoy for global energy security, Amos Hockstein, "has become convinced of the difficulty of stopping the fighting in Lebanon before it stops in Gaza, and he is also convinced that Hezbollah does not want escalation," noting that "the envoy considers that the truce in Gaza will be an hour." Zero, from which parallel paths begin, the first of which is working to settle the dispute over the border points with Lebanon, without the solution including the Shebaa Farms, in parallel with the deployment of Lebanese army forces in the south with the approval of the parties concerned.
The sources added, "There is also a conviction that the 45-day period for the truce will be an opportunity to collect aid for the army, mobilize resources, secure the required logistical equipment, and secure the necessary funds."
Hezbollah announced that it attacked 4 Israeli military sites off the southern border of Lebanon , while Israel launched raids on Lebanese towns, and said that it was strengthening its readiness to launch an attack on Lebanon, and a joint UNIFIL and Lebanese army patrol came under fire. Hezbollah said that its fighters targeted the sites of Zibdin and Ruwaisat al-Qarn in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms and achieved a direct hit. They also targeted with missile weapons a gathering of Israeli occupation soldiers in the vicinity of Hunin Castle. The party also bombed the Israeli site of Al-Baghdadi with a Burkan missile, confirming direct casualties. The party confirmed that it confronted "an Israeli UAV on the Palestinian border with appropriate weapons, forcing it to retreat." Al Jazeera's correspondent said that sirens sounded in the settlements of Misgav Am, Kiryat Shmona and Margaliot in the Upper Galilee, after missiles were launched from southern Lebanon. On the other hand, Israeli fighters launched raids on the towns of Mays al-Jabal, al-Dhahira, Aita al-Shaab, Kafra, and Majdal Zoun in southern Lebanon. An Israeli missile march targeted a house in the town of Blida, while the vicinity of the town of al-Wazzani was subjected to Israeli artillery shelling. The Israeli army said that its warplanes raided last night the infrastructure of the Lebanese Hezbollah in the Labouneh area and a building it described as a military building in the Aita al-Shaab area in southern Lebanon. An Al Jazeera correspondent reported that 6 Israeli interceptor missiles exploded off the central sector of southern Lebanon. The commander of the Northern Command of the Israeli army expressed their commitment to changing the security situation in the north in order to return the residents to their homes, indicating - during a visit to the Western Galilee - that they are constantly strengthening preparations for launching an attack on Lebanon. In another development, the United Nations forces operating in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced that a joint force from UNIFIL and the Lebanese army came under fire from the Israeli side on the border with southern Lebanon. A UNIFIL spokesman explained that the force was exposed to small arms fire while on patrol in the vicinity of the town of Aita al-Shaab, which led to a Lebanese army vehicle being hit, but no casualties were reported. In turn, Lebanese media said that the incident occurred in the vicinity of the town of Aita al-Shaab, when the patrol was attacked with light weapons, confirming that there were no casualties as a result of the incident. The Israeli army publishes a video of an air strike targeting the town of Aitaroun in the central sector of southern Lebanon. He added: "The Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted, at 17:00 in the afternoon of Thursday 03/07/2024, the Ruwaisat Al-Alam site in the occupied Lebanese hills of Kafr Shuba with missile weapons and hit it directly."
An RT correspondent reported that Israeli warplanes carried out a series of air strikes targeting Wadi Al-Azziya in the western sector south of Tyre. Video clips documented scenes of Israeli artillery shelling on the outskirts of the town of Kfar Shuba in the eastern sector of southern Lebanon, amid continuous flights of reconnaissance aircraft over the area.
Fighter jets struck two military buildings of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the Zabkin area. IDF forces intercepted an explosive Hezbollah drone that was spotted crossing Lebanese territory into the Baram region. In addition, an unmanned aircraft of Hezbollah that crossed the territory of Lebanon fell in the Hermon area, there were no casualties. A number of launches have been detected in recent hours from Lebanese territory to Israeli territory in the area of Mount Dov and Metula, the IDF attacked the sources of the fire with artillery.
A person was killed as the Israeli army renewed its targeting of a number of villages and towns in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah announced that it had targeted a new Israeli army center on the border. The party said in a statement that it "targeted, at 11:00 a.m. today, a new headquarters for the Sector Command in Liman with artillery shells, and it was hit directly." In a second statement, "Hezbollah announced that at 12:20, it targeted the Al-Zaoura shelter with missile weapons.
Today, Israeli media said that a batch of 10 rockets were launched from Lebanon towards Ras al-Naqoura, north of Western Galilee, on the border with Lebanon, noting that some of them landed in open areas, and others were intercepted. This comes as sirens sound in the Upper Galilee and other nearby areas. Video clips showed Iron Dome missiles intercepting a number of missiles launched from southern Lebanon.
Israeli forces launched two air strikes targeting the town of Aita al-Shaab and the town of Aitaroun in southern Lebanon. A video clip showed the Israeli raid that targeted the town of Aita al-Shaab.
The Israeli Walla website said that the Lebanese Hezbollah attacks raised the level of tension between the residents of northern Israel and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The site said that tension increased after a person was killed in a missile attack in the Galilee region, in the worst individual security incident in the north since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza. Despite this, the Israeli government avoids issuing official evacuation orders for settlements in the north, for reasons including fear of paying large compensation.
In a report entitled “The North is left to its fate: They are killing us and the government does not respond firmly,” the site’s economic affairs correspondent, Liat Ron, quoted Eitan Davidi, head of the Margaliot settlement - where the attack took place - as saying, “We are easy targets. They leave us here to pay less compensation,” and he adds, “I am not afraid.” "Hezbollah, but our government." An Indian worker was killed and 7 people were injured, two of them seriously, when an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon struck a chicken coop in the settlement.
Some residents hold the government and the northern leadership of the Israeli army responsible for what happened, because if they had “purified” - as they say - the parties overlooking the settlements, the attack would not have occurred. They also hold them responsible for the deterioration of the security situation in the north in general. According to the head of the settlement, the Israeli government wants a kind of normal life to prevail in the north, but in doing so it is gambling with the lives of farmers, without properly calculating the risks, and even if these risks exist, they are at the expense of farmers and foreign workers.
Davidi added that the issue of compensation is at the heart of the decision not to issue official evacuation orders. Once there is a comprehensive order that prevents farmers, for example, from leaving their homes to inspect chicken coops, they will automatically receive compensation, which is what the government fears. She points out that if they are left with the choice to make the decision, they bear responsibility, and if they decide to kill the chickens, they will put themselves in a maze that may or may not end with compensation.
In the wake of a devastating war launched by Israel against the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, Hezbollah and Palestinian factions in Lebanon have exchanged intermittent bombardment with the Israeli army on a daily basis since October 8, resulting in deaths and injuries on both sides of the dividing “Blue Line.” The Israeli war on Gaza left tens of thousands of civilian victims, most of them children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and massive infrastructure destruction, which led to Tel Aviv being brought before the International Court of Justice on charges of “genocide.”
Operational Update - Syria / Iraq
The statement of Iraqi resistance to the continuation of attacks against the occupied territories have been among the most important news of the developments in Palestine.
Syrian Foreign Minister emphasized that the only measure of America is absolute support for the occupying regime and its crimes, and Washington's unlimited support for the occupation and thwarting any attempt for a ceasefire in Gaza proves the direct participation of the US in killing the people of Gaza.
The Yemeni "Al-Masirah" channel, affiliated with the Houthi "Ansar Allah" group, reported on Thursday that two air strikes targeted the Ras Issa area in Hodeidah, western Yemen. The channel said, "The American-British aggression aircraft targeted the Ras Issa area in the Salif District with two raids." This comes as the US Central Command announced that its forces “launched self-defense strikes against two drones in Yemen.”
The government in Manila announced that two Filipinos are among three crew members who died as a result of the Houthis targeting the cargo ship “True Confidence” in the Gulf of Aden. The Ministry of Migrant Labor in Manila confirmed: “Two Filipino sailors were killed in the latest attack by Houthi rebels on ships sailing in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.” It indicated that it was informed earlier that "two Filipino crew members were seriously injured in the attack on their ship."
It is likely that the three dead are the first victims to fall as a result of a series of naval attacks carried out by the Houthis since November against the backdrop of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. A missile launched from Yemen hit a cargo tanker in the Gulf of Aden yesterday, Wednesday, killing at least three crew members, according to what was confirmed by the United States, which vowed to “hold the rebels accountable” for this attack. An American official initially reported that two people were killed, This is according to crew members.
A US official reported that the missile caused "significant damage" to the ship "True Confidence", owned by Liberia and flying the flag of Barbados. For its part, the "Ansar Allah" group (Houthis) said in a statement that the targeted ship was American and "the targeting operation came after the ship's crew rejected the warning messages."
The Houthis reiterated that their attacks "will not stop until the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted." The Houthi attacks caused many major shipping companies to suspend the passage of their ships through the Red Sea, through which about 12 percent of global trade usually passes.
A leadership source in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, revealed that there are discussions between the Qassam leadership and the leadership of the Ansar Allah movement in Yemen regarding the issue of the Israeli ship detained in Yemen, the Galaxy Leader, and its crew, in addition to the recent military escalation in the Red Sea.
The leader of Al-Qassam said in a televised statement today, “Ansar Allah informed us that the escalation in the Red Sea was due to the occupation’s intention to attack Rafah and its policy of starvation.” The leading source in Al-Qassam added to Al-Jazeera, “Ansar Allah sent us a message to ask for our opinion regarding mediations to release the crew of a ship it is holding ,” stressing that Sana’a informed Al-Qassam that any decision regarding the detained ship and its crew is exclusively with Al-Qassam.
The Qassam commander confirmed that “Ansar Allah informed us that it will continue the battle of the Red Sea until the aggression stops and the siege of Gaza is lifted.” Regarding coordination between Al-Qassam, Sana’a, and the rest of the parties to the Jerusalem axis, the leader of the Al-Qassam Brigades said, “Communication and coordination between Al-Qassam and the fronts of Lebanon, Yemen , and Iraq have continued since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa flood.” The Qassam commander confirmed that “all fronts decided not to stop the fighting until the aggression against the Gaza Strip stopped.”
A member of the Supreme Political Council of the Ansar Allah movement in Yemen, Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, said in a post on the X platform that the movement does not intentionally target civilians. He stressed that everything the Yemeni armed forces are doing is a response to the reckless American strikes and its militarization of the Red Sea with the aim of protecting Israeli ships , stressing that the operation to target the True Confidence ship came after its crew rejected warning messages from the Yemeni naval forces. For his part, the spokesman for the Ansar Allah movement, Muhammad Abdel Salam , blamed the United States and Britain for the repercussions of their militarization of the Red Sea, saying that the Yemeni forces do not target any ship except after warning it not to cross, and there are those who comply and retreat, and there are those who refuse and are targeted.
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
As law and order deteriorated, Gaza saw an increase in violence targeting humanitarian workers and faced significant challenges in the movement and distribution of aid. The stance of the Israeli army, which views police forces as combatants, further complicates the efforts to restore law and order—elements that are crucial for protection of civilians as well as the smooth facilitation of humanitarian assistance. Reports were captured of at least five separate Israeli attacks on Gaza police elements in February; resulting in a decreased presence in open areas – such as main supply routes through Gaza and border crossings where humanitarian aid enters Gaza – and a correlating deterioration in security.
“Hunger has reached catastrophic levels,” Jamie McGoldrick, the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, told journalists at UN Headquarters on Wednesday, describing a two-day visit to war-ravaged Gaza. “Children are dying from hunger,” he said via videolink, as media reports indicate that at least 20 children have succumbed to starvation in the besieged and bombarded enclave, including most recently a 14-day-old baby. Calling for a plan to address this crisis, he said immediate needs would include using a military access road to northern Gaza for a minimum of 300 aid trucks every day.
Despite facing extreme challenges for humanitarian work, including two operational pauses and the continuation of extreme constraints on humanitarian movement and operations in February, there was nevertheless a significant scale-up in humanitarian efforts. This period witnessed a 48% increase in the overall number of coordinated humanitarian missions facilitated by the Israeli authorities across Gaza, climbing from 75 in January to 111 in February. However, the effectiveness of these expanded efforts was undermined by a cessation of operations to the north and an overall decline in the security of civilians, including humanitarian aid workers. This decline was chiefly attributable to the diminished presence of local police, following a spate of attacks by Israeli forces that led to police casualties. The resultant deterioration in law and order imposed severe access constraints, significantly impeding the movement of aid within and across Gaza. In the face of these formidable obstacles, the humanitarian operations in February demonstrated a resolute commitment to ramping up aid, highlighting an enduring determination to surmount the hurdles encountered.
The decrease in planned and facilitated missions was primarily the result of an operational pause taken after a UN-coordinated food convoy was directly hit by Israeli naval fire on 5 February while waiting at a holding point as required by the Israeli military. The following day, UN staff reported harassment and intimidation by Israeli soldiers towards them and convoy members at an Israeli checkpoint. These incidents, coupled with previous impacts to UN-coordinated movements, led the UN and its partners to temporarily halt coordinated aid missions to the north of Gaza from the evening of 6 February.
Attacks on deconflicted compounds (humanitarian locations notified in advance to all parties) – such as the reported strike against the occupied living quarters of another International Non-Governmental Organization engaged in the health sector on 18 January – degrade confidence in the implementation of the Humanitarian Notification System for Deconfliction; and underscore the severe risks faced by health workers and other humanitarians struggling to stay and deliver in a degrading security situation in Gaza.
Axis of Resistance
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday called the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip a "disgrace for civilisation" and reiterated Beijing's calls for an "immediate ceasefire". "It is a tragedy for humankind and a disgrace for civilisation that today, in the 21st century, this humanitarian disaster cannot be stopped," Wang told journalists at a press conference.
Beijing has been calling for an immediate ceasefire since the start of the war in October last year and has historically called for the creation of a Palestinian state. It condemned US vetoes that blocked a ceasefire resolution in Gaza at the UN Security Council. President Xi Jinping has called for an "international peace conference" to resolve the fighting. "No reason can justify the continuation of the conflict, and no excuse can justify being desperately killed," Wang expressed.
"The international community must act urgently, making an immediate ceasefire and the cessation of hostilities an overriding priority, and ensuring humanitarian relief an urgent moral responsibility." Beijing's top diplomat also said China supports full United Nations membership for a Palestinian state. "We support Palestine becoming a formal member of the United Nations," Wang said.
He mentioned that "the catastrophe in Gaza once again reminded the world that the fact that the Palestinian territories have been occupied for a long time can no longer be ignored," he indicated. "The long-cherished wish of the Palestinian people to establish an independent country can no longer be evaded, and the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people cannot continue for generations without being corrected," the Chinese Foreign Minister concluded.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Major General Hossein Salami, said that the enemy is today bombing oppressed people who are besieged in a small square, deprived of water, food and weapons, and he is proud of it. This is conclusive evidence of the demise of the empire of America, Britain and the Zionist entity, and it only involves shame on them.
Major General Salami , who was speaking at the closing ceremony of the National Festival of the Country’s Achievements in the Martyr Bakri Camp in the city of Khorramshahr, added that the killing of women , children, innocents and defenseless people is nothing but disgrace and disgrace in the history of human life, and this means the moral, political, cultural, social and even military collapse of America.
He stressed that America believes that the peoples of the world do not know that it is the one that is adding fuel to the fire of crimes against the people of Gaza, and while American weapons are exterminating people, they are quick to throw food packages into the ground to escape the global hatred against them, and this matter is nothing but deception, deception, and a new shame for America. He continued that America is playing the main and first role in exterminating the Palestinian people, and the world knows this well.
The resistance front proved to be an integrated power following the Al-Aqsa Storm operation, although its capabilities have not been used to the maximum extent, IRGC Quds Force Commander Brigadier General Esmaeil Qaani said. Addressing a session of Iran’s Assembly of Experts in Tehran, General Qaani said the Al-Aqsa Storm operation against the Zionist regime indicated that it is impossible to ignore the resistance front.
Describing the resistance front as an integrated power, the commander said the front has massive capabilities, although it has not fully exploited its potential yet. He noted that the havoc on Gaza wreaked by the Israeli onslaught will be made up for, but the Zionist regime won’t be able to save face and repair its credit.
The Israeli regime’s sole achievement in the war on Gaza has been the massacre of around 40,000 people, most of whom were women and children, while the Palestinian forces have maintained their lands and dignity and have frustrated Israel, he added. “The resistance front, specifically the Hamas forces in the Al-Aqsa Storm operation, have taken up offensive position and have heroically inflicted fundamental challenges upon the Israeli army by relying on their faith and weapons,” the general stated.
The head of the Judiciary said: "If we are indifferent to the crimes committed by the Zionists in Gaza today, we will not be able to answer before God or before history." According to the social group of Tasnim news agency, Hojjatul-Islamwal-Muslimin Mohseni Ajei said this morning during a speech at the International Congress on the Occupation of Palestine from the point of view of international law and violations of humanitarian rights in Gaza: I consider it necessary to ask all the people, officials, institutions and countries that In the past months and weeks, they felt responsible and condemned the barbaric crimes of the Zionist usurper regime and their supporters, especially the United States, and expressed their support for the oppressed and doomed people of Gaza.
The Chief Justice stated: What is happening in today's world is truly instructive; The heinous crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza do not fit into any definition and concept of common and conventional concepts of international law, and it is necessary to invent a new definition and concept for this type of crimes and genocide.
Hojjat-ul-Islam Wal-Muslimeen Mohseni Ajei said: Today, the Zionists, under the full support of the American regime, are committing the worst kind of crimes against the people of Gaza, and if the country or countries want to take legal action against the crimes of the Zionists in the so-called international forums and organizations, with The Americans face a severe reaction.
The head of the Judiciary stated: Today, as a result of the barbaric crimes of the Zionist regime, there is nothing left of Gaza and the Zionists are massacring Palestinian people and children on a daily basis. Where are the human rights claimants who used to attack independent countries and destroy their infrastructures in the name of defending human rights.
Hojjat-ul-Islam wal-Muslimeen Mohseni Ajeei continued: The criminal Zionists dropped several tons of bombs and explosives in the small area of ??Gaza, and even hospitals, schools, mosques, and churches were not spared from the bombing of these victims. In such a way that from a day-old child to an old man and an old woman, they became victims of the Zionists' brutality.
The head of the judicial system stated: Without a doubt, the usurping and criminal Zionist regime is on the path of decline, and the decline of this temporary regime is certain; What is important here is to hold the Americans accountable, who have sent all kinds of aid, from weapons to money, to the Zionists.
Hojjat-ul-Islam wal-Muslimin Mohseni Ajei continued: Today, when the oppressed people of Gaza are under complete siege and even medicine, food, and first aid from the Red Crescent do not reach them, it is the Americans who have provided the logistics for the Zionists; When the Zionists, in complete cruelty and indescribable cruelty, bombard the gathering of hungry children waiting in line for food, it is the Americans who show them the green light.
The head of the judiciary stated: The American who wanted to be the leader of the global village and rule over the people of the world and dictate his so-called human rights rules to the people of the world, today is a full supporter of the barbaric crimes of the Zionists in Gaza. Crimes for which a name has not yet been defined in the tradition of jurists.
Hojjat-ul-Islam wal-Muslimeen Mohseni Ajeei clarified: Which free person and which Muslim can be indifferent to the painful cries and trembling of the children of Gaza? Which Muslim has heard the words of the Messenger of God (PBUH) and can calm down in the face of the oppression of the Zionist oppressors and the oppression of the people of Gaza.
The head of the judiciary said: The least that Islamic countries can do regarding the events in Palestine today is to completely cut off their relations and trade with the Zionists and file lawsuits and complaints against the Zionist regime in international forums and organizations and explain to the world. And they should take the initiative to narrate the crimes committed by the Zionists.
Hojjat-ul-Islam wal-Muslimin Mohseni Ajei said: Today, the duty of all of us and all lawyers in Islamic countries is heavier and heavier, and if we are indifferent to the crimes of the Zionists in Gaza today, we will not be able to answer before God or before history. We must make good use of the tools and mechanisms that global bullies such as the United States are abusing, and persistently and persistently initiate a lawsuit against the Zionists in international forums and carry out the necessary correspondence and explanations.
In a statement, the Hamas movement called on the masses of the Palestinian people throughout the West Bank, the city of Jerusalem, and the occupied interior to continue and intensify their visits and permanent ties to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. Hamas said in its statement that the month of Ramadan is the month of righteousness, charity, sacrifices and victories. We call on our nation to make its days and nights a field for supporting and supporting our people in the Gaza Strip , Jerusalem and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The movement called on all governments and institutions in our Arab and Islamic nation to make this holy month an opportunity to work seriously and exert pressure by all means to stop the aggression, to operate land, sea and air bridges, and to bring relief aid and field hospitals to all areas of the Gaza Strip, to prevent the continuation of the war of starvation and extermination against more than two million Palestinian people.
Below is the text of the statement:
"The blessed month of Ramadan comes this year to our Arab and Islamic nation, and a dear part of its one body in the Gaza Strip is exposed to unjust aggression and a genocidal war that has been going on for nearly six full months, the likes of which contemporary history has never witnessed, in light of international silence, inaction, and failure to stop and criminalize... This aggression, where more than two million Palestinian citizens became martyrs, wounded, orphans, missing persons, and detainees, their blood bleeding, their souls rising as martyrs, with the Zionist-American weapon, losing their loved ones and families, starving from hunger and thirst, and suffering from the lack of all components of human life, from food, medicine, water, and housing. They face this barbaric war, with pride and dignity, and with more patience, steadfastness, composure, and sacrifice, in a legendary epic, the title o
f which was (Al-Aqsa Flood), in defense of themselves, their land, and the dignity, honour, sanctity, and extremes of their nation. "We are in the Hamas movement , and we live with our people in all arenas of the homeland and abroad, their pain, their hopes, and their aspirations to seize their legitimate rights, defend their freedom, independence, and self-determination, and in the shadow of the approaching month of Ramadan, and with the continuation of this Nazi aggression against our people, for the 153rd day, And the escalation of murders, massacres, and genocide, and the pain of displacement, hunger, thirst, and disease. We affirm that the blessed month of Ramadan, the month of goodness, blessings, and benevolence, the month of solidarity, solidarity, and support among the people of the one Islamic nation, with the land of Palestine at its heart, is an opportunity to reinforce these lofty meanings, and to devote all factors Material and moral support in all its forms and manifestations for our people in the Gaza Strip.
"In our belief and certainty that the blessed month of Ramadan throughout history was an arena for competition in sacrifice, giving, and solidarity among the sons of the one Islamic nation. It was also a month of pride, dignity, and victories at many points, at Badr, the conquest of Mecca, Al-Qadisiyah, and Ain Jalut, and in light of the continuation of the Zionist aggression and the war of starvation and thirst against the sons of Ramadan. Our people in the Gaza Strip and their frantic war against Jerusalem and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, we affirm the following:
"First: We call on the masses of our Palestinian people throughout the West Bank, the city of Jerusalem, and the occupied interior to continue and intensify their efforts and permanent support to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, to rebuild it, and to commemorate the days and nights of the blessed Ramadan in its courtyards, affirming their Arab and Islamic identity, and rejecting any Zionist attempts to restrict movement in or to it. And confronting the plans of the occupation and its settlers towards Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa.
"Second: We call on all governments and institutions in our Arab and Islamic nation to make this holy month an opportunity to work seriously and exert pressure by all means to stop the aggression, to operate land, sea and air bridges, and to bring relief aid and field hospitals to all areas of the Gaza Strip, to prevent the continuation of the war of starvation and extermination against more than Two million Palestinians.
"Third: We call on scholars, imams and preachers in all countries of the Islamic world, to strive by all means to incite the spirit of defending the first qibla of Muslims and the journey of the faithful Messenger, and to convey the voice of the proud Gaza, the suffering of its people, their legitimate rights, the justice of their cause and the legitimacy of their resistance, and to mobilize the energies of the nation and motivate its members to give, give and give. All forms of support, advocacy and endorsement.
"Fourth: We call on the peoples of our Arab and Islamic nation and those of good conscience to intensify all forms of material, moral, humanitarian and charitable support, to heal the wounds of our people in the Gaza Strip, support the families, the sick and the wounded, and adopt charitable projects that support their steadfastness in the face of the Zionist aggression.
"Fifth: We renew our call to the masses of our Arab and Islamic nation and the free people in all the world to continue their mass movement and solidarity marches, in all fields and squares, and to escalate them throughout the blessed month of Ramadan, in support of our people in proud Gaza, in support of their valiant resistance, and in pride in their legendary steadfastness, and in exposing, rejecting and denouncing crimes. Starvation and genocidal war committed against children, women and civilians.
"Sixth: Let the first day of this blessed month be a renewed launch and a continuous escalation of all activities, marches, demonstrations and initiatives, boycotting the Zionist occupation, scandalizing its crimes, and the countries participating and supporting it, and pressing for an immediate cessation of this aggressive war, the entry of aid, the return of the displaced, reconstruction, and the achievement of the nation’s achievements. The honor of participating in the heroic Battle of Al-Aqsa Flood."
Deputy Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad movement in Palestine, Muhammad al-Hindi, said that even if the truce deal in Gaza passes, the war will not stop, especially in Rafah, in the south of the Strip. Muhammad al-Hindi stated that the current negotiations are negotiations between the American administration and the Israeli government, and there are no real negotiations with the resistance. He stated that it is ironic that America, which gives Israel weapons to kill innocent people, is also the one that delivers some crumbs of aid via planes.
The Deputy Secretary-General of the "Islamic Jihad" movement criticized the Arab regimes, saying that the Arab regime has proven that it is worthless and is either helpless and silent or complicit and sees resistance as a threat to its interests. He appealed to the Arabs to treat them as they treat Israel, whether at crossings or importing goods. He stressed that what protects the Palestinian people and the nation is the resistance that still dominates and controls the field after 150 days of massacres and bulldozing above and below the ground.
He stressed that the Israeli army, despite widespread Western support, was unable to free its prisoners. He stated in his statements that the insistence on moving forward by the southern Lebanese resistance reflects its vision that confronts America’s attempts to contain the resistance in the region.
Former Tunisian President Dr. Moncef Marzouki described the events of October 7 as a great victory for the resistance, as it brought back the issue after it had been kicked aside by the normalizers and those rushing to settle the issue. Al-Marzouqi said in a press statement: “ Today, in light of these events , the Palestinian issue is controlling the American elections in a detailed way for the first time, in an exceptional scene in American political life.”
He added: "Joe Biden played with fire. Because he was old, he did not know that there were new generations in America who sympathized with our people, in a strategic change in American policy towards the Israeli narrative that is no longer acceptable."
He continued: "We are proud of the resistance and we feel ashamed because the Arab peoples did not rise to the occasion, and we hope that the peoples will take action in the month of Ramadan and that the month will constitute an opportunity for a state of popular anger." Regarding the resistance’s demands, Al-Marzouqi stated that the resistance must remain steadfast in its demands, stressing that Netanyahu wants to get his soldiers and then return for revenge, and the war must end as a condition for ending the negotiations.
He stressed that the Palestinian people have the right to establish their state, and this contradicts the ambitions of Netanyahu and his extreme right. He added, "They want to destroy Gaza and starve it, but this is not possible after October 7." Al-Marzouqi explained that the United States no longer has the previous enthusiasm to venture with Netanyahu as time advances for the elections. He sent a message to Gaza, saying: “It is Stalin’s locusts of the Arabs, and just as Stalin defeated Nazism, Gaza will triumph over this Nazism and racism, and the peoples of the whole world care about liberating the Palestinian people and saving them from occupation .”
Al-Marzouqi expressed his pride in the performance of the resistance, pointing out that the Al-Aqsa Flood will be recorded as a heroic operation in history, and will remain engraved in the memory of generations. He renewed his refusal to accuse Hamas of terrorism, stressing that the Palestinian people defend their right to self-determination and their freedom from occupation.
Allied for Democracy
After 150 days of war, it is time for every Israeli to ask themselves honestly: Are we better off now than we were on October 6, 2023? Are we stronger or safer? Do we have greater deterrence? Are we more popular? Are we proud of ourselves? Are we more united? Are we better in any way? With these questions, the writer Gideon Levy began an article in which he tried to evaluate what Israel has gained from the current war so far. He went on to say that the unbelievable thing is that the answer to all of these questions is an unequivocal “no.”
The 150 days were harsh and difficult - as Levy says - and they did not produce anything in favor of Israel and will not benefit it in anything, neither in the short term nor in the long term. On the contrary, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas ) emerged stronger and became the champion of the Arab world. Without a doubt, no matter how thick it is.
What makes Levy surprised is that most Israelis, despite what happened, want an additional 150 days of the same situation, so there is no opposition to the war, after 5 months of death and destruction on an unprecedented scale, and after Israel became an outcast and hated all over the world, stained with blood and damaged. economically.
There is not a single area where the country is better off after these dark months. Israel is now much less safe than it was before the war, and faces the risk of regional escalation, global sanctions, and loss of American support. It is also less democratic, and the accumulated damage will remain after the withdrawal of its forces. From Gaza, as the writer sees it.
As for Israel's international standing - according to the writer - Tel Aviv has never been an outcast to this extent before, to the point that its guaranteed relations with the United States have deteriorated to a level it has never witnessed before, in addition to the fact that the death toll of soldiers is rising, and the detainees have not yet been released, Tens of thousands of Israelis have been internally displaced, half of the country has become a danger zone, the West Bank is threatened with explosion, and nothing can hide the deep hatred that Israel has succeeded in sowing in Gaza , the West Bank, and the Arab world, according to the writer.
What blindness is this, what is this state of moral dullness: “Let them starve and thirst, let them suffocate, let them die.” Even the left and the media have adopted this way of thinking, with their eyes covered, no one stops to ask where we are going? Although there is no improvement in sight as long as Israel stubbornly rejects every proposal for radical change, Israelis want more of the same, like a gambler who has lost all his money but is still convinced that one more bet will make him win the jackpot.
With 100 Palestinians being killed every day, the Israelis - according to the writer - seem convinced that the death of another 30,000 would turn Gaza into a paradise, or at least a safe place. The writer wonders, “What kind of blindness is this and what is this state of moral dullness?” He believes that even the left and the media have adopted a way of thinking: “Let them starve and thirst, let them suffocate, let them die,” with their eyes covered, no one stopping to ask where are we going?
An Israeli official told the Wall Street Journal that War Council Minister Benny Gantz was surprised during his visit - last Monday - to Washington by the extent of the distance between Israel and the White House regarding whether the ground military operation in Rafah, which is crowded with displaced people in the far south of Gaza, is feasible. While Washington believes that the Rafah operation is not implementable, Israel fears that a ceasefire and ending the war will allow Hamas to re-arm if the Israeli army does not launch an operation against it in Rafah, according to what the Israeli official told the newspaper.
The official confirmed that criticism and mistrust of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dominate the US administration as a result of Netanyahu’s failure to adhere to the guarantees he provided to the administration of US President Joe Biden , especially with regard to the humanitarian aspect and the introduction of aid to the residents of Gaza. Israel had threatened to begin its ground attack on Rafah on March 10 - that is, the beginning of Ramadan - if Hamas did not release the Israeli detainees, according to the newspaper.
The Qatari, Egyptian and American mediators in Cairo are trying to reach a truce between Hamas and Israel before the month of Ramadan, which usually witnesses tensions in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank , especially with the occupation imposing security restrictions that limit the access of worshipers to Al-Aqsa Mosque.
A senior US official said that US President Joe Biden will announce in his upcoming State of the Union address the establishment of a port in Gaza to deliver additional humanitarian aid, but it will not include the deployment of US forces in the Strip. The official said in a press conference: “Tonight, the president will announce that he is instructing the US military to lead an emergency mission to establish a port in the Mediterranean Sea on the coast of Gaza that can receive ships carrying food, water and medicine.” He pointed out that the mission does not mean deploying American forces in the Gaza Strip. The American official added that he does not know when the port will be opened.
Officials did not provide details on how the pier would be built, according to the Associated Press, but one said the US military has “unique capabilities” and can conduct missions “only from the sea.” A second official told AFP, "It is expected that it will be an operation that will not require the presence of forces on the ground."
Officials explained that the implementation of this large project “will require several weeks of planning and implementation,” and will include a sea corridor to bring aid from the island of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean. The officials said that the step would not include the deployment of American forces in the Palestinian Strip, but rather that American military personnel would remain at sea, with other allies participating in the implementation.
In turn, The Guardian newspaper quoted American officials as saying that American military engineers working from ships off the coast of Gaza will build the port and will not need to go to shore. The newspaper said that the aid will be shipped from the port of Larnaca in Cyprus, which will become the main relief center.
Israel welcomed the American plan, according to Reuters, citing an Israeli official who requested anonymity and said that his country “fully supports” the establishment of such a facility and will coordinate on developing the project with the United States. Administration officials told the Guardian that the Israelis would be able to conduct inspections of aid shipments in Larnaca.
An American official pointed out that the Israelis have been informed of the project and the United States will work with them on security requirements, while coordinating with “partners and allies,” the United Nations, and relief organizations working in Gaza. However, planning to build the port still faces many implementation challenges, specifically how to unload, secure and distribute aid, according to Politico newspaper.
The newspaper quoted four officials from the United States, Europe and the Middle East as saying that many elements are still under discussion. The newspaper added that small aid shipments will soon arrive by sea, but once a coordinated plan is in place, it will take 45 to 60 days before there is a regular rhythm for large aid packages being shipped across the Mediterranean.
The aid will initially flow through the port of Larnaca in Cyprus, located about 370 kilometers from Gaza. According to the newspaper, the Cypriot port is already equipped with high-tech inspection equipment that allows Israeli officials stationed in Cyprus to verify the content of shipments. It is unclear what role the other partners will play in establishing the port, according to Politico.
Among the difficulties that may arise in the future is the protection of aid shipments once they reach the Gaza coast, in addition to the issue of dealing with the crowds expected to gather to receive aid. Politico quotes American officials as saying that Israel has not yet agreed to a security crowd control mission, and that negotiations are continuing, including whether Israeli forces will also be responsible for clearing mines in aid gathering areas.
It points out that the most difficult part is the process of distributing aid throughout the Gaza Strip. It turns out that a multinational coalition will rely on the United Nations, NGOs and other groups to ensure that aid gets to the right places. Here another dilemma also arises, which is determining who will coordinate all these efforts.
The newspaper quotes a senior official in the Biden administration as saying, “The goal here is to find a way to achieve cooperation in each initiative individually.” It adds that it is not clear whether this responsibility will fall on one country or a group of countries. The official added that the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are holding talks with Cypriots about how to contribute to the sea corridor. The newspaper notes that officials from the Qatari and Emirati governments did not respond to a request for comment.
The Washington Post said that the administration of US President Joe Biden, which fears a new humanitarian catastrophe, is studying ways to prevent Israel from using American weapons if it attacks Rafah, which is crowded with refugees and residents. The American newspaper report pointed out that, “While President Biden and his senior advisors have not made any decision about imposing “conditions” on American weapons, officials are discussing this extreme step that shows the administration’s growing concern about the crisis in Gaza, and its sharp disagreement with Israeli leaders over the attack on Rafah.”
According to the report, “The Biden administration fears that the Rafah plan is immature and will exacerbate the catastrophic situation in Gaza without ending the war. Administration officials say they have not seen any clear plan for how to protect more than a million Palestinians who have been pushed towards the Rafah area along the border.” "In this context, both Vice President Kamala Harris and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan questioned the Israeli plan to attack Rafah in separate meetings on Monday with Benny Gantz, a member of the Israeli Defense Cabinet who was visiting Washington."
The newspaper considered in its report that “any restrictions on American arms supplies to Israel would represent a sharp rupture in the relationship and cause a political uproar,” noting that “there was a similar situation in 1975 when President Gerald Ford and his Secretary of State Henry Kissinger decided to “reevaluate the situation.” "US-Israeli relations and the proposal to reduce military aid to pressure Israel to agree to a deal to withdraw forces from Sinai after the 1973 war, as Ford and Kissinger insisted on their position, which ultimately prompted Israel to make concessions, and the conflict was resolved after several months."
The Washington Post pointed out that “the growing tension between Netanyahu and Biden lies in the fact that the latter feels that Israel did not listen to American warnings and advice, and that the American-Israeli relationship was a one-way street. The administration feels that it supports Israeli interests, at a great political cost.” At home and abroad, while Netanyahu does not respond to American requests.” The newspaper concluded its report by noting that "breaking the relationship and supplying weapons was once out of the question, but with the decline of American patience, it seems that administration officials have begun to consider this matter."
The Israeli Walla website quoted four American officials as saying that Washington does not intend at this stage to impose restrictions on military aid to Israel and that it is interested in obtaining a “complete and accurate picture” of this aid. American officials said that the White House recently asked the Departments of State and Defense to provide it with a list that includes all the weapons it plans to transfer to Israel and is expected to approve in the coming weeks.
The officials themselves indicated that the White House's request came against the backdrop of mounting pressure on the administration of US President Joe Biden from Democratic members of Congress, as well as from public opinion, in everything related to providing American weapons to Israel for the latter to use in its war on Gaza. They added that the White House request does not indicate that the Biden administration will delay or suspend the transfer of weapons to Israel in the near future.
One American official said that another reason for the White House's request relates to a list of weapons that Israel submitted to the administration, which included the types of weapons that are the Israeli army's top priorities, and that the administration wants to examine the differences between the previous and current lists.
According to Walla, an informed source indicated that the White House request is a routine request and that such a step has been taken in everything related to US military aid to Ukraine. The source added that this is the first time since the beginning of the war on Gaza that the White House has requested such a list from the Ministries of State and Defense, in order to see the picture of the situation regarding security export permits to Israel, before approving them, as well as regarding the weapons that are about to be transferred to Israel.
Pressure from members of Congress from the Democratic Party has increased recently, demanding that US military aid be used as a pressure tool on Israel to change the form of its war on Gaza and allow for an increase in humanitarian aid to the Strip. More than 35 Democratic members of Congress sent a letter to Biden several days ago, warning him that an Israeli invasion of Rafah would violate the rules recently set by Biden, through which he claimed that American weapons were being used without violating international law.
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen said on Wednesday that the Biden administration should suspend all arms shipments to Israel as long as it does not provide a written pledge regarding everything related to the use of American weapons. He added that he spoke with a number of members of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee about the possibility of stopping arms deals if Israel does not adhere to American rules.
Axios revealed a week ago that the Biden administration gave Israel until mid-March to sign a letter of commitment to international law regarding the use of American weapons and allow aid to enter Gaza. In turn, the Washington Post newspaper said that the Biden administration, which fears a new humanitarian catastrophe, is studying ways to prevent Israel from using American weapons if it attacks Rafah, which is crowded with refugees and residents.
The Washington Post revealed that the United States of America has approved more than 100 arms sales deals to Israel and handed them over to it since the beginning of its devastating war on the Gaza Strip on October 7 last year. The American newspaper confirmed that the sales included thousands of guided munitions, bunker-busting missiles, and other lethal aid. The newspaper also pointed out that only two military sales to Israel have been announced since the beginning of the war on October 7th.
The Washington Post quoted American officials and lawmakers as saying that arms sales and transfers were dealt with by executive orders by the US administration without public discussion. They added that President Joe Biden's administration approved small, fragmented sales within the permissible financial ceiling that does not require congressional approval. The newspaper also reported that US administration officials recently provided a secret briefing to members of Congress about undeclared arms sales to Israel.
Washington is committed to Israel's security, and this has been clearly demonstrated in full military support since the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7th and the subsequent devastating Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, supported by massive security aid to Israel, including a 10-year memorandum of understanding worth $38 billion. (3.8 billion annually), which was concluded in 2016. In line with that memorandum of understanding, Washington provides $3.3 billion annually in the form of military financing and an additional $500 million in missile defense financing.
Missile defense funding supports several cooperative missile defense programs, and since 2022, Washington has been providing an additional $1 billion in supplemental funding to replenish Israel's stockpile of Iron Dome interceptor missiles. As of 2020, the United States has provided Israel with $146 billion in military aid (excluding inflation, according to Congressional Research Service data), and some experts estimate the total value of aid after adjusting for inflation to reach $236 billion.
Israel is the largest recipient of American foreign aid since World War II , and according to official American indicators, the total aid provided by the United States to Israel between 1946 and 2023 amounted to about 158.6 billion dollars. According to data from the US Agency for International Development, the volume of aid is much larger than what was stated in official estimates, as the total US aid committed to Israel in the same period reached about 260 billion dollars.
Most of the American aid to Israel goes to the military sector. The volume of American military aid to Israel between 1946 and 2023, according to official American estimates, amounted to about $114.4 billion, in addition to about $9.9 billion for missile defense. A free trade agreement between the United States and Israel has been in place since 1985. It was the first free trade agreement the United States ever entered into, and the free trade agreement between the two countries is still in effect.
A poll conducted by Gallup revealed that Americans' opinions toward both Israel and the Palestinian Authority have worsened over the past year amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip since last fall. The poll showed that the percentage of Americans who view Israel positively fell to 58%, compared to 68% in a poll last fall, which is the lowest positive rating for Israel in more than two decades. At the same time, the percentage of those who view the Palestinian Authority positively declined from 26% to 18%, which is the lowest since 2015.
Gallup noted that Americans have always been more positive toward Israel than their attitude toward the Palestinians, and since 1989 the average positive view of American respondents toward Israel has been 65%, and the lowest rate was in 1989 at 45%. In contrast, an average of 19% of Americans view PA favorably since Gallup's first measure in 2000. The highest rating was 30% in 2021. Opinions were higher than historical averages from 2017 through this year.
Support for Israel among people aged 18 to 34 years has declined from 64% in 2023 to 38%. As for adults aged 35 to 54 years, it decreased from 66% to 55%, while there was no significant change among adults aged 55 years and above. Young people's and older people's evaluations of the Palestinian Authority did not change much in the past year, but they were not very positive at first.
There was a sharp decline in favorability rates among people aged 35 to 54, from 30% to 15%. In the midst of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, 52% of Americans believe that the conflict represents a serious threat to the vital interests of the United States.
Operation Iron Swords - By the Numbers
- 72,289 Gazans injured
- 40,000 Gazans killed, including buried under rubble
- 33,000 Gaza targets attacked
- 30,800 Gazans martyred
- 15,000 rocket launched from Gaza
- 14,492 Israelis were injured [i24 TV]
- 13,430 Gazan children martyred
- 13,000 HAMAS combatants killed [N12]
- 12,000 HAMAS combatants killed [IDF]
- 11,000 arrested by Israelis in the West Bank in 2023
- 9,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons
- 9,000 IDF psychological assistance
- 9,000 Gazan women martyred
- 8,000 Gazans missing
- 7,335 arrested by Israelis in the West Bank since Oct.7th
- 6,000 HAMAS combatants killed [HAMAS]
- 5,500 IDF wounded [reports]
- 4,658 West Bank Palestinians wounded
- 3,484 administrative detainees
- 3,400 wanted persons arrested throughout Judea and Samaria
- 2,976 IDF wounded [IDF]
- 1,609 terrorists killed on the first day
- 1,500 wanted persons arrested throughout Judea and Samaria affiliated with Hamas
- 1,200 Israelis killed on the first day
- 575 Israeli officers and soldiers killed
- 431 West Bank Palestinians martyred
- 246 Israeli officers and soldiers killed in Gaza
- 202 Hezbollah fighters were killed in Lebanon
- 126 people recovered, including 91 Israelis, 11 bodies, and 24 foreign workers
- 116 living hostages in Palestinian custody
- 50 civilians killed in Lebanon
- 29 IDF deaths were caused by "friendly fire"
- 15 Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel
Many of these numbers fluctate, up and down, with no apparent explanation.
The Palestinian resistance says that the losses of the Israeli forces are much greater than what is announced. Al Jazeera military and strategic expert Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi expressed his conviction that the numbers of dead and wounded announced by Israel “cannot represent the truth,” due to a discrepancy between the Israeli army’s data and the Walla website, which is close to the army itself.
In an interview with RT, Military strategist retired Tunisian Brigadier General Tawfiq Didi said that the number of Israeli army deaths in the Gaza battles is much greater than what Israel announces. Didi explained in an interview with the “Best Saying” program on RT channel, “The number of people killed in battles can be easily known, as the equation in wars is that for every 3 wounded there is a dead person, and the numbers now in Israel hover around 12,500 wounded and disabled people, and when we divide by Three, we find that the death toll exceeds 4,000, especially after eliminating more than a thousand tanks and armored vehicles, and I know what happens when Kornet missiles hit a tank. Its ammunition explodes and no one is left alive.”
He added, "The Israelis announce their dead only of those of Jewish origin and of the first race, meaning all Arabs, Falash, and those who are among them. They are not counted because they are of the second category. So I am sure that the number exceeds 4 thousand dead, and this is a very easy military calculation."
He pointed out, "The Palestinian resistance documented everything it did, unlike the Israelis. The resistance documented shooting at tanks and armored vehicles and destroying the houses in which the Israeli soldiers were holed up, and we saw them being killed... We saw the Kornet hitting the tanks, we saw Al-Yassin 105, so the difference is clear."
Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed have been held as hostages in Gaza since 2014 and 2015, respectively. Unlike the roughly 240 people kidnapped in the Hamas October 7 terrorist attacks, the campaign for the release of Mengistu and al-Sayed has received little publicity. Mengistu is known to suffer from what HRW deemed "serious" mental health issues. "Avera crossed one of the safest borders in the world, under the eyes of the security services," recalled Gil Elias, a relative. "We're talking about a mentally ill person who got lost." The calls for the release of Mengistu and al-Sayed have been barely audible during the many years they have been held captive in Gaza.
Lord Roberts of Belgravia (Con) stated 08 February 2024 "My Lords, even if we were to take as accurate Hamas’s statistics and the 27,500 figure — there is no reason why we should; we do not do that with Putin or ISIS — if one subtracts the number of Gazans who have been killed by the quarter or so of the Islamic Jihad and Hamas rockets that fall short, one is left with a less than 2:1 ratio of civilians to Hamas terrorists killed, of whom there have been more than 9,000 so far. War is hell, and every individual civilian death is a tragedy, but — I speak as a military historian — less than 2:1 is an astonishingly low ratio for modern urban warfare where the terrorists routinely use civilians as human shields. It is a testament to the professionalism, ethics and values of the Israel Defense Forces."
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