Operation Iron Swords - Day 155 - 09 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 |
According to Israeli media, the fears of the Israeli security authorities regarding the upcoming Ramadan season in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem are rising, amid warnings from the Israelis that Hamas may exploit the most important time for Muslims as an opportunity to ignite the scene. The biblical holidays for the Jews this year intersect with the second week of Ramadan, which may open the door to a new battle in Al-Aqsa Mosque.
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.
Hamas has said there would be no compromise on the Palestinian group's demand that Israel withdraw from Gaza to secure the release of hostages seized in the October 7 attack. "Our top priority to reach a prisoner exchange deal is the complete commitment for the halt of aggression and an enemy withdrawal, and there is no compromise on this," Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, said in a televised statement. The statement came as hopes dimmed for a new truce in the five-month-old Israeli war on Gaza triggered by Hamas's unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7. Mediators had been scrambling to lock in a truce before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is set to begin as early as Sunday depending on the lunar calendar.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it remained up to Hamas to accept a ceasefire with Israel, as hopes dimmed for a new truce in the five-month-old war. "The issue is Hamas," Blinken said, a day after President Joe Biden called in his State of the Union address for an "immediate" six-week truce that would allow humanitarian aid into war-ravaged Gaza and free hostages. "The ball is in their court. We're working intensely on it," Blinken said as he met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. "But there's no doubt in my mind that getting to this ceasefire with the release of hostages would be a profound benefit to everyone involved."
The Lebanese psychologist and thinker, Dr. Mustafa Hijazi, said that one of the manifestations of the Al-Aqsa Flood is that it overturned the equations, changed the rules of the game, and demonstrated the Palestinian right to exist through the amazing achievements of the resistance. Dr. Mustafa Hijazi is a Lebanese academic and thinker. He holds a doctorate in psychology from the University of Lyon in France. He worked as a university professor in a number of Arab universities and an expert for many Lebanese, Gulf and international organizations.
Hijazi is distinguished by his abundance of field research that seeks to provide treatments for many segments of society. He also has many books, some of which have been published in 17 editions. Among his most important books are: “Social Backwardness: An Introduction to the Psychology of the Oppressed Man,” and “The Wasted Man: An Analytical Psycho-Social Study.” “Gulf Youth and the Future: A Psycho-Social Analytical Study,” “Psychology and Globalization: Future Visions in Education and Development,” “The Culture of the Arab Child between Westernization and Authenticity,” and “A Dictionary of Psychoanalytic Terms,”
He pointed out that the movements that turned into negotiating paths have no end and no fruits, as happened to the West Bank after the Oslo Accords. It is a type of illusion about the establishment of a state and entity, as only 20% of the West Bank remains. He added that the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation opened our eyes to the path of true liberation of the Palestinian issue in particular and the issue of Arab independence in general, explaining that this operation astonished those near and far in its strength of planning, its excellence in the revolution, and its innovations in implementation to restore the right to life and existence, and “oppression and waste remain fleeting, no matter how long it takes.” The resistance in Gaza provides the most eloquent lessons in this regard.”
Hijazi said "Peoples may be colonized or subjugated by external forces or internal tyranny, but they are not defeated. It is enough for it to have the leadership capable of leading the battle for its liberation in order for it to rise up and surprise everyone with its revolution to regain its dignity and its right to existence and existence. Outward manifestations of oppression and waste never achieve inner self-reliance.
"The life energies of peoples and their right to exist remain dormant and boiling inside until they have leadership that believes in their rights and knows how to lead the masses in their revolution, and the Al-Aqsa flood constitutes a highly indicative example of this, as it astonished the near before the distant in the power of planning and excellence in the revolution and creativity in implementation to restore the right. In life, existence, and occupying a rightful place, oppression and waste remain fleeting no matter how long it takes, and the progress of the resistance in Gaza is the most eloquent lesson in that.
"The Palestinian people presented heroic examples that made some Western peoples scramble to know the secret of the steadfastness and steadfastness of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Did Arab social scientists and others make a mistake in understanding the Arab human being in general and the Palestinian human being in particular?
"Indeed, the heroics of the resistance astonished not only the West, but also the Arab world and the peoples of the Third World. There is no secret or wonder in the steadfastness of the resistance in Gaza, but rather just the convergence of the capable leadership and latent life energies that does what amazes and what is unthinkable. The ostensible reading of peoples' submissiveness is wrong and misleading. Arab sociologists and others touch the surface of the Palestinian reality and they and intellectuals engage in studying Western thought, its issues and theses as if they were universal scientific certainty, even though this thought was developed to understand the reality of Western man.
"As for Arab sociologists and others, they do not study the Palestinian people from within in order to discover their latent living powers. They touch the surface of reality and engage, along with intellectuals, in studying Western thought, its issues, and its theses, as if it were universal scientific certainty, even though this thought was developed to understand the reality of Western man, and it was absent. They are aware that they need cognitive tools and approaches specific to our Arab and Palestinian people, which they have not done until now, and the Al-Aqsa flood comes to surprise them and reveal to them what they had overlooked.
"The Palestinian liberation struggle - like the struggles of oppressed peoples - was exposed to external colonialism and internal tyranny, and is still heading towards a state of siege, belittlement and various accusations of terrorism, leading to the portrayal of the Zionist project as having the right to a secure existence, especially because of this project’s control over the Western media over the past few years. Their differences, and preventing the emergence of any voice that does not support their doctrine, can be achieved through various means.
"One of the manifestations of the Al-Aqsa flood is that it overturned the equations, changed the rules of the game, and demonstrated the Palestinian right to exist through the amazing achievements of the resistance in some of its manifestations. It is natural for the Western youth generation to be affected by this, given its desire in turn to rebel against the system of life of triviality, consumption, subconsciousness, and non-issue.
"The Al-Aqsa flood sparked in the hearts of the Western youth generation the longing for a meaningful life, and the search for a major issue that would fill their lives, and from here came their demonstrations in support of the right to life and existence for the Palestinian people.
"The West achieved revolutions for the sake of what it called human prosperity and development, but today it sees the people of the Arab region in general and the Palestinians in particular as “human animals.” How do you explain this Western contradiction to us?
"The West accomplished its civilizational shift through the Industrial Revolution and the accompanying revolutions of five components: scientific, intellectual, educational, political, and the restoration of the influence and intervention of the Church in public affairs. These are the components of modernity that he praises and tries to export to the peoples of the Third World in order to civilize them, according to his claim, even though his project is merely colonialism and exploitation of the natural resources of these peoples.
"We are faced with a racism that is superior to those who have not yet reached the level of human beings, and through this racism the West gives itself the right to colonize and exploit peoples under the claim of civilizing them and under the claim that exploiting them is part of its duty to advance them. "The West, and the white race in particular, considers it superior and that it must civilize backward peoples. He claimed this right for himself because he considered these peoples as sub-humans as a justification for exploiting them under the pretext of civilizing them. There is no contradiction. Rather, we are dealing with mere racism that is superior to those who have not yet reached the level of human beings. Through this racism, the West gives itself the right to colonize and exploit peoples under the claim of civilizing them and under the claim that exploiting them is part of its duty to advance them.
"This question was answered in the answer to the previous question. It is the racism of the Western white race, which claims for itself the right to civilize other peoples by plundering their wealth. Western intellectuals, or the largest number of them in any case, play the role of advisor to Western political circles on how to tighten control over peoples. Which they colonize, including the Arab and Palestinian people.
"The Israeli occupation works with religious fanaticism and extreme right-wing ideology to achieve its dream of controlling Palestine and its neighbourhood. Can independence be achieved for the Palestinian people without Palestinian patriotism and without a clear reference or ideology?
"The rape of Palestine by the Zionist movement is actually based on a racist ideology supported by mythical claims about the Promised Land, and it considers the Palestinians to be non-human beings from whom the land of Palestine must be cleansed. Therefore, the Zionist settlement permits itself all the massacres it commits against the Palestinians, and even the West Bank is considered a Promised Land, and therefore it implants... It contains settlement outposts that are in fact cancerous outposts that are devouring the land of the West Bank.
"As for the Palestinian resistance, it is a liberation movement like all liberation movements in the world, based on the right to land and a homeland, and it is not necessary for it to be based on an ideology of any kind other than the firm belief in existence, identity, and land. The movements that turned into endless negotiating paths with no fruits, as happened to the West Bank after the Oslo Accords, are the type of illusions about the establishment of a state and an entity, as only 20% of the West Bank remains.
"The Al-Aqsa flood opened our eyes to the path of true liberation of the Palestinian issue and the issue of Arab independence in general. As for the movements that turned into negotiating paths that have no end and have no fruits, as happened to the West Bank after the Oslo Accords, they are of the type of illusions about the establishment of a state and an entity, and the evidence of this is the change in the negotiating path. To a downward path towards the land and the entity, as only 20% of the West Bank remains with the negotiators competing to conclude peace agreements and be satisfied with a state and a formal presidency, and even this has not been abandoned or accepted by the Zionist movement, as it is practicing the process of gnawing and demolishing such that there will be nothing left of the Palestinian state. Except the name. Homelands are seized and built through a true national liberation struggle, not by negotiation from a position of weakness. This is the lesson that actual liberation movements have taught us."
Israel is constructing a new road and security zone all along the broder wtih 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. On 8 March, the Spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, Jeremy Laurence, warned: “Any ground assault on Rafah would incur massive loss of life and would heighten the risk of further atrocity crimes. This must not be allowed to happen. We also fear that further Israeli restrictions on access by Palestinians to East Jerusalem and Al Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan could further inflame tensions.”
The Al -Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) - announced that an Israeli force consisting of more than 20 soldiers was ambushed, after detonating anti-personnel explosive devices - Wednesday - in an apartment in Hamad Town, west of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
In turn, the Al- Quds Brigades - the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement - announced that its fighters carried out an engineering ambush with a convoy of Israeli military vehicles penetrating the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, east of Gaza City.
In this context, the military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, says that the periphery areas cause great inconvenience to the occupation army, such as the Al-Zaytoun and Sheikh Ajlin neighborhoods, and the areas of Juhr Al-Dik, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahia. During his analysis, Al-Duwairi explained that these areas are mostly agricultural, open, or contain buildings far apart, and therefore have a lower population density, while they contain a more effective and complex combat tunnel network, as they have multiple tunnel openings - which are not visible - and are used effectively to cause harm.
He pointed out that resistance operations begin in these areas late after they are overtaken by the occupation army, and are described as a thorn in its side. The military expert suggested that infiltration operations were carried out by Al-Qassam fighters under the cover of darkness to booby-trap an apartment in Hamad Town, which was besieged by the occupation forces from 4 sides, while Al-Saraya fighters succeeded in planting landmines and side gaskets before detonating them in the military convoy in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood.
As for the occupation leaders continuing to emphasize the continuation of the war against Hamas, the strategic expert saw that eliminating the movement and its military wing is out of the question, and there is no point in military pressure to release the prisoners detained in Gaza, and the only way to do that is an exchange deal. He added that there is no military achievement presented by Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy to the War Council, pointing out that all he accomplished was destruction, displacement and starvation in the civilian dimension of Gaza, while the damage to the resistance did not affect its field fighting and its defensive battle.
U.S. Central Command forces conducted their fourth airdrop of critically needed meals into Gaza. A U.S. Air Force C-130 delivered 11,500 meals today, bringing the total meals airdropped by the U.S. to over 124,000 to date. These humanitarian airdrops contribute to ongoing U.S. government efforts to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza, and are part of a sustained effort to get more aid into Gaza. Of note, press reports that U.S. airdrops resulted in civilian casualties on the ground are false, as DoD confirmed that all eight bundles landed safely on the ground.
The Department of Defense will undertake an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier on the coast of Gaza to deliver up to 2,000,000 humanitarian aid meals per-day, the Pentagon announced today. The announcement comes less than a day after the State of the Union address, when President Joe Biden called on the military to lead such an operation.
The mission, which will be under the command of U.S. Central Command and conducted by the 7thTransportation Brigade from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, and other forces, will deploy DOD's Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore capability, or JLOTS, with a goal of beginning delivery operations in approximately 60 days.
The components of the JLOTS include a floating pier, an approximately 1,800-foot-long causeway that will be attached to the shore, and a group of logistic support vessels and barges that will transport the aid from the pier to the causeway. Once the aid has reached the two-lane causeway, it can be transported to the land and distributed to Gaza, according to Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, who explained the planned JLOTS mission to the media during today's briefing.
"This is part of a full-court press by the United States to not only focus on working on opening up and expanding routes via land, which are the optimal way to get aid into Gaza, but also by conducting air drops," said Ryder, in reference to the more than 100,000 meals that have been dropped into Gaza by the U.S. and Jordan during the past week.
"As the president has said, not enough aid is getting in [to Gaza]," Ryder continued, "so [JLOTS] is a capability... that we are going to execute and enable us to get... up to 2,000,000 meals in a day." Ryder stressed that, just as now, there will be no U.S. boots on the ground when the JLOTS mission begins.
"The ability to do this without putting forces on ground is due to the fact that the causeway is essentially modular, built at sea, and then driven into the ground from offshore," Ryder stated. "We'll be working with partners in the region to be on the receiving end of [the JLOTS installation], but at no time will we require U.S. forces to actually go on the ground. Our role will be essentially to provide the service of getting [the aid] to the causeway, at which point it will then be distributed."
Cyprus was one possible location where aid could be loaded onto commercial vessels for transport to the floating pier off Gaza. In terms of security for JLOTS and who will provide it, Ryder said DOD is currently working with partners in the region, including Israel, to make that determination. "Certainly, one of the key things that we're going to be focused on is the security of our personnel and working with partners in the region to ensure that the aid that is delivered can be distributed in a safe and secure way," Ryder said.
The 60-day timeline for JLOTS to become operational off Gaza includes the time it will take to transport some of the JLOTS components from Virginia to the Middle East, Ryder said. JLOTS capabilities have been deployed by DOD in many countries and regions in need of humanitarian aid and disaster relief over the years, with the most recent deployment being in support of Exercise Talisman Sabre, a large-scale joint defense exercise between Australia and the United States.
The Pentagon confirmed that it is preparing to establish a temporary port in order to deliver aid by sea to the besieged Gaza Strip, and stated that the process “will take several weeks.” A Pentagon spokesman said in a briefing to reporters: “We are in the process of identifying the sources and forces that will be deployed,” adding that “planning and implementation will take several weeks.” He added that the United States ultimately aims to provide two million meals to the citizens of Gaza daily, according to what Reuters reported.
The spokesman stressed that “working on the details with partners will include Israel when dealing with the security aspect” and that the United States will continue to coordinate with partner countries regarding the temporary Gaza port. The spokesman suggested that 100 American soldiers would be allocated for this purpose, but stressed that "there will be no American forces on the ground in the Gaza Strip."
For his part, US President Joe Biden said that Israel would provide security for the temporary port, which he had announced in his State of the Union address on Thursday. The US President added that Benjamin Netanyahu should allow more aid to enter Gaza, after he was heard saying via an open microphone that he would have a frank discussion with the Israeli Prime Minister about the war in the Strip. In response to a question from journalists about whether Netanyahu should make more efforts to allow humanitarian aid to enter following its suspension, Biden said: “Yes, he should.”
Biden's plan comes as part of attempts to contain the threat of famine in the Gaza Strip, five months after the Israeli military campaign against Hamas, which resulted in the destruction of the small Strip and pushed its population of 2.3 million people into a humanitarian disaster.
Britain will join the US and other international partners to open a maritime corridor to "deliver aid directly to Gaza," the foreign secretary announced. "Alongside the US, the UK and partners have announced we will open a maritime corridor to deliver aid directly to Gaza," said David Cameron, stressing that the two million people in the besieged Palestinian enclave are in "desperate humanitarian need." US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the US is working to open up a maritime corridor to deliver humanitarian aid to the enclave, and President Joe Biden later said they would set up a floating pier off the coast of the enclave.
A ship will head to Gaza carrying humanitarian aid, the European Commission president said, as international donors launch a sea corridor to supply the territory, which faces widespread hunger and shortages of other essential supplies after nearly five months of war. A ship belonging to Spain’s Open Arms will make a pilot voyage to test the sea corridor, Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in Greek-administered Southern Cyprus, where she's inspecting preparations for the sea corridor. It’s been waiting at Greek-administered Southern Cyprus's port of Larnaca for permission to deliver food aid from World Central Kitchen, a US charity founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres.
UN humanitarian officials said that in February half of the 224 missions they planned for delivering aid to areas in Gaza where coordination with Israeli authorities is required got it and succeeded — and half did not. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that the UN paused operations in north Gaza following Israeli naval fire that hit a UN-coordinated food convoy heading there on February 5. As a result, he said, only 24 UN aid missions to the besieged north were planned in February — and just six were facilitated by Israeli authorities. By contrast, Dujarric said, of the 200 UN missions planned for areas south of Wadi Gaza where access required coordination, 105 were facilitated by Israeli authorities.
Video footage circulating on social media purports to show the packages falling on people who were gathered to receive aid in Gaza City. The parachutes on some of the packages didn’t open, and on the rest the parachutes failed to deploy properly. Palestinian media said that at least five people were killed when hit directly by the packages, while many more were wounded.
"The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire, with innocent Palestinian families and children desperate for basic necessities. That is why today, the European Commission, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, the Republic of Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States announce our intent to open a maritime corridor to deliver much-needed additional amounts of humanitarian assistance by sea.
"Cyprus’ leadership in establishing the Amalthea Initiative—which outlines a mechanism for securely shipping aid from Cyprus to Gaza via sea—was integral to enabling this joint effort to launch a maritime corridor. Together, our nations intend to build on this model to deliver significant additional aid by sea, working in coordination with UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag — who is charged with facilitating, coordinating, monitoring, and verifying the flow of aid into Gaza under UN Security Council Resolution 2720. The dedicated efforts of the UAE to mobilize support for the Initiative will result in the initial shipment of food by sea to the people of Gaza."
A European official expected the start of operation of the sea aid corridor to the Gaza Strip next week, following US President Joe Biden's announcement that he had ordered the army to begin implementing this project, which Israel had approved. This step raised a number of questions that prompted some observers to consider it a step in favor of Israel.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that she expects a sea aid corridor to begin operating between Cyprus and the Gaza Strip at the beginning of next week to deliver the aid that the Palestinians in the Strip desperately need. She added that the first food aid through this corridor may leave Cyprus today, Friday, from the port of Larnaca, in an experiment.
US President Joe Biden said - in his State of the Union address - that he assigned the US army an emergency mission to establish a pier on the Gaza coast with the aim of delivering large quantities of humanitarian aid. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron also announced that his country would cooperate with the United States to open a sea corridor to deliver aid directly to Gaza. He added: "Along with the United States, Britain and its partners announce the opening of a sea corridor to deliver aid directly to Gaza."
Israel was not far from these arrangements, as the Israeli media quoted a senior Israeli official whose name was not revealed as saying that Tel Aviv supports the establishment of a temporary floating dock to bring humanitarian relief aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip, like the one Biden spoke about. According to this official, this initiative was discussed between Israel and the United States in the past and they agreed to coordinate its implementation.
The Jordanian expert in military and strategic affairs, Hisham Khreisat, explained that the idea of establishing such a port was proposed 10 years ago, but it did not see the light due to Israeli rejection at the time, and the issue was re-presented in conjunction with the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip , as it was presented by Foreign Minister Israel Katz and he reached an agreement. Agreement and blessing from Cyprus and Greece on this step.
Khreisat pointed out that the initial cost of the project is estimated at $35 million, which will be paid by the United States, and the draft depth of the ships at the pier will not be less than 17 meters, to accommodate all aid ships. He stated that the area of the port will be 6 square kilometers because it will include floating hospitals that treat about 2.3 million Palestinian civilians in Gaza, in addition to floating shelter homes on ships alongside the hospitals.
Khreisat explained that a port in Cyprus will be allocated, paid for by the United States, so that the ships will reach the port location on the shore of the city of Khan Yunis on the coast of Gaza, noting that the distance from the port of Cyprus to the American port in Gaza is estimated at 387 kilometers. He pointed out that the ships will first go to the Israeli port of Ashdod to be audited and examined and then sent under the control of the Israeli Navy and marches to the Gaza Strip.
Expert Khreisat points out that despite the “humanitarian aspect” of what Biden announced and the delivery of relief aid to the Gaza Strip and the establishment of floating hospitals to treat the war-wounded, there is another aspect of the floating port related to encouraging voluntary Palestinian migration to Europe, and canceling any role for the Rafah land crossing on the border with Egypt.
He considered that "the floating dock on the shores of Gaza appears to be aid, but in reality is voluntary migration to Europe." Khreisat pointed out that establishing such a port would certainly put the Rafah crossing out of service because Israel does not trust it and considers it the main entrance for the weapons of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ). He also indicated that Biden is very concerned about what will result from the Israeli army’s invasion of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, and about not ending the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, which will be reflected in the outcome of the elections in the United States, so he will accelerate the construction of the port.
The Rafah crossing is considered the only outlet for Gaza with the outside world, especially with regard to the issue of humanitarian aid entering it during this war in which Israel restricted the entry of aid into the Strip, which threatens the occurrence of famine, especially in the northern regions. The movement of individuals and goods to and from the Gaza Strip took place through 6 crossings: Beit Hanoun (Erez), Karni, Nahal Oz, Kerem Shalom, and Sufa, in addition to the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt.
After the siege imposed by Israel on Gaza since 2007, all crossings were closed except for the Rafah and Beit Hanoun crossings, which were designated for the movement of individuals, and the Kerem Shalom crossing, which was designated for the transport of goods. The American announcement, Britain's rush to join, and Israel's blessing for these steps did not succeed in stopping calls to reopen the Gaza Strip crossings. Spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Jeremy Lawrence, called for an immediate end to the conflict in Gaza and an end to the killing and destruction.
The UN official called for the full opening of the border crossings and that the necessary steps be taken to ensure the free and safe movement of aid convoys to civilians wherever they are. The spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that any ground attack on Rafah would lead to heavy loss of life and increase the risk of more brutal crimes.
Biden's plan comes amid international warnings of the spread of famine in Gaza, which has a population of about 2,300,000, 5 months after the Israeli war that destroyed the Strip and caused a humanitarian catastrophe. The United Nations has warned that Gaza faces the risk of famine, citing "enormous obstacles" to the delivery and distribution of relief supplies across the Strip. Relief agencies called on Israel to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and to allow safe passage of relief convoys into the Strip.
At the same time, Biden is under pressure from the Democratic Party to pressure Israel to do more to allow relief supplies in. Israel said that there is no maximum limit on the amount of humanitarian aid provided to civilians in Gaza, and justified the slow delivery of the United Nations' inability to distribute. Most of the aid was coming by land through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, and since last December, through the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, but the pace of its entry is still very slow.
The United Nations complained of several obstacles it faces in entering and distributing supplies, including the closure of crossings, restrictions on movement and communications, arduous inspection procedures, disturbances, destroyed roads, and unexploded ordnance. Some countries, including the United States and Jordan, have begun airdrops of aid, although relief agencies say that airdrops provide much smaller quantities than what can be delivered by truck by land. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the operation of a sea corridor to transport much-needed aid to the besieged Gaza Strip from Cyprus could begin early next week.
The US Army will build the pier off the coast of Gaza. American media quoted an official as saying that the pier will be connected to the mainland via a temporary bridge. The aid is scheduled to be shipped to the pier from Cyprus, where it will be inspected by Israeli officials first, as is currently happening at the land border. Some areas in Gaza are facing bigger crises than others, which means that the process of distributing aid may represent a real challenge to the anticipated plan. No details have yet been made clear about how it will be distributed.
The US President did not address how long it will take, but an official told Reuters that it would take "a few weeks to plan and implement." With reports of children dying in hospitals in northern Gaza due to malnutrition, the temporary port plan does not appear to be an immediate solution for people already starved.
Where the port would be located was not clear either. Most of Gaza's coast is beaches, and there may only be limited locations that large ships can approach without being razed. Under the Oslo Accords in 1993, European countries promised to build a seaport near Gaza City in the northern Strip. But the idea collapsed after the Palestinian uprising in 2000, and there is now only a small fishing port there that is not suitable for large ships.
Israel isolated northern Gaza from its south militarily early in the war, and prevented residents from moving between them. Aid convoys face difficulties in crossing Israeli checkpoints from south to north. There is also a long pier extending into the sea near Khan Yunis in the south, which is usually used by fishing boats.
Biden promised that no American forces would set foot on Gaza, and it was not clear whether Israeli or other forces would provide security for the temporary port itself, or to transport aid in the Strip. Security issues exacerbated the obstacles to the aid distribution process in Gaza, and the Palestinian police stopped guarding the convoys after what the United Nations described as “a wave of attacks by Israeli forces that led to the deaths of police.”
Israel says it "fully supports the establishment of a temporary dock" and promised "full cooperation between the two parties." “Aid and the sea are not a substitute for land, and no one can say otherwise,” said Sikhrid Kach, Gaza’s senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator. For her part, spokeswoman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ), Juliette Touma, said that the agency welcomes any effort that “improves and enhances the flow of much-needed humanitarian aid.” But she added, "There is an easier and more effective way to bring aid... which is through the land crossings linking Israel to Gaza."
Operational Update - Judea-Samaria
Over the past five months (between 7 October 2023 and 7 March 2024), OCHA has recorded a monthly average of 700 search-and-arrest operations and other military operations by Israeli forces across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, more than double the monthly average for the first nine months of 2023 (some 340 operations). These include operations carried out by Israeli undercover units and ones that involved the exchange of fire with Palestinians.
Since 7 October 2023, OCHA has recorded 624 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in Palestinian casualties (55 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (498 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (71 incidents).
According to initial reports, on 8 March, Israeli forces surrounded the house of a wanted Palestinian suspect in Silat Al Harithiya village in Jenin governorate and exchanged fire with Palestinians. The Israeli army then informed the Palestinian District Coordination Office of one Palestinian fatality and are withholding the body.
Israel's Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has instructed the Israeli military to “prepare several possible plans for a ground operation in Lebanon,” Israeli media reported. “Because of the possibility of a general war breaking out in the north, the Israeli army is preparing the option of a ground operation in Lebanon,” the Israeli Channel 13 reported. “Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has assigned Brig. Gen. Chico Tamir to formulate a plan to start a ground manoeuvre against Hezbollah,” it added. The channel pointed out that "Tamir had great experience in the northern sector when he was in his last position as deputy commander of the Northern Corps of the Israeli army."
In the same context, the Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper, which is close to Hezbollah, reported that Israel informed European countries that it had set a deadline of March 15 to reach a political settlement with Lebanon, otherwise it would be prepared to escalate military operations into a full-scale war. The Lebanese-Israeli border has witnessed mutual bombardment since the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.
The newspaper quoted Western diplomatic sources - which it did not name - that Israel's talk about the deadline increased the concern of Western countries, which believe 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 security in the long term and guarantees the return of the displaced. Both sides of the border. According to the same sources, the political path is not sufficient for reassurance, despite the American side’s insistence on drafting the initials of the agreement between Beirut and Tel Aviv. However, these sources warned that any discussion regarding political arrangements in Lebanon and a ceasefire will not be translatable as long as the aggression against the Gaza Strip continues.
The US presidential envoy for energy affairs, Amos Hochstein, said during his visit to Beirut a few days ago that any truce agreed upon in Gaza does not have to extend to Lebanon automatically. In the wake of a devastating Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, since October 8, 2023, the Lebanese-Israeli border has witnessed an exchange of fire between Hezbollah and Palestinian factions on the one hand and the Israeli occupation army on the other, which led to deaths and injuries on both sides of the border. Recently, threats have escalated from Israeli officials to expand attacks on Lebanese territory unless Hezbollah fighters withdraw to the south of the Litani River.
Hezbollah launched more attacks against the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) from its heartland, southern Lebanon. In three separate statements, Hezbollah announced that it had fired a Falaq-1 heavy rocket at a gathering of Israeli troops near the site of Ruwaisat Al-Alam and shelled two other gatherings in the sites of al-Raheb and al-Sammaqa with rockets and artillery. The group also announced in another statement that it had fired rockets at the Ruwaisat al-Alam site.
The attacks were carried out “to support the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their brave and honorable resistance,” Hezbollah noted in its statements.
In response, the IDF announced that it had carried out airstrikes on Hezbollah command centers in the towns of Mansouri and Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon. The IDF also said that it carried out strikes overnight against buildings used by the group in the towns of Tallouseh and Majdal Zoun. It noted that secondary blasts were seen following one of the strike, indicating weapons were stored at the site.
Lebanese media didn’t report any civilian casualties. However, Hezbollah mourned three of its fighters in separate statements, saying they were killed “on the road to Jerusalem,” a phrase used to refer to those killed by the IDF in the border clashes that broke out after the start of the Israeli war on Gaza.
Operational Update - Syria / Iraq
The Islamic Resistance of Iraq announced by publishing a statement that it targeted the oil refineries in Haifa . Iraqi resistance groups have added that we targeted this refinery in the occupied territories using a drone.
CENTCOM has declared three deaths on board the Barbados-flagged bulk carrier True Confidence after the ship was hit by an anti-ship ballistic missile in the Gulf of Aden. Bulk carriers have diverted in record numbers from Red Sea to avoid Houthis. Traffic of ships carrying minerals, grains and ores are 35% below levels seen at the beginning of the year.
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
An estimated 8,000 patients need to be medically evacuated from Gaza, including over 6,000 trauma-related patients, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
A US plan for a temporary port off Gaza to bring in aid is a cynical play for a US audience and will not avert mass starvation, a UN rights expert said. Michael Fakhri, the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to food, dismissed the measure. "No-one has asked for a maritime pier — not the Palestinian people, not the humanitarian aid community," he told a briefing in Geneva. Neither a pier, nor the increasing airdrops over Gaza would "prevent starvation and famine by any definition," Fakhri said.
To mark International Women’s Day, Islamic Relief reported that pregnant women and new mothers in Gaza are facing a constant struggle to keep themselves and their babies alive, amid life-threatening shortages of food, water and medical care. Islamic Relief staff in Gaza report pregnant women enduring C-sections without anaesthetic or painkillers, newborns starving to death, and a shortage of menstrual hygiene materials, leading to women and girls developing infections as they resort to using any scraps of cloth or torn clothing they can find. There are about 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza and, every day, about 180 women give birth amid the rubble or in tents or cars, because they can’t access hospital or medical facilities, the organization said, adding that pregnant women and newborns have repeatedly been forced to evacuate hospitals and aid workers report a big increase in premature births due to the extreme levels of stress.
According to the press release, with pregnant women and new mothers at especially high risk of malnutrition, relatives and partners forego their own food for them, but most women in Gaza are now going whole days without eating. Many new mothers face dehydration because they can’t get enough water, making it even harder for them to breastfeed. According to CARE: “Our partners are telling us that the shelters they are running see women burying their newborns every day, as they do not have access to critical medical care, or simply because there is no way to feed them.” The International Federation of Journalists, noting that thirteen women journalists have lost their lives in Gaza since the start of the conflict, stated that the “work of women journalists in Gaza is instrumental in bringing global attention to the situation and provides another perspective on the war” and restated “the absolute necessity for all journalists to report freely and safely from Gaza.”
An international effort gathered pace to get desperately needed humanitarian relief into Gaza by sea. The dire conditions more than five months into Israel's war have led some countries to airdrop food and other assistance over besieged Gaza, but a parachute malfunction turned the latest operation lethal. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen expressed hope a maritime corridor could open this Sunday, though crucial details of the planned operation remained unclear.
A medic at Gaza's largest hospital said a humanitarian airdrop in the north of the Palestinian territory killed five people and wounded 10. The casualties were taken to Gaza City's Al Shifa hospital, the emergency room's head nurse, Mohammed al Sheikh, told AFP. Sheikh said the deadly airdrop occurred north of the coastal Al Shati refugee camp. A witness from the camp said he and his brother followed the parachuted aid in the hope of getting "a bag of flour." "Then, all of a sudden, the parachute didn't open and fell down like a rocket on the roof of one of the houses," said Mohammed al Ghoul.
Axis of Resistance
Iran's permanent ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani warned against Israel's "military adventurism" in the region, asserting Tehran's right to respond to threats and attacks from the regime. In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the current president of the UN Security Council, Yamazaki Kazuyuki, Iran's UN envoy rejected Israeli allegations and threats.
"While strongly warning against any military adventurism or malicious activities by the Israeli regime in the region, the Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its legitimate and inherent right, in accordance with international law and the United Nations Charter, to take all necessary measures to respond to any threat or attack originating from the Israeli regime against its national security, interest, and its people," the ambassador wrote.
The letter was in response to an earlier communication from Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz to the UN, claiming that Iran has increased weapons deliveries to the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement. "The accusations in the letter are entirely baseless and are categorically rejected. This letter represents yet another cynical attempt by the Israeli regime to deflect the attention of the international community from the ongoing egregious atrocities and acts of genocide committed by this apartheid regime against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip," the Iranian ambassador stated.
"It is also a misleading effort aimed at covering up and legitimizing Israel’s aggression against Lebanon and its continual breaches of international law, the United Nations Charter, and UNSC Resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1701 (2006) by leveling unfounded allegations against Iran," he added. "Iran also reaffirms the inherent right of the Syrian Arab Republic and Lebanon under international law to take all necessary measures in response to any threat or attacks and acts of aggression by the Israeli regime against their sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity," the Iranian diplomat emphasized.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson marked International Women's Day by condemning the crimes of the Zionist regime against the people of Gaza Strip. "On March 8th and International Womens Day, it is crucial that we do not allow this day to be used as an opportunity for baseless statements from those who claim to support women's rights but have a dark record of violating human, cultural, and social rights," the spokesperson stated.
The spokesperson criticized the hypocrisy of those who have turned a blind eye to the brutal killings of innocent women and children in Palestine while supporting the regime of Israel that kills women and children mercilessly. This year's International Women's Day, according to the spokesperson, should be dedicated to the lionesses and mothers of innocent Palestinian daughters, and should serve as an opportunity for global condemnation of the Israeli regime's crimes.
The spokesperson also highlighted the global demand for the expulsion of the usurping Zionist regime from the Commission on The Status of Women, citing the regime's killing of thousands of women and committing crimes against humanity, including organized starvation of the civilian population, especially women and children, adding that the regime's atrocities also include inflicting severe mental and psychological torments on mothers through the gradual death of their children.
Abu Obeidah, the spokesman of the Qassam Brigades , the military branch of Hamas, announced: The war in Gaza has entered its sixth month, and the Zionist enemy is still waging a real holocaust against the Palestinian nation. The laws of the world are powerless against the usurping occupation regime, which is devoid of any human values. The Palestinian nation is facing an unprecedented American Zionist aggression and crime. This battle will be the foundation of a new stage in the world under the title of the right not to be regained except by force.
He added: "The obsolete laws of the international community have been used under the influence of American rule to support cruelty and crime." The 7th of October saga was a response to decades of continuous atrocities that culminated in the enemy's attempt to Judaize and destroy Al-Aqsa Mosque. The murder of the Zionists intensified with the establishment of the most radical and criminal Zionist cabinet. A cruel and trembling hand rises in the Security Council to defeat every action and attempt to help the oppressed, even in a formal way.
Abu Obeidah stated: We are fighting the enemy for the 150th day in a row and inflicting heavy losses on its forces, including soldiers, mercenaries, and its weapons, and we still have more plans. The enemy will not have peace in our land and will not be able to bring security to himself until the Palestinian people get their rights. We welcome Ramadan with jihad and resistance at a time when men are proud. Zionists do not attach any importance to the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, even if they claim otherwise.
He emphasized: We call the entire Palestinian nation to general mobilization and rise towards the Al-Aqsa Mosque and I'tikaf and guarding it and preventing the imposition of the enemy's desired realities in this mosque.
Qassam 's spokesman emphasized: "It is the duty of every Azadeh to join the sacrifices and sacrifices of the nation and the resistance of Gaza and defeat the plan to divide Al-Aqsa Mosque." We invite our Ummah everywhere to be ready to face the violence and aggression of the Zionist enemy inside and outside Palestine. Our fighters continue to confront and confront the occupying forces wherever they are in Gaza. During the last three weeks, our fighters have carried out many unique operations and trapped the enemy in difficult ambushes.
He added: Our operations are concentrated in the north and south. The enemy uses hunger and tricks in negotiations and is frustrated. Our main priority in completing the exchange of prisoners is to fully adhere to the cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of the enemy from Gaza, and there will be no retreat from it. For us, no issue is more important than healing the pains of a nation that is subject to genocide.
Qassam 's spokesman emphasized: The fact that America pays attention to the small number of enemy prisoners and cries for them is a sign of double standards and disregard for human rights. Zionists stand against two billion and do not respect the blood of innocent people. The enemy cabinet and the Zionist War Council play with the lives of their captives and insist that these captives return with coffins. This battle is the beginning of a new phase; Not at the level of Gaza, but at the level of the world.
Allied for Democracy
US President Joe Biden concluded his State of the Union address Thursday night as he began it: highlighting the importance of defending democracy at home and around the world. Biden said Israel's war in besieged Gaza "has taken a greater toll on innocent civilians than all previous wars in Gaza combined," acknowledging over 30,000 Palestinians were killed in last 153 days, including thousands of women and children. Biden also announced that the US military will set up a temporary port off Gaza as Israel tightens its chokehold on the enclave, even though its main ally Washington has been airdropping aid in Gaza but also has reportedly approved 100 military sales to Tel Aviv since October 7. The US President said the temporary pier on the Gaza coast will "enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance" going to Gaza, adding there will no US military boots on the ground. Telling Israel not to use aid as a "bargaining chip", Biden said, "The only real solution to the situation is a two-state solution over time."
"I know the last five months have been gut-wrenching for so many people — for the Israeli people, for the Palestinian people, and so many here in America. This crisis began on October 7th with a massacre by a terrorist group called Hamas, as you all know. One thousand two hundred innocent people — women and girls, men and boys — slaughtered after enduring sexual violence. The deadliest day of the — for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. And 250 hostages taken.
"Here in this chamber tonight are families whose loved ones are still being held by Hamas. I pledge to all the families that we will not rest until we bring every one of your loved ones home. We also — (applause) — we will also work around the clock to bring home Evan and Paul — Americans being unjustly detained by the Russians — and others around the world.
"Israel has a right to go after Hamas. Hamas ended this conflict by releasing the hostages, laying down arms — could end it by — by releasing the hostages, laying down arms, and s- — surrendering those responsible for October 7th. But Israel has a h- — excuse me. Israel has a added burden because Hamas hides and operates among the civilian population like cowards — under hospitals, daycare centers, and all the like. Israel also has a fundamental responsibility, though, to protect innocent civilians in Gaza. (Applause.)
"This war has taken a greater toll on innocent civilians than all previous wars in Gaza combined. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed — most of whom are not Hamas. Thousands and thousands of innocents — women and children. Girls and boys also orphaned. Nearly 2 million more Palestinians under bombardment or displacement. Homes destroyed, neighborhoods in rubble, cities in ruin. Families without food, water, medicine. It’s heartbreaking.
"I’ve been working non-stop to establish an immediate ceasefire that would last for six weeks to get all the prisoners released — all the hostages released and to get the hostages home and to ease the intolerable an- — humanitarian crisis and build toward an enduring — a more — something more enduring. The United States has been leading international efforts to get more humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
"Tonight, I’m directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the coast of Gaza that can receive large shipments carrying food, water, medicine, and temporary shelters. No U.S. boots will be on the ground. A temporary pier will enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day.
"And Israel must also do its part. Israel must allow more aid into Gaza and ensure humanitarian workers aren’t caught in the crossfire. And they’re announcing they’re going to — they’re going to ca- — have a crossing in Northern Gaza. To the leadership of Israel, I say this: Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip. Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority.
"As we look to the future, the only real solution to the situation is a two-state solution over time. And I say this as a lifelong supporter of Israel, my entire career. No one has a stronger record with Israel than I do. I challenge any of you here. I’m the only American president to visit Israel in wartime. But there is no other path that guarantees Israel’s security and democracy. There is no other path that guarantees Pa- — that Palestinians can live in peace with po- — with peace and dignity. And there is no other path that guarantees peace between Israel and all of its neighbors — including Saudi Arabia, with whom I’m talking.
"Creating stability in the Middle East also means containing the threat posed by Iran. That’s why I built a coalition of more than a dozen countries to defend international shipping and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. I’ve ordered strikes to degrade the Houthi capability and defend U.S. forces in the region. As Commander-in-Chief, I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and our military personnel."
England's top cleric, the archbishop of Canterbury, has said that he is "deeply horrified" by Israel's bombardments and siege of Gaza and condemned the killing of Palestinian civilians. "I condemn the killing of Palestinian civilians, the destruction of homes and neighbourhoods, and pushing people to the brink of starvation – there is no moral justification for this," Justin Welby said on X.
His remarks came after his conversation with Munther Isaac, a Palestinian Christian pastor and theologian. "In listening to him, I continue to be deeply horrified by Israel's bombardment and siege of Gaza. I renew my commitment to stand in solidarity with our Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters and with the people of Gaza," Welby added.
Operation Iron Swords - By the Numbers
- 72,402 Gazans injured
- 40,000 Gazans killed, including buried under rubble
- 33,000 Gaza targets attacked
- 30,878 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]
- 4,665 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
- 222 Hezbollah fighters killed in Lebanon
- 126 people recovered, including 91 Israelis, 11 bodies, and 24 foreign workers
- 116 living hostages in Palestinian custody
- 50 civilians killed in Lebanon
- 29 IDF deaths were caused by "friendly fire"
- 15 Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel
Many of these numbers fluctate, up and down, with no apparent explanation. This list records the highest number reliably reported for each matter, under the theory that reality with catch up with reports, as is relentlessly the case.
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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