Operation Iron Swords - Day 164 - 18 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 |
Joint IDF and ISA announcement: "The IDF and ISA eliminated the head of the Operations Directorate of Hamas' Internal Security. Following IDF and ISA intelligence indicating the presence of senior Hamas terrorists in the Shifa hospital, IDF and ISA forces conducting precise operational activity in the compound eliminated Faiq Mabhuoch, head of the Operations Directorate of Hamas' Internal Security. He was also responsible for coordination of Hamas terrorist activities in the Gaza Strip. Faiq Mabhouh was eliminated in an encounter with the troops while armed and hiding in a compound at the Shifa hospital, from which he operated and advanced terrorist activity. Numerous weapons were located in the room adjacent to where he was eliminated."
Faiq Mabhouh, the Hamas internal security commander killed by IDF troops at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, was the brother of Mahmoud Mabhouh, who was allegedly assassinated by the Mossad in Dubai in 2010,
The Washington Post quoted officials in the US administration as saying that Biden's strategy regarding Israel "is heading towards failure", and that the US President found himself, after more than 5 months, "deeply involved in a war that he does not want." Officials told the American newspaper that there is extreme frustration and uncertainty among the Biden administration regarding how the war on Gaza will end, and that the administration has concluded that Netanyahu is prioritizing his political survival and “its patience is beginning to run out.”
On the other hand, US Senator Chris Van Hollen told the newspaper that "the gap is large between what Biden demanded of the Netanyahu government and what happened." Holen stated that he received a US intelligence briefing regarding the Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, which contradicts the positions of the Biden administration.
Maariv newspaper reported from sources that Finance Minister Smotrich spoke of a high possibility of the fall of Netanyahu’s government due to the conscription law or the inclusion of New Hope party leader Gideon Sa’ar in it. The newspaper also quoted an Israeli minister as saying that the worsening crisis within the ruling coalition may bring down the right-wing government due to the whims and interests of its members.
According to the "Palestine Online" website, Hebrew media indicated that Ben Gvir presented to the government a request to facilitate the storming of Al-Aqsa by settlers during the last ten days of Ramadan, contrary to the policy that has been in place for years. The extremist minister conveyed his request to officials in the occupation police, to discuss the matter at the government table, in the next two weeks.
Earlier, Ben Gvir asked Netanyahu to prevent residents of the West Bank from entering Jerusalem to pray at Al-Aqsa during Ramadan. In addition to restricting the entry of Palestinians from 1948, which sparked a wave of warnings from occupation security officials and the Shin Bet, as a decision like this could cause an explosion in the situation.
It is noteworthy that the occupation deliberately, from the first day of the holy month of Ramadan , set up iron barriers, harassed worshipers, launched a campaign of arrests among young men, and deported a number of Jerusalemites and stationed people from the mosque throughout the holy month of Ramadan, as a “dangerous” step to empty Al-Aqsa and escalate its violations.
But sources in the Israeli security services said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not agree to this request, especially after the Israeli security services’ warnings to Netanyahu that any storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by extremists would explode the situation not only in the West Bank but even in the territories occupied in 1948.
An Israeli official said that his country will send a high-level delegation headed by the head of the Mossad to Qatar, on Monday, to hold talks through mediators with Hamas, with the aim of securing a 6-week truce in Gaza, under which the movement will release 40 hostages. The official estimated that this stage of negotiations may take at least two weeks, pointing to the difficulties that Hamas negotiators may face in communicating with the movement inside the besieged Strip, more than 5 months after the war began.
In a related context, a source familiar with the negotiations told Agence France-Presse that the head of the Mossad is meeting with the Qatari Prime Minister in Doha, on Monday, to discuss the truce in Gaza. The mediating countries, the United States, Qatar and Egypt, are working to reach an agreement on a truce and an exchange deal between Palestinian hostages and prisoners held by Israel.
On Friday, Hamas proposed a six-week truce agreement that would include the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners, in what was considered a more flexible position after it had been demanding a final ceasefire before any agreement on the release of hostages held in Gaza. The developments of recent days had revived hopes of reaching a truce in the war between Israel and Hamas that has been going on for more than five months in Gaza, after the movement postponed its demand for a ceasefire to a later stage, which it had placed as a basic condition for any agreement regarding the release of Israeli hostages in the Strip.
A Hamas leader told AFP on Saturday that the movement is ready to release 42 Israeli hostages, including women, children, the elderly and the sick, provided that “Israel will release 20 to 30 Palestinian prisoners for every Israeli detainee.” The movement demands the release of 30 to 50 Palestinian detainees in exchange for the release of every soldier detained by it. She spoke of her willingness to release female soldiers for the first time. Also, the proposed first phase includes “military withdrawal from all cities and populated areas in the Gaza Strip, the unrestricted return of the displaced, and the flow of aid at no less than 500 trucks per day.”
Israel controls the flow of aid, which is still completely insufficient given the enormous needs of the Strip's population of 2.4 million people, the vast majority of whom are threatened by famine, according to the United Nations. A ship belonging to the Spanish non-governmental organization "Open Arms" arrived in the Gaza Strip on Friday from Cyprus, carrying 200 tons of food from the "World Central Kitchen" organization, and a second ship is scheduled to follow it at a date that has not yet been revealed. In addition, several countries continue to airdrop food supplies into Gaza. But the United Nations confirms that transporting aid by land remains the fastest and most effective method.
In the discussion that took place in the cabinet Sunday night, the many and detailed details about the mandate for the Israeli delegation that arrived in Qatar today (Monday) were presented. At the discussion there was someone from within Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's circle who thought that all the details should be brought to the expanded cabinet.
All the heads of the defense system objected and said that the discussion on the size of the delegation's mandate would be leaked. They stated that the information is extremely sensitive and added that exposing Israel's cards before the negotiations could damage the deal. Finally, the Prime Minister decided to present a general line in the expanded cabinet so as not to damage the deal and this indicates the tensions and pressures behind the scenes.
Israeli N12 TV reported a senior Israeli official said: "Hamas representatives in Qatar will not make the decisions. The one who will make the decisions will be Sinwar. Each comma and each point where we want to move forward will take between 24 and 36 hours, until his answer arrives from the tunnels." "This is a complex, long and branched negotiation that requires a great deal of patience," added an Israeli source who said that the delegation "commits to doing everything and working around the clock to bring about a deal that will bring the abductees home."
Against the background of the resumption of talks, there are several gaps that the parties will have to bridge. As much as there is a real debate that requires a return to the political level, the cabinet authorized Netanyahu and Gallant to make decisions, and this should speed up the process. In the Paris plan, for example, Israel agreed to the release of 400 prisoners in exchange for 40 hostages. Hamas is asking for 950 prisoners and therefore the question arises - what is the room for maneuver in this issue.
The Paris plan did not discuss how the names of the terrorists were chosen. In Hamas' answer, the terrorist organization seeks to determine the names that will be released. Another alleged discussion in the Paris outline is that the issue of resettlement of the displaced people to the north of the Gaza Strip will be postponed until the end. In Hamas' answer, he demands the complete return of displaced persons there. What is the flexibility space? Will women, children and men over a certain age return? Maybe gradually?
Another question that arises, comes after the Paris outline does not mention a comprehensive ceasefire at all. Hamas demands that in moving to Phase B of the deal, Israel will commit to such a cease fire, i.e. the end of the war. As mentioned, these are only some of the issues that will have to be discussed.
Israeli Major General Nitzan Alon, the army representative in the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza and the prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, warned against reducing the powers of the negotiating delegation in Doha. Hebrew Channel 13 reported that a confrontation broke out between Alon and a number of ministers during a meeting of the mini-security government on Sunday evening. Alon believes that "the political level has excessively reduced" the Israeli delegation to the Qatar negotiations from delegating the necessary powers.
“If there is not a broad mandate for the negotiating team, there is a missed opportunity, and this could lead to the failure of the agreement,” he said in a discussion attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Sources familiar with the details say, according to the Hebrew Channel 13, that Major General Alon discussed whether to join the negotiating team in Qatar in light of the mandate changes, but in the end he decided to join Mossad chief David Barnea and the Israeli team.
Israeli officials say the mandate has already been reduced, but add that the team has set out with the "capacity" to conduct negotiations. Israeli negotiating teams representing the Mossad, the Shin Bet, and the Israeli army arrived to hold indirect negotiations with the Hamas movement under the auspices of Qatari and Egyptian mediators. The Hebrew Channel 13 transmits a statement by a “senior” Israeli official in which he said, “The gaps are very large. The deal, even if it is reached, will not be completed within days.”
"i24NEWS" quoted sources as saying, "The Israeli delegation, headed by Mossad chief David Barnea, is heading to Doha to continue ceasefire negotiations and the release of hostages with the aim of changing the broad lines proposed by Hamas," while the sources described them as "bad." According to "i24NEWS", "Israeli officials are reducing the possibility of reaching a new agreement to release the hostages, in the wake of Hamas' proposal against the broad lines put forward by the international mediators," as they claimed.
According to the Israeli website "Ynet", the negotiating team requested "a large amount of time to conduct negotiations" in order to improve the current deal on the table. While the war council will also participate in a broader debate on the prisoner release and the ceasefire agreement, despite what they call “ridiculous” demands, such as “Israel agreeing to steps towards a permanent ceasefire as part of the agreement.”
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that the talks are taking place in one building in an indirect manner, in a format similar to that which took place in the Shalit deal negotiations 13 years ago. The newspaper reported that the Israeli delegation will remain in one room, while Hamas representatives will remain in another room. The Qatari mediators will move between the two rooms, which are close to each other.
Mossad chief David Barnea met with Qatari and Egyptian mediators for breakfast. The Israeli teams are scheduled to remain in Doha for several days to conduct intensive negotiations. The New York Times reported that a meeting is expected to be held between members of the Israeli delegation and the mediators this evening. A source familiar with the details told the American newspaper that Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani and Egyptian representatives who are also mediating with Hamas will participate in the meeting.
An Israeli diplomatic source said, “It is just the beginning of a long and complex process. This is the first time that there will be individual negotiations on the agreement. Everything will be changed. Every comma will be changed in the wording of the agreements, every word and every content. It will take a very long time to manage the negotiations.”
The source added: "There is Hamas in Qatar and Hamas in the tunnels, and it takes between 24 and 36 hours to transmit each message." He added, "The negotiations are not with Hamas outside, which has neither authority nor decision-making ability, but only with Sinwar, who is in the tunnels. This makes the process very difficult. These are not negotiations that will be conducted by mediators. We need to lower expectations of reaching a quick agreement." ". The source indicated that the Cabinet's mandate to the delegation is "clear" and that clear lines have been drawn about where it can be flexible and where it cannot be done. He said: "The team did not get everything it wanted, for example about the number of prisoners, and the Council of Ministers limited that and set clear red lines."
Israeli officials considered Hamas's demands an attempt by the movement to "erase the achievements made by Israel in the war on Gaza and what it calls" dismantling the organization" in the wake of the "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation launched by "Hamas" on October 7.
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority quoted a source as saying today: “The war cabinet met yesterday evening and approved relatively broad powers for the negotiating team to be able to reach an exchange deal,” adding at the same time that the ministers approved less than what the Israeli negotiators requested. These developments come after Israel became aware of the content of a new proposal presented by the Hamas movement , which included a presentation of an agreement in 3 stages, each stage lasting 6 weeks, including an exchange of prisoners, the return of displaced persons to northern Gaza , and the declaration of a permanent ceasefire in the second stage.
Hamas confirmed earlier that it had presented to the mediators a comprehensive vision based on the principles it described as necessary to agree on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The movement said in a statement that the vision “is based on these principles and foundations, which it considers necessary for the agreement,” noting that “the vision presented by the movement includes its vision regarding the prisoner exchange file.”
Meanwhile, the Hebrew website "Ynet" reported, quoting an Israeli official, that "it can be said that there are positive indicators about some progress in communications towards a new deal, but it is too early to say whether this will lead to moving the negotiations."
In turn, Reuters news agency, quoting an Israeli official, said that the current round of truce talks and the exchange of detainees between Israel and Hamas may take two weeks. It indicated that Tel Aviv would offer a 6-week truce in Gaza in exchange for the release of 40 detainees. For its part, the Hebrew Channel 13 confirmed that the head of the Mossad will leave for the Qatari capital, Doha, within hours. It said, quoting an official official, “We are facing long and complex negotiations, as the security and political cabinet did not give the negotiating delegation all the powers it requested.”
The official added, “We have obtained sufficient powers to initiate important and professional negotiations.” He pointed out that some of Hamas's new demands for the deal include guarantees from Russia and Turkey as part of any deal that will be implemented, and the release of all prisoners of the Shalit deal. He pointed out that yesterday an initial document was approved between the heads of the security services that includes the demands agreed upon by “Israel,” and in the cabinet session the document was finally approved, in preparation for the delegation’s departure to Qatar.
He stressed that "Israel" is ready to release a large portion of the prisoners who were re-arrested from the Shalit deal, but not all of them. He noted that, “Hamas demands, in the first phase of the deal, the return of all citizens to the northern Gaza Strip, but the Israeli army demands a limited return of women and children only.”
However, this optimism in concluding a prisoner exchange deal may clash with developments on the ground in the Gaza Strip, and Israeli threats to launch a large operation in the city of Rafah, which is crowded with displaced people.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with an AIPAC leadership delegation led by AIPAC President Michael Tuchin. Following are excerpts from the Prime Minister's remarks: "How do we define victory? We define it as the destruction of Hamas's military and governing capabilities, as the return of the hostages, which we're working right now, and also as preventing the return, Gaza from becoming a threat to Israel at any time in the future. There is also the northern front, where we want to return our people to a condition of security. That requires that Hezbollah move back. That is also part of our goals, which we will not give up on. Very important. If we achieve these goals, then we will also deliver a stinging blow to the Iran terror axis, which is behind everything that we're seeing here today."
Israel denies obstructing the entry of aid into Gaza and accuses relief organizations of failing to distribute it. COGAT (Coordinator of the Government Activities in the Territories) is the official Israeli unit tasked with the coordination and facilitation of humanitarian initiatives. COGAT reported 243 humanitarian aid trucks were inspected and transferred to the Gaza Strip. 165 via Kerem Shalom and 78 via Nitzana. 167 trucks were distributed within Gaza. Humanitarian aid entered Gaza by sea: A ship carrying 200 tons of aid from the World Central Kitchen organization, donated by the UAE, arrived (Friday, Mar. 15) in Gaza’s maritime space. This was in accordance with the government's decision. 12 WCK trucks distributed the aid to the northern Gaza Strip.
A WFP convoy of 18 food trucks made its way to northern Gaza last night. Over the last 3 weeks, more than 150 trucks were transferred to the northern Gaza Strip, most by the private sector. Yesterday, (Mar. 17) 3 tankers of cooking gas designated for the operation of essential infrastructure in Gaza, have entered the Gaza Strip. Humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza via the Jordan delivery route. 5 water pumping facilities supplying water to over 200,000 residents in northern Gaza were refueled (Mar. 16), following coordination.
179 packages were airdropped by Jordan, yesterday (Mar. 17). Since the start of the war, and in cooperation with the USA, UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Holland, Belgium and France, over 30 airdrops have taken place, airdropping over 1250 packages of humanitarian aid, most to northern Gaza. Ill and wounded patients exited the Gaza Strip yesterday, more are expected to exit today. 21 bakeries are operational in Gaza, providing over 2 million breads, rolls, and pita breads a day for the local population.
Al-Shifa Hospital, located in the northern Gaza Strip, returned to the forefront again, after witnessing violent clashes between the Israeli army and the Hamas movement. Specialists reveal to Al-Hurra website the circumstances of “the ignition of that front again,” and their expectations of what may happen in the coming days. On Monday, the Israeli army asked all civilians in the Al-Rimal neighborhood and the Al-Shifa Medical Complex and its surroundings in Gaza City to leave immediately, considering their locations a “dangerous combat zone.”
Eyewitnesses described a state of panic inside the Shifa Hospital complex in Gaza City, hours after the Israeli army announced operations inside it. On Monday, the Israeli army and the Shin Bet announced that a clash had occurred with gunmen during an attempt to arrest them. An army statement said that gunmen opened fire on the forces that were working to arrest gunmen at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, revealing that "our forces responded with fire and wounded the terrorists."
Al-Shifa Hospital was the main medical facility in Gaza before the conflict, but its operations were severely disrupted after months of fighting. Hundreds of displaced Palestinians are taking refuge in the health complex that was raided by Israeli forces, earlier in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army explained that its latest operation was “based on intelligence information indicating that the hospital was being used by senior officials of Hamas terrorists, who had regrouped and were planning terrorist activity,” according to the “ Times of Israel .” According to the Israeli newspaper, footage was circulated showing a building in the Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City burning as a result of the Israeli attack, while forces working in the buildings located near it were trying to get out.
The HAMAS Ministry of Health in Gaza said that a fire broke out at the entrance to the complex, leading to suffocation cases among displaced women and children in the hospital. The Ministry explained that communications were cut off, and that there were people trapped inside the surgical and emergency units in one of the buildings. It pointed out, "A number of martyrs and wounded fell, with the inability to save any of the injured due to the intensity of the fire and the targeting of everyone who approached the windows, in another crime against health institutions."
The Israeli army spokesman said that the latter's forces were clashing with Palestinian militants in the vicinity of Al-Shifa, and a number of casualties were recorded, according to what was reported by its correspondent Al-Hurra. Another video shows residents near the complex fleeing the complex in the predawn darkness. Al-Hurra website was unable to verify the published videos.
The Israeli army spokesman for the Arab media, Avichay Adraee, confirmed on the “X” platform that the Israeli army and the security service (Shin Bet) “are working inside the Al-Shifa Medical Complex,” and that the operation that the army announced it began at dawn on Monday is still “continuing.” Al-Hurra website contacted the Israeli army spokesman, Avichay Adraee, to find out more details about how Hamas members infiltrated the north, and whether northern Gaza has returned to the forefront as a theater of operations again, and what happened during the clashes, but we did not receive a response as of writing this. the report.
The Israeli army spokesmen's unit merely told Al-Hurra, "Even if most of northern Gaza is cleared, there will still be a low-level war," and referred to the successive statements that were issued, without giving further details. In a statement, the Israeli army indicated that soldiers “are currently carrying out a precise operation in the area of Al-Shifa Hospital,” adding that “the operation is based on information indicating that the hospital is being used by senior Hamas officials.”
During the operation, which was carried out in cooperation with the Shin Bet, the forces were exposed to “fire by saboteurs from inside the Shifa Medical Complex, where the forces responded with fire and wounded the saboteurs,” according to the Israeli army statement. The Israeli army also announced the elimination of the head of operations for Hamas’ internal security in Gaza, Faiq al-Mabhouh, during the Shifa Hospital operation.
Hamas did not comment, confirm or deny what the Israeli army said, until the time of publication of the report. Before that, the Hamas government’s media office condemned what happened at Al-Shifa Hospital, saying: “Racing into Al-Shifa Medical Complex with tanks, drones, and weapons, and shooting inside it, is a (war crime).” The media office said that Al-Shifa Hospital was being “bombed,” noting that “tens of thousands of displaced people” were in the building.
On the ground, eyewitnesses told Agence France-Presse about “air operations” taking place in the Al-Rimal neighborhood, where Al-Shifa Hospital is located. Residents in this neighborhood said that "more than 45 Israeli tanks and armored personnel carriers" entered the sand. Some also spoke of "battles" in the vicinity of the hospital. Eyewitnesses in Gaza City reported that they saw tanks surrounding the hospital site.
Speaking to the Al-Hurra website, former colonel in the Israeli army, Moshe Elad, reveals that “Hamas members are trying to return to the northern regions little by little.” Hamas believes that the Israeli army is “only interested in the Rafah area,” and therefore it is trying to return to the north, but intelligence information came that “dozens” of Hamas members had arrived at Al-Shifa Hospital, according to Elad.
At the same time, there was “intelligence information” that a meeting of senior Hamas leaders was being held in the same area, and thus the Israeli army imposed a “cordon” on the hospital, Elad adds. The former Israeli army colonel points out that “Israeli forces have already arrested about 80 Hamas members,” and there are “violent and ongoing” clashes in the region.
Al-Shifa Complex, the largest hospital in the Strip before the war, is one of the few remaining health facilities that are even partially functioning in the northern Gaza Strip, and also houses hundreds of displaced people. This is the second time that the Israeli army has carried out an operation in this hospital, since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. Israel has previously accused Hamas of using medical facilities as a cover for its operations, which the movement denies.
On November 15, the Israeli army entered this hospital and the facility is currently operating at its minimum, with a minimum number of employees. After that operation, the army said that it found “ammunition, weapons and military equipment” for Hamas in Al-Shifa Hospital, which the Palestinian movement denied. The army also stated that it had discovered a 55-metre-long tunnel that it said was being used for “terrorist purposes” under Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
Therefore, Palestinian political analyst, Ayman Al-Raqab, confirms that the events in the sand and around Al-Shifa Hospital represent “a qualitative development that will make Israel reconsider its calculations during the war.” What is happening in northern Gaza confirms the “falsehood and deception” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s talk about “eliminating Hamas brigades and leaving only four of them in Rafah,” according to what he told the Al-Hurra website. Al-Raqab points out the presence of “armed men, fighters, security personnel, or popular committees affiliated with Hamas in all of the Gaza Strip, starting in the north of the Strip, which Israel says it has ‘controlled’, and concluding in the city of Rafah on the border with Egypt.”
For his part, Elad asserts that the Israeli army cannot be “everywhere at the same time,” and Hamas exploits this to exit tunnels and gather to reach certain areas. The former colonel in the Israeli army explains that the number of Israeli forces present in the Gaza Strip “decreased greatly,” after a large part of them headed to the “West Bank.” He points out that the Israeli army forces currently in the West Bank are larger than those in Gaza.
The number of forces present in Gaza “does not give them the opportunity to be everywhere, so the work of the forces will depend largely on intelligence information,” the former colonel in the Israeli army confirms. The Israeli army moves based on “intelligence information” regarding the presence of Hamas groups, and reaches the area and clashes with those elements, regardless of their location, according to Elad.
Elad does not believe that northern Gaza is a new arena for confrontation or a path “capable of military escalation,” but the region may witness “clashes here or there” during the coming period. The majority of the "Hamas brigades" in northern Gaza have been destroyed, and the elements currently present in the area are "individual elements," according to the former colonel in the Israeli army.
But Al-Raqab denies this proposal, and confirms that “Hamas is still present and strong,” contrary to what the Israeli government is promoting. He points out that demolishing Gaza homes and turning them into rubble will hinder the Israeli army in implementing its goals, and that these homes will be “easy locations for Hamas members and (Popular War) fighters to move.” The Palestinian political analyst explains that Hamas members were "trained very extensively" to move between demolished homes, rubble and tunnels, but the Israeli army will suffer.
Elad confirms that the army will continue the military operation and invade Rafah by land due to the presence of “the most dangerous Hamas brigades” in the city. After the end of the Rafah operation, the army will return to northern Gaza and the center of the Strip to eliminate “individual cells or elements present in the tunnels” attacking the Israeli forces, according to the former colonel in the Israeli army. Elad confirms that "Hamas is no longer as strong in the Gaza Strip as it was before, and therefore eliminating the movement is a matter of time."
But Al-Raqab points out that “Hamas is trying to prove its presence everywhere, and indeed its power on the ground still exists, even if in secret.” Hamas will seek to prove to the world that it “still exists in the Gaza Strip, and must be an integral party in any expected negotiations,” and eliminating the movement “will take many years, and is not as easy as Israel talks about,” according to the Palestinian political analyst.
Operational Update - Judea-Samaria
Since the beginning of 2023, the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Land Defense Center has monitored the construction of twenty-nine settlement outposts, the majority of which were built after October 7, including fourteen pastoral and agricultural outposts. The process of new settlement construction, which usually begins with a settlement outpost and turns into settlements, comes with the encouragement of ministers in Netanyahu's government, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
The official in charge of popular action at the Wall and Settlement Authority, Abdullah Abu Rahma, said in a statement to Al-Alam TV: “There is a systematic policy on this issue, as this government has been called from its first moment the settlement government, and what is happening on the ground is that Smotrich and Ben Gvir are trying to exploit every moment and trying to compromise.” This government wants more settlements and more settlement units, as we have witnessed in recent days.”
Those surrounding Benjamin Netanyahu from the nationalist right believe that working on the ground to establish settlements is the only way to prevent the establishment of the expected Palestinian state. These people realize that what is imposed on the ground today will turn into a subject for negotiation with the Palestinians tomorrow, which means that it will become something that the Palestinians must struggle to change or bargain over.
The writer and political analyst, Ibrahim Rabaya, told Al-Alam Channel: “Israel invested in this war to strengthen the settlement presence in the West Bank on two levels: the infrastructure level and the legislative level, and this is what Smotrich showed in his capacity as Minister of the Army and the owner of the settlement strengthening project in this government.”
The next battle for the Palestinians is the battle with settlement, a battle that the occupation seeks to impose in order to reach what it calls the settler state. The settler state that the Israeli occupation wants means controlling 67 percent of the area of the West Bank, and what remains for the Palestinians is nothing more than isolated cantons.
Al Jazeera's correspondent said that the Israeli occupation forces stormed tonight the towns of Jalboun and Faqoua, north of the city of Jenin in the West Bank , amid gunfire. They also stormed the village of Tal, south of Nablus, and arrested a number of Palestinians. The correspondent also reported that the occupation forces arrested a number of imams and preachers of mosques in the town of Al-Samou, south of Hebron in the West Bank.
Confrontations took place between the occupation forces and Palestinians in the town of Al-Khader, south of the city of Bethlehem in the West Bank, while Jerusalem witnessed the occupation army storming the village of Al-Issawiya, where it arrested a number of Palestinians. This came hours after the storming of the town of "Ya'bad" in Jenin, and the town of "Husan" west of the city of Bethlehem, where Israeli forces conducted their patrols in the two towns, raided and searched homes, tampered with their contents, and arrested a number of young Palestinian men.
Meanwhile, the occupation army opened fire on children collecting seasonal plants in Wadi Al-Jawaya in Masafer Yatta, after chasing them. The occupation forces stormed the town of Ya'bad in Jenin, and the town of Husan, west of Bethlehem.
The head of the Palestinian Prisoners' and Ex-Prisoners' Affairs Authority, Qaddoura Fares, announced today, Monday, that Israel has increased its repression of male and female prisoners in its prisons since the beginning of the month of Ramadan . He warned that their situation had become more dangerous than anyone could imagine. Fares explained that the escalation occurs through increasing repressive measures, such as violent beatings, insults, diminishing the dignity of prisoners, and confiscating the Qur’an from their rooms, with full government cover.
He also referred to the appointment of Kobi Yacobi, who belongs to the extreme right-wing movement, as acting director of the prison administration. The head of the Prisoners' Authority believes that Yaqubi seeks to demonstrate his loyalty and strictness through this appointment, with the aim of promotion in the future at the expense of the dignity, health and lives of the prisoners, according to the statement. Fares stressed that the lives of the prisoners are now at real risk due to the continuation of retaliatory policies that have cumulatively affected their health, especially as they enter the sixth month in this dangerous situation.
He explained that prisoners in isolation are subjected to various forms of torture and humiliation by the jailers and special units that are called to carry out operations of oppression and torture permanently in front of the prisoners’ sections and rooms, since the Al- Aqsa Flood Battle launched by the Palestinian resistance led by the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ).
Fares also pointed out that these units carry out their criminal tasks wearing black masks, and that their methods and actions are very similar to those practiced by gangs. He added that among those most targeted by these policies - in recent days - are Marwan Barghouti, the leader of the Fatah movement, who was beaten and assaulted, and Thabet Mardawi, who has been in prison for more than 22 years. Fares explained that targeting them threatens their lives.
Israel's escalation against at least 9,100 Palestinians in its prisons coincides with its devastating war on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, which resulted in the death and injury of tens of thousands of civilians, most of them children and women, and caused massive destruction and an unprecedented tragic humanitarian situation. Example, according to Palestinian and international data.
The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, Hezbollah, revealed in multiple statements that it engaged with several Israeli occupation forces posts in support of the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and their "brave and honorable resistance as well as in response to the Israeli attacks on Lebanon." Using missile weapons, the resistance fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli occupation troops in Al-Tayhat Hill, facing the Lebanese town of Mays Al-Jabal, and the Ruwaisat Al-Qarn site in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms. Lebanese Hezbollah announced that it had targeted two Israeli military sites and a gathering of soldiers with missile weapons, confirming that direct hits had been achieved. Hezbollah issued several statements stating that “in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their valiant and honorable resistance ”:
- At 7:15 p.m., the Islamic Resistance's fighters engaged the "Hadab Yarin" Israeli outpost, facing the Lebanese Southern town of Yarin using missiles.
- At 7:15 p.m., the Islamic Resistance's fighters engaged the "Birket Risha" Israeli occupation military site facing the Lebanese Southern town of Al-Bustan using missiles.
- At 05:30 pm today, Monday (Lebanon time): “The Islamic Resistance Mujahideen targeted the Bayad Blida site with artillery shells, and hit it directly.”
- At 05:05 pm today, Monday: “The Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted the Zibdin site in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms with missile weapons, and hit it directly.”
- At 05:02 pm today, Monday: “The Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted a gathering of Israeli enemy soldiers in Al-Tayhat Hill with missile weapons, and hit it directly.”
- At 05:00 pm today, Monday: “The Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted the Ruwaisat al-Qarn site in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms with missile weapons, and hit it directly.”
Operational Update - Syria / Iraq
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq conducted another anti-Israeli operation, hitting the regime's air base in the occupied Golan Heights with drones, according to a statement by the group. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of the country's anti-terror movements, announced the attack on its Telegram channel early Monday, without specifying the name of the Israeli air base.
"The fighters of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, at dawn today, Monday, 3/18/2024, targeted with drones an air base for the Zionist occupation's drones in the occupied Golan," the statement said. The group emphasized that operations against the occupying entity would increase during the holy month of Ramadan to dismantle more enemy strongholds. This strike is part of the second phase of the group's operations against the Israeli regime, showing support for the Palestinian people in Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli aggression.
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
Half of Gaza's population suffers from "catastrophic" hunger, while famine is expected to strike the northern Gaza Strip "at any time" between now and May in the absence of any urgent intervention to prevent this, according to a UN-backed food security assessment. The situation in northern Gaza is particularly difficult, and relief agencies have reported difficulties in reaching the area to distribute food and other aid. About 1.1 million Palestinians suffer from the most severe levels of food insecurity, while “famine is imminent in the northern regions and is expected to occur at any time between mid-March and May 2024,” according to the “Integrated Interim Classification of Food Security” report prepared by the United Nations and relief agencies.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, "The latest report on food insecurity in Gaza is an appalling indictment of conditions on the ground for civilians. The world’s leading experts on food insecurity clearly document that famine in the northern part of Gaza is imminent. More than half of all Palestinians in Gaza –1.1 million people– have completely exhausted their food supplies and are facing catastrophic hunger, according to the report. Palestinians in Gaza are enduring horrifying levels of hunger and suffering. This is the highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger ever recorded by the Integrated Food Security Classification system –anywhere, anytime. This is an entirely manmade disaster—and the report makes clear that it can be halted. Today’s report is Exhibit A for the need for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire.
I call on the Israeli authorities to ensure complete and unfettered access for humanitarian goods throughout Gaza and for the international community to fully support our humanitarian efforts. We must act now to prevent the unthinkable, the unacceptable and the unjustifiable.
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen said allegations that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA ) cooperated with the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) were a "blatant lie," and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others were lying to advance their own agenda. A report in the American newspaper "Politico" stated that Van Hollen said in an interview with "CBS" that "the demonization of UNRWA in relation to the Hamas attack on Israel on the seventh of last October was an attempt by Netanyahu to get rid of the agency."
The report stated that Van Hollen explained to host Margaret Brennan that there is no doubt that the claim made by Netanyahu and others that UNRWA is, in some way, an agent of Hamas is just lies. He pointed out that the person responsible for the agency's operations on the ground is a 20-year veteran of the US Army, and called on his host to make sure that he does not cooperate with Hamas, stressing that Netanyahu had wanted to get rid of UNRWA since at least 2017.
Some Republicans in Congress have called for halting funding for the agency, but Van Hollen said UNRWA's work is still necessary at a time when many Gazans are living in deplorable condition due to the ongoing Israeli war. He also said that if there were specific members of UNRWA who cooperated with Hamas in that attack, they must be held accountable.
Van Hollen recalled that the Israeli government had previously claimed that up to 14 of the International Agency's 13,000 workers participated in the "horrific" attack, saying that what should be done is to investigate the matter and hold the 14 people responsible, instead of holding them responsible. For two million innocent Palestinian civilians dying of hunger. Van Hollen met last week with the families of some of those still detained in Gaza, stressing that they were very clear that what is required now is to focus on the recovery of the detainees and a ceasefire.
EU High Representative Josep Borrell said "Gaza was before the war the greatest open-air prison. Today, it is the greatest open-air graveyard. A graveyard for tens of thousands of people, and also a graveyard for many of the most important principles of humanitarian law. This is the sad situation in Gaza." The European Union worked hard to unify the ranks of its countries regarding the Gaza war, as some of its countries strongly support Israel, while others follow a more supportive approach to the Palestinians.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz responded to Borrell, calling on him to "stop attacking Israel and recognize our right to defend ourselves in the face of Hamas' crimes." “Israel allows significant humanitarian aid to enter Gaza by land, air and sea by anyone who wants to help,” Katz wrote
The non-governmental organization Oxfam accused Israel of "deliberately" preventing the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, including food and medical equipment, in violation of international humanitarian law. Oxfam said in its report, “Despite its responsibility as an occupying power, Israel’s practices and decisions continue to systematically and deliberately obstruct and prevent any meaningful international humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip.” The NGO specifically denounced the "unfairly ineffective" aid inspection protocols, which lead to an "average of twenty days" delay in allowing trucks to enter the besieged Palestinian enclave. It also condemned "attacks against humanitarian workers, aid structures, and humanitarian convoys." Oxfam said, "The conditions we witnessed in Gaza are worse than catastrophic," at a time when the Strip is on the verge of famine.
The head of the Palestinian caretaker government, Muhammad Shtayyeh, confirmed on Monday his rejection of the presence of any foreign parties to administer the Gaza Strip , and considered this “a conspiracy that will be failed by the Palestinian people,” warning of the waterway turning from an aid crossing for Gaza into a way out for the displacement of citizens.
Shtayyeh said - in a speech during the government session in Ramallah - that there are those who want self-administration of Gaza, and there are those who are working to bring in private security companies to work in the sector, and he stressed that this represents aggression, and that the Palestinian people who “thwarted all conspiracies will also thwart these attempts.” ", according to what was reported by the Palestinian News Agency "Wafa".
The head of the Palestinian caretaker government explained that they called for international protection forces for all Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem , the West Bank and Gaza, under the banner and umbrella of the United Nations , referring to the call on donors to transfer cash sums in order to help the people in the Gaza Strip, and to hold a session “to support the Palestinian National Authority and its components.” So that the next government can work successfully,” he said.
Shtayyeh explained that there are those who want to replace what he called the political system with another system, “and we are knocking on the door of national unity now and not to face the challenges ahead,” saying, “just as we were the pioneers of the Authority’s reform program, we will work to reform all the institutions of the Palestinian people in a way that befits them and their sacrifices.”
Shtayyeh sent a call to the world to take action to stop the suffering of the people of Gaza, “and not to remain alongside Israel, the criminal state.” He pointed out that "the last call to humanity is from Rafah, the last spot waiting for death. Save Rafah, and save what remains of Gaza," and Shtayyeh stressed that "the occupation has lost all its components and has begun to collapse and is disappearing."
Palestinian factions had previously said that the Israeli occupation's plans to establish a political administration under civilian names to administer Gaza would fail in the face of the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and the resistance. Shtayyeh's statements today come after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas , last Thursday, assigned economist Muhammad Mustafa to form the new Palestinian government, 3 weeks after Shtayyeh resigned from his position.
Last Friday, the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) and Palestinian factions described the efforts to form a new Palestinian government “without national consensus” as deepening the division, and an indication of “the crisis of the PA’s leadership and the gap between it and the Palestinian people and their aspirations.”
Recently, the official Israeli Broadcasting Authority (KAN) reported that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant proposed that Palestinian Authority Intelligence Chief Majid Faraj take over the administration of Gaza temporarily, after the end of the war.
Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hussein Al-Sheikh, said in mid-December that the Palestinian Authority is the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and will be prepared to take over the administration of Gaza after the end of the Israeli war on the Strip.
Axis of Resistance
In the seventh Ramadan lecture by the leader of the revolution, Sayyed Abdul Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, Monday 8 Ramadan 1445 AH - 18 March 2024 AD, he stated that " the theory of [evolution] is ridiculous, a false theory, with no basis and no truth. It is a trivial and ridiculous theory, and it should never have been accepted by the West, and it should have spread in Western circles for decades, or for a long period, more than a matter of decades. of time, for a long period of time; While it was not based on a scientific basis from the beginning, it was just a theory, and a wrong perception, a wrong perception that is not based on facts at all, and belies the verses of God, “Glory be to Him, the Most High,” and belies the realities of reality that we see in the reality of life.
"If the theory [of evolution] was correct; It would have been continuous. When they claimed that the origin of man was a monkey, then he evolved into a human being over time, if the matter were as they say, it would continue, and the apes would constantly develop into humans and transform into human beings. After every period, a new batch would come from the monkeys to transform them into a human being. But it is a false and ridiculous theory, and has no scientific basis. It is based on the absurdities presented in the West that harm man, his origin, his role, and his responsibilities and tasks on this earth."
What has been unfolding in the Gaza Strip during nearly six months of relentless Israeli strikes illustrates the extent of the resistance front’s power, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri said. “The resistance shown by the people of Gaza for about six months under the harshest attacks of the Zionist regime indicates the extent of the resistance’s power and its great capabilities,” the top Iranian commander said in a meeting with Syria’s defense minister, held in Tehran on Monday.
Paying tribute to the defenseless people of Palestine for their epic struggle against the Israeli aggression, General Baqeri said the Zionist regime’s inhumane crimes have further disgraced its sponsors. He also slammed the Israeli airstrikes on Syria and Lebanon as proof of its failure to achieve its illegitimate objectives. The top Iranian general and the Syria defense minister also weighed plans for closer military cooperation between the two nations.
Lauding the good progress in the relations between the Iranian and Syria armed forces, Syrian Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas said the military forces of the two countries, as two members of the resistance axis, need to expand coordination in all affairs. He noted that the world has changed after the Al-Aqsa Storm operation that the resistance forces launched outside Gaza in October 2023.
The Foreign Ministry of Iran strongly condemned the Zionist regime’s brutal storming of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. The Israeli regime's military forces on Monday stormed al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City with tanks and heavy gunfire, resulting in deaths and injuries. Gaza’s Ministry of Health said about 30,000 people, including displaced civilians, wounded patients and medical staff are trapped inside the complex.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani lashed out at the Zionist regime for blatantly violating all international rules and regulations and trampling on humanitarian principles and law. He said the Israeli regime’s dark record of occupation, terror, violence, and crimes during the past seven decades has been coupled with genocide in the Gaza Strip during the past six months.
Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri, said that the Al-Aqsa flood showed everyone the weakness of the spider’s web. Admiral Tangsiri said , in a speech during a meeting with the leaders of the naval forces: In the past few months, a small group of zealous Palestinian youth stood up against the Zionists, the killers of children, and broke their empty hegemony . The flood of Al-Aqsa has shown everyone the weakness of the spider to everyone.
The Commander of the Naval Forces considered the awakening of the Islamic nation to be the fruit of 45 years of resistance, and said: The awakening of the Islamic peoples is rooted in the victory of the Islamic Revolution, and there is not much time left until this cancerous gland is eradicated.
He added: Coinciding with International Jerusalem Day, this year, heavy and light naval vessels belonging to the Revolutionary Guards Mobilization Forces, under specific command, will launch a general maneuver off the shores of the Persian Gulf, the Sea of ??Oman, and the Caspian Sea. As an expression of feelings of denunciation and anger regarding the genocidal massacres targeting Muslim children and women in Gaza, and the occupation of Palestinian lands by the murderous Zionist entity. He continued, “All boats and naval vessels participating in this maneuver will raise the flag of the Islamic Republic and the Palestinian flag, as an expression of solidarity with this oppressed people.”
Nasser Kanaani, spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed in a post on the “X” platform that the Zionist entity has lost the future forever. Kanaani wrote the goal of completely eliminating Hamas is off the agenda, and we have not recovered the prisoners either...”
Kanaani added, the Zionist entity not only lost the war in the Gaza Strip , but also lost “ the future ” forever. The Zionist entity will have no place in world public opinion. This false entity killed 31,000 people, including 22,000 women and children, in the Gaza Strip within 5 months. But by killing every Palestinian person, the Palestine issue returned to the forefront, became more vital, and regained its place in the world. World public opinion More than before.
He continued, “The Zionist entity and its supporters must know - and they know - that they do not stand against Hamas, but rather against a historical, authentic and deeply rooted people called the people of Palestine.” Kanaani stressed that there is no doubt that the future belongs to Palestine, and the eternal shame and bad reputation of the Israeli entity.
Kanaani strongly condemned the brutal aggression carried out by the Zionist entity in attacking and occupying Al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip, and the crimes committed by the soldiers of this entity against the medical staff, patients and wounded in this hospital. Kanaani said in his statement, “Unfortunately, this is not the first time that the world has witnessed the bitter reality of the Zionist entity flagrantly violating all international laws and regulations, launching an attack on hospitals and killing, injuring or capturing medical staff, the sick and the wounded, and violating the most basic principles of humanity and human rights.” International.
He added; During the past seventy years, occupation, terrorism, violence, captivity and crime have been the main form of the power structure and policy of the Zionist entity, and during the past six months, all of these cases, in addition to genocide, have come together in the operational plan of this entity in the Gaza Strip .
He continued, “What happened in the Sabra and Shatila camps in recent years, and in Qana and the Lebanese suburb, and what is happening now in the Gaza Strip, is only a small part of the black record of the Zionists, which did not only receive an appropriate reaction from the international community, but also the support of some countries.” The well-known West served as the basis for the increase in Zionist violence and crime against the oppressed and occupied Palestinian people.
He added; In recent months, the Zionist genocidal machine has not hesitated to commit any brutal act against the wild Palestinian people in the largest open-air prison in the world, and hospitals, medical centers and medical workers have been subjected to brutal attacks as they are considered military targets. He added that the painful tragedy that Gaza witnessed in recent months is taking place before the eyes of the entire world, while in all wars and conflicts, hospitals and patients enjoy the protection of international laws and regulations and are considered areas that cannot be attacked or exposed. However, to the shock of the world, Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza was attacked several times by the terrorist army of the Israeli entity, and its medical staff, patients and wounded were killed and kidnapped.
Kanaani stressed the responsibility of the international community towards the painful situation experienced by Palestine, especially the Gaza Strip, and once again called on the United Nations and the Security Council to fulfill their duty and international responsibility to prevent the continuation of war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation.
Hamas insists on liberating all prisoners, or at least prisoners serving long life sentences as part of its strategy to achieve strategic victory, as Zvi Barel, a writer in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, says. Baril says that the main demand put forward by Hamas throughout the negotiations regarding the exchange of Israeli and Palestinian prisoners was for Israel to declare a permanent ceasefire, withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip, and prepare for reconstruction.
Not only does Hamas insist that the relevant regional players - Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates - ensure that these demands are met, but the United States does so openly as well. According to Israeli sources and mediators, Hamas showed flexibility to divide this demand into two stages. The first phase entails a 6-week ceasefire, during which Israeli occupation forces withdraw from the Rashid and Salah al-Din roads (not all of Gaza).
As Hamas originally demanded) so that the residents of northern Gaza can return to their homes comfortably, the second requires a permanent ceasefire. This would allow the resumption of negotiations on Monday, March 18, in Qatar, but Hamas has not officially announced anything about this. At the same time, says Israeli writer Barel, it is not clear what will be the fate of the Israeli request for Hamas to provide a detailed list of the names of living and dead prisoners.
About two weeks ago, Netanyahu prevented the Israeli delegation from leaving for Egypt until the list was received. A week ago, CIA Director William Burns proposed a short ceasefire in exchange for the list, an offer rejected by Hamas, which said that Israel would have to "pay a very heavy price" for this information. However, this request, like Hamas's other initial conditions, is part of its well-known tactic of “negotiating negotiations,” which it uses as a way to keep talks alive on subsidiary issues while the main points of contention threaten to collapse them.
These issues come together in three intertwined "packages" that cannot be separated from Hamas' point of view. The first is a list of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons whose release it demands. Israeli sources say that the dispute does not revolve around the number of prisoners, but rather their “quality.” Israel has agreed in principle to Hamas's demand that in exchange for the release of Israeli women, children, the elderly and the sick, 50 Palestinian prisoners will be released for every female soldier held by Hamas.
But Hamas also demands that 30 of these prisoners be sentenced to life imprisonment. In past deals, Hamas's main goal was to free prisoners and achieve an achievement. But this time, the release of prisoners forms part of the image of strategic victory that the movement seeks to paint.
Moreover, the Israeli writer says that Hamas aims to lay the foundations that will enable it to control the political structure of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority in the future. Therefore, it will insist on demanding the release of Marwan Barghouti, for example, who is serving a life sentence and enjoys broad popular support, and who may succeed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
This is not a new demand on the part of Hamas, as it was raised in previous prisoner exchange deals, but Israel rejected it without causing the negotiations to collapse. But this time, as Hamas fights for its political and military survival, and while the United States and Arab powers seek to create a new Palestinian authority to govern Gaza, it is crucial that Barghouti be among the prisoners to be released.
Baril says that Barghouti is not only the “hope” of Hamas, but he is the leader that most of the Palestinian public considers the best person to head a Palestinian authority, or perhaps the only person capable of doing so, and who enjoys sufficient international legitimacy to enable the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Hamas will achieve a strategic achievement, and if Hamas succeeds in releasing Barghouti, this will constitute a strategic achievement whose importance is difficult to exaggerate, as Baril says. For the same reason, Israel will continue to oppose his release. The question now is how far Hamas might be willing to go to achieve this goal, and whether Barghouti's release will lead to the success or failure of the hostage deal.
The answer to this lies partly in the reward that Hamas will receive in the second part of the deal. In addition to the release of prisoners, it ultimately demands a commitment backed by guarantees for complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and reconstruction. According to reports published by Arab media this weekend, Hamas is already demanding, in the first phase of the partial Israeli withdrawal - that is, the second phase of the prisoner exchange, the scope of which has not yet been agreed upon - the reconstruction of the northern Gaza Strip.
This will include bringing about 60,000 mobile homes and containers and thousands of additional tents for displaced residents returning to northern Gaza. The scope of humanitarian aid will also increase significantly, reaching more than 500 trucks per day, along with adequate supplies of medicines and medical equipment, the opening of all border crossings to goods, and a 3-year plan to fully rebuild the Strip, all sponsored by Qatar and Egypt. However, neither Israel nor Hamas can answer the questions regarding who will manage the reconstruction process, not only in its final phase, but also in the phase that will be implemented in the first part of the ceasefire agreement.
The head of the Baalbek-Hermel bloc and member of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, MP Hussein Haj Hassan, confirmed that the axis of resistance is at the height of its strength, pointing to “the major differences occurring in the Zionist entity.” In his speech during a political meeting organized by Hezbollah in the town of Rayak in the Bekaa Valley , Hajj Hassan spoke about the importance of the month of Ramadan and the keenness to seize its opportunities, stressing the necessity of commemorating International Jerusalem Day on the last Friday of the holy month. Hajj Hassan concluded his speech by referring to the approved budget and its positive points.
Allied for Democracy
A new survey conducted by the Jewish People’s Policy Institute revealed that two-thirds of Israelis think that the IDF should attack Hezbollah with full force. According to the survey, 63% of Israelis believe that Israel should attack Hezbollah with full force at the first available opportunity or after the war. Of those surveyed, 79% of the Israeli public believes there is no chance for peace with the Palestinians, and 44% think that the government, the IDF, and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) have equal and shared responsibility for the October 7 failure. Approximately 29% believe that Hezbollah should be attacked in Lebanon as soon as possible, 34% support an attack in Lebanon after the end of the campaign in Gaza, and 28% prefer continuing to strive for a political arrangement that will prevent military escalation in the north.
American journalist and writer Thomas Friedman said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will go down in history as the worst leader in Jewish history. He said in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, "I will be honest, I think this is the worst government that Israel has ever seen. I believe that Netanyahu will go down in history as the worst leader in Jewish history, and not just in Israeli history."
He added, "I will not allow this Israeli government to be waiters at my grandson's coming-of-age party. They are truly incompetent," referring to the failure of the Netanyahu government to manage the war on Gaza . Friedman criticized the government's refusal to make any kind of plan for the morning after the war. He considered that if Israel entered into a partnership with the Palestinian Authority to form two states for two peoples, it could solve 3 of its current problems: changing the narrative, changing Gaza’s options, and strengthening the regional alliance with its Arab allies.
Friedman, a writer for the American newspaper The New York Times, described the Israeli war on Gaza as the real World War II. He said, “When the Ukraine war broke out, I said: This is actually World War I.” The war we call "World War I" was not a world war. Friedman added, explaining that the Ukraine war was World War I because people could follow it on their smartphones, and they could express their opinions about it, and the agricultural impact was immediate, there was an impact on food prices, and it was a real world war. He continued, "I claim that Israel's war on Gaza is in fact World War II. Everyone in the world has an opinion about it, follows it, and is affected by it. It affects classrooms everywhere."
Friedman rejected that Israel's crimes in Gaza were genocide. "I find that horrific, I think that's wrong. I don't think this is genocide . But I think it's a terrible war in which a very large number of civilians were killed, but I don't think it was intentional," he said. He believed that the case of South Africa against Israel in the International Court of Justice is a clear indication that Israel launched a war without any kind of political vision or strategic plans for the future, thus exposing itself to accusations that it is committing genocide.
Friedman concluded the interview with two stark warnings: The first is for the Americans: Do not re-elect (former US President Donald) Trump , and the second is for the Israelis: Vote to oust Netanyahu and his coalition government. “I believe that if Netanyahu survives this war and Trump is re-elected, the world that I want to leave to my new grandchildren will no longer exist,” Friedman said.
Amid the series of ongoing disputes within the Israeli government, and between the political and military levels in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to challenge internal and external opponents, in an attempt to save himself from the Gaza impasse. The head of the Department of Political Science at Hebron University, Dr. Bilal Al-Shobaki, confirms that Netanyahu, despite the dilemmas he faces, still enjoys the support of an extreme right-wing street, in addition to being aware of the weaknesses of his opponents, meaning that the right’s threats to pressure him are in fact empty because they are concerned with survival. In the government he leads.
As for the other opponents, such as the Minister in the Israeli War Council, Benny Gantz , and the opposition leader, Yair Lapid , they are all investing in the current scene, and therefore there is no need for them to turn the tables on Netanyahu.
As for Netanyahu’s weaknesses, they are represented in the state of division within the Israeli War Council. At the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip , this council was a symbol of Israeli unity, but today it has become a burden on Netanyahu, as Al-Shobaki said in his interview with the program “Gaza... What Next?” On Al Jazeera channel.
According to the Palestinian writer and political analyst, Ahmed Al-Haila, Netanyahu has 64 seats in the Knesset thanks to the support of the extreme right-wing parties, and this number may jump to 68 if a consensus occurs between him and Israeli Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who broke up his political partnership with Gantz.
Regarding whether Netanyahu’s dispute with the US administration would help him at home, Al-Haila explained that the Israeli Prime Minister took it upon himself to confront the administration of President Joe Biden , especially after US intelligence said that he - that is, Netanyahu - had become untrustworthy among Israeli public opinion, and called for The idea of ??early elections in Israel. He did not rule out that the dispute between Netanyahu and the Biden administration would have an impact on the upcoming negotiation process with the Palestinian resistance regarding the exchange deal.
Netanyahu - adds the Palestinian writer and political analyst - wants to maintain the sustainability of the state of war in Gaza, because it enables him to continue in the government, and he may show some kind of flexibility regarding the issue of humanitarian relief in Gaza to ease internal pressures and pressures from the Americans.
However, the problem that will continue to confront the Prime Minister of Israel - as Al-Hila says - relates to the Israeli prisoners held by the Palestinian resistance who he failed to liberate by force, and therefore he is trying through negotiations to pressure the Palestinian resistance movement ( Hamas ) to accept some deal that stipulates its acceptance after a sustainable cessation of the war. He will market this matter within the Israeli scene... but will Hamas accept that?
In the estimation of the head of the Department of Political Science at Hebron University, the United States needs to put pressure on the deep institutions rooted in Israel, such as the Internal Security Services ( Shin Bet ) and the Intelligence Services ( Mossad ). He stressed that the Americans' pressure on Netanyahu personally is useless, because he is trying to use this matter to his advantage, as he tells his supporters on the extreme right that the American ally left him halfway.
It is noteworthy that Netanyahu rejected - today, Sunday - an American call to hold early elections. In an interview with CNN, he commented on the severe criticism directed at him by the leader of the Democratic majority in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, last Thursday. Schumer called - in a speech to Congress - for new elections in Israel and described the Israeli Prime Minister as an obstacle. In front of peace, and later US President Biden praised his speech and described it as good.
Israeli Army Radio had announced that the Chief of Staff would conduct - today, Monday - a campaign of appointments in the army for officers with the rank of colonel, including the appointment of 52 new officers, including two in sensitive positions related to their direct relationship to the war in Gaza and the October 7 failure of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Launched by the Palestinian resistance led by the Al-Qassam Brigades. Israeli Army Radio said that the two positions are the army's Southern Command intelligence officer, and the head of the Coordination and Liaison Department, who is responsible for bringing aid into Gaza.
Hebrew media reported that the Israeli War Council session yesterday evening, Sunday, witnessed a sharp disagreement regarding the issue of appointments in the Israeli army. The Hebrew channel "N12" reported that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich criticized the issue of appointments, saying: "The Israeli army and those heading it have failed, not only at the tactical and operational level, but also at the intellectual level." Halevy says that stopping appointments will harm his work, but Smotrich, in return, accused the chiefs of staff of the Israeli army of failure and called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to intervene to prevent the upcoming military appointments.
Smotrich said in a letter to Netanyahu that preoccupation with appointments during the war is very dangerous, because it means forming the army according to the vision of the current chiefs of staff who have failed in their mission, adding that the current leadership of the army has only one mandate, which is to win the war, he said.
Smotrich added: "The general staff is the one who shapes the character of the leaders, and the current round of appointments must be carried out by the next general staff. This general staff has failed, so there is only support for him to use force." Smotrich continued his criticism by demanding: "It is not possible for the police commissioner not to be able to make appointments."
In turn, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir entered the line and attacked Defense Minister Yoav Gallant , according to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, which said that he attacked his behavior and considered that he was working independently of the government, reminding Netanyahu that he was Gallant’s boss and that “it is unreasonable for him to let him do this.” Whatever he wants,” the newspaper reported.
For his part, Defense Minister Yoav Galant responded to Smotrich, saying: “If you address this, then look at reality completely. How can the Israeli army, which failed, rise from the most difficult place and act as a role model? The Israeli army is achieving the achievements that we are proud of... You are harming security.” Israel is undermining the security system for political reasons only. This is always dangerous, especially during war, allowing anyone to turn the Israeli army into a militia in the service of this official or another.”
Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter and War Council Minister Benny Gantz joined Gallant in criticizing Smotrich. Gantz accused Smotrich of delegitimizing the army, while Dichter said: “The most important infrastructure for the Israeli army is appointing leaders, especially after October 7, and you are harming this.” While Minister Shasha Biton added: “All you care about is politics.”
For his part, Prime Minister Netanyahu joined Gallant's position by saying: "No party can interfere with appointments." Another controversy occurred in the cabinet session after National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir attacked the government's judicial advisor, Galli Bhara Meara, during the session. During the meeting, Ben Gvir raised the issue of appointments in the police, and asked why senior commanders could be appointed in the army but a similar round of appointments could not be made in the police.
Yitzhak Brik, a retired IDF major general from the occupation army, said, “We lost the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and the home front is not prepared for a wide regional war.” He added, in an article in the Hebrew newspaper Maariv, that "You cannot lie to many people for a long time. What is happening in the Gaza Strip and against Hezbollah in Lebanon will explode in our faces sooner or later, and then the truth will be revealed with all its secrets." He warned that the occupation's internal front is not prepared for a regional war that would be thousands of times more difficult and dangerous than the war in the Gaza Strip.
He pointed out that occupation soldiers "are killed and seriously injured every day by booby traps and explosives when they enter booby-trapped houses, without any inspection and without taking appropriate measures before entering." He described the occupation chief of staff, Halevy, as disconnected from reality and lost control of the land a long time ago. He even appointed colonels and lieutenants in his likeness and image.
He added: "This is the most dangerous scandal since the founding of the army. The Chief of Staff has failed and it is the most serious failure since the founding of the state. Instead of taking responsibility for it and resigning, he decided to reinforce the generation of chaos and failure that he heads with his generals who are partners in the failure." He believed that if the military and political levels continued in this manner, "we will find ourselves in a much worse situation than the situation was before the start of the attack on the Gaza Strip."
He added: "We will lose the achievements we have achieved, we will not achieve the two goals of the war, and we will continue to pay a very high price for the loss of our soldiers even in the areas that we declared to be under our control." He explained: "We have lost the war with Hamas, and we are losing our allies in the world at an astonishing rate. The goal of completely eliminating Hamas has been removed from the agenda, and we have not returned the kidnapped people alive yet."
The former general added: “The maneuver in Gaza, which was cheered by the entire people of Israel, did not stand the test and did not achieve the result that everyone had hoped for.” He added: "The soldiers fought bravely, but the Minister of the Army and the Chief of Staff managed the war with a tactical vision and not a strategic vision, and the war cannot be won only in tactical battles." He stressed, "If we are not able to return some of the kidnapped people alive, this war will enter the public consciousness as the worst failure in Israel's wars since its founding, whether in terms of the terrible blow we received from Hamas on October 7 or the painful failure to fight in the Gaza Strip." Gaza".
An army, whose soldiers are stuck in the sands of Gaza, and whose leaders are lost between negotiating decisions and attempts to continue the military operation, in light of internal and external pressures; The American newspaper, The Wall Street Journal , considered that the Israeli army is detained in the Gaza Strip . Despite its intention to enter the city of Rafah in the south, it is practically unable to do so without providing safe exits for more than one and a half million civilians gathered in the city.
The newspaper considered that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approval of the plans to attack Rafah carries potential risks for the already tense relationship with the United States. Relationships that President Biden described at the beginning of the Israeli aggression as unbreakable, but American support for Netanyahu quickly eroded. Biden showed erosion by supporting the call for new elections in the entity to succeed Netanyahu.
On the other hand, the army reduced its military divisions stationed throughout Gaza to one division. The IDF moved to focus on destroying Hamas’ infrastructure, a daunting task that could take an entire year, according to Israeli military personnel, while the newspaper considered that the ongoing operations indicate the extent of the difficulty that Tel Aviv may face in attempts to subjugate Hamas, with Hamas’ strategy shifting from continuous defense. To set up ambushes and disrupt Israeli forces.
The Israeli government appears to be in a real dilemma, according to Israeli experts, while Netanyahu is living perhaps his worst nightmare, in light of the conflict between his personal interests and the interests of the White House administration in entering the city of Rafah under any circumstances and at any price.
American sources revealed that President Joe Biden's administration admitted, in a secret meeting at the White House, that Israel repeatedly bombed buildings in the Gaza Strip without confirming that they were purely military targets. According to what the Washington Post reported from sources, senior American officials admitted in a private meeting at the White House in October 2023 that the Israeli army carried out attacks without having reliable information about the legitimacy of the selected targets.
In addition, a panel of foreign policy officials from current and previous US administrations also discussed Israel's apparent lack of a plan to "defeat Hamas." A source familiar with the meeting told the newspaper: “We did not have a clear understanding at all that Israel had a military goal that could be achieved. From the beginning there was a feeling that we did not know how Israel would implement what it thought it would do.” As the newspaper points out, the meeting, which was not previously announced publicly, indicates that the contradictions between the Joe Biden administration’s true position toward Israel’s actions and its official declared position arose much earlier than it was revealed to the public.
Senior security officials in Tel Aviv are concerned that the United States may slow arms shipments to Israel, Israel Hayom reported. According to sources familiar with the details: “Since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas (October 7), there has been no slowdown in arms shipments by Washington to Israel, but in recent days concerns have increased about their supplies amid growing tension between senior Biden administration officials and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.” Regarding the war effort in the Gaza Strip.
According to the sources, “The United States can ostensibly conduct business as usual, but in reality it slows down shipments by creating numerous bureaucratic hurdles without explicitly saying that it is delaying deliveries.” Since the beginning of the war, more than 300 aircraft and about 50 ships carrying ammunition and military equipment containing about 35,000 tons of weapons systems, ammunition and other weapons have arrived in Israel, according to the Hebrew newspaper.
The newspaper revealed that "a small portion of the shipments come from several countries around the world, but the main supplier was and remains the United States. Arms shipments and clear American support for Israel have allowed the Israeli army to fight in Gaza during the past five months while maintaining its readiness for war in the north." .
Israel Hayom said: “The concern of the security establishment in Israel over this issue has increased in recent days amid what appears to be a shift in policy from the White House, which is trying to distinguish between its support for the State of Israel and its citizens and its support for the Netanyahu government.”
Several days ago, the Democratic leader in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, said, “Netanyahu lost his way and put himself in a coalition with right-wing extremists like Ben Gvir, and called for new elections in Israel.” Schumer later received support from Biden, who said he "gave a good speech." Netanyahu responded in the US media and Sunday by emphasizing in the Cabinet session that “in the international community there are those who are trying to stop the war now before all its goals are achieved. They are doing so through an effort to hold elections, and now in the midst of war.”
He added, in a not-so-veiled criticism of the United States: “To our friends in the international community, I say: Is your memory so short? Have you forgotten so quickly on October 7, the most horrific massacre committed against the Jews since the Holocaust?” According to the newspaper. The newspaper added: “Despite Netanyahu’s words, Israeli officials realize that they must maintain American support, and they cannot continue fighting in Gaza and prepare for war in the north without American arms shipments.”
The White House said that US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held telephone discussions on Monday, which discussed developments in the war and humanitarian aid provided to Gaza. This is the first call between Biden and Netanyahu in more than a month, after the last time on February 15, amid increasing disagreements over Israel’s management of the war. The White House said in a statement on Monday that they "discussed the latest developments in Israel and Gaza, including the situation in Rafah and efforts to increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza."
A statement by Netanyahu said that he spoke with Biden about achieving the goals of the Gaza war and providing the necessary humanitarian aid. The Israeli Prime Minister said, in a recorded video: “I spoke with the President of the United States, Joe Biden, about the latest developments in the war, including Israel’s commitment to achieving all the goals of the war: eliminating Hamas, releasing all hostages, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.” Now, with the provision of the necessary humanitarian aid that helps achieve these goals.”
Biden warned against the attack on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, saying, “Israel should not carry out a military operation in Rafah without an honest plan to protect more than a million refugee citizens there.” Biden's comments came amid United Nations warnings of an imminent famine in Gaza. Amid disagreements over the management of the war, Netanyahu rejected pressure from Washington, and recently confirmed that Israel would proceed with its plans to launch an attack on Rafah.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Monday that Israel will send a team to discuss the possible operation in Rafah. Sullivan explained that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed US President Joe Biden in a phone call today that he would send a joint team to Washington to discuss the possible military operation in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. Sullivan added in a press conference, “Biden expressed to Netanyahu his concern about the possible Israeli attack on Rafah, and stressed the United States’ support for Israel’s security.”
The US National Security Advisor pointed out that “Rafah is an important point for aid crossing, and attacking it will stop this aid,” describing the United Nations report on the famine in the Gaza Strip as “worrying.” He said, "The number of innocent civilians who have died in the current conflict is more than in all of Gaza's wars combined," and pointed out that "Hamas can end the crisis tomorrow if it wants to." He added, "Reaching a ceasefire agreement is more difficult than the United States had hoped."
Sullivan also underscored that the U.S. recognizes Israel's security concerns and is open to discussing alternative strategies to achieve its objectives in Rafah. Biden suggested sending an interagency team to Washington to explore alternative approaches targeting key Hamas elements and securing the Egypt-Gaza border without resorting to a major ground invasion. Sullivan highlighted Netanyahu's willingness to engage in discussions, stating, "Obviously, [Netanyahu] has his own point of view on a Rafah operation, but he agreed that he would send a team to Washington to have this discussion, and we look forward to those discussions."
Operation Iron Swords - By the Numbers
- 73,792 Gazans injured, 28% adult male
- 40,000 Gazans killed, including buried under rubble
- 33,000 Gaza targets attacked
- 31,726 Gazans martyred
- 15,000 rocket launched from Gaza
- 14,793 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 under the rubble
- 7,500 arrested by Israelis in the West Bank since Oct.7th
- 6,000 HAMAS combatants killed [HAMAS]
- 5,500 IDF wounded [reports]
- 4,700 West Bank Palestinians wounded
- 3,484 administrative detainees
- 3,400 wanted persons arrested throughout Judea and Samaria
- 3,079 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
- 591 Israeli officers and soldiers killed
- 433 West Bank Palestinians martyred
- 249 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.
Abraham Wyner, Professor of Statistics and Data Science at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, reported 06 March 2024 that : "While the evidence is not dispositive, it is highly suggestive that a process unconnected or loosely connected to reality was used to report the numbers.... Another red flag, raised by Salo Aizenberg and written about extensively, is that if 70% of the casualties are women and children and 25% of the population is adult male, then either Israel is not successfully eliminating Hamas fighters or adult male casualty counts are extremely low. This by itself strongly suggests that the numbers are at a minimum grossly inaccurate and quite probably outright faked.... Taken together, Hamas is reporting not only that 70% of casualties are women and children but also that 20% are fighters. This is not possible unless Israel is somehow not killing noncombatant men, or else Hamas is claiming that almost all the men in Gaza are Hamas fighters....
"Israel estimates that at least 12,000 fighters have been killed. If that number proves to be even reasonably accurate, then the ratio of noncombatant casualties to combatants is remarkably low: at most 1.4 to 1 and perhaps as low as 1 to 1. By historical standards of urban warfare, where combatants are embedded above and below into civilian population centers, this is a remarkable and successful effort to prevent unnecessary loss of life while fighting an implacable enemy that protects itself with civilians."
This makes perfect sense under a third possibility, namely that the IDF doing a really good job of targeting male combatants, most of whom are in proximity to their families. There are no HAMAS barracks, so everyone lives at home, en famille. Co-habiting extended families are common [hence reports of dozens of family members killed in a single strike]. The HAMAS battalions are organized by neighborhoods, so it would not be surprising that multiple HAMAS combatants live in a single building. So casualties structured as one male combatant, one female cohabitant, and two children are approximately consistent with both expectations and reports.
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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