The Hebrew Broadcasting Authority reported on Monday evening that the ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredim) threatened Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with supporting the dissolution of the Knesset (parliament) and going to early elections, unless he accelerates the pace of discussions on a bill that exempts them from conscription.

Previously, the parties "Shas" (11 MKs) and "Yahadut Hatorah" (7 MKs), which represent the "Haredim", threatened to topple the government if the conscription law is not passed, which could lead to early elections, while the current Knesset's term ends in October 2026.

The governing coalition, including the Haredim, holds 68 seats in the Knesset out of 120, and needs at least 61 seats to remain in power.

The "Haredim" continue their protests against conscription in the army following the Supreme Court's decision on June 25, 2024, obligating them to conscript and preventing the provision of financial aid to religious institutions whose students refuse military service.

The "Haredim" constitute about 13 percent of Israel's population of 10 million people, and they refuse military service on the grounds of dedicating their lives to studying the Torah, asserting that integration into secular society poses a threat to their religious identity and the continuity of their community.

The authority stated on Monday evening that the Haredi MKs (18 out of 120) threatened to support dissolving the Knesset if the pace of discussions on the conscription law is not accelerated.

It added that they clarified in a letter delivered to Netanyahu's office on Monday "that if the pace is not accelerated, they will not only withhold support for the budget, but will also push for elections".

The authority noted that the possibility of voting on the law to dissolve the Knesset was only brought up for a vote this week, due to the parliamentary rule that prohibits re-proposing any motion rejected in the general vote for voting on it for 6 months.

It explained that "only now have 6 months passed since the vote that was rejected on the eve of the attack on Iran".

On June 12, the Knesset rejected by a majority of 61 MKs against 53 in favor a bill proposed by the opposition to dissolve the Knesset, and thus organize early legislative elections.

On Thursday, the broadcasting authority reported that Netanyahu said during his meeting with MKs from the "Yahadut Hatorah" (Jewish Torah) party to discuss the exemption from conscription issue, that going to elections "would be a mistake".

At the time, Netanyahu said: "The conscription law must be explained to the public, and I believe there will be no more than two or three opponents from the coalition in the end. We will be required to complete this legislation as soon as possible", according to the same source.

For about two weeks, the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee has been discussing the conscription bill proposed by the committee chairman Boaz Bismut from the Likud party led by Netanyahu.

The bill stipulates "the possibility of granting annual deferments from conscription to students of religious institutions who are fully dedicated to study and do not engage in any other profession, and it removed several clauses from a previous version that aimed to ensure the actual commitment of those registered in religious institution studies to the study", according to the "Times of Israel" newspaper.

According to the newspaper, "several members of the ruling coalition, in addition to the opposition, criticized the bill, saying it contains loopholes and ineffective penalties that do not encourage conscription".

Over the decades, the "Haredim" have managed to avoid conscription upon reaching 18 years of age by obtaining repeated deferments on the pretext of studying in religious institutions, until reaching the exemption age, which is currently 26 years.

The United Nations General Assembly -today, Monday- adopted by an overwhelming majority a resolution affirming the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.

It stated that 164 countries in the United Nations General Assembly voted in favor of a resolution affirming the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, while 8 countries voted against it, namely Israel, the United States, Micronesia, Argentina, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, Palau, and Nauru.

9 countries abstained from voting, namely Ecuador, Togo, Tonga, Panama, Fiji, Cameroon, Marshall Islands, Samoa, and South Sudan.

The resolution in its text refers to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice dated July 2024, which states that "the continued existence of the State of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory is illegal," emphasizing that Palestinians have "the right to self-determination" and that "Israeli settlements established on occupied lands must be evacuated."

The Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, praised the UN resolution and the vote in its favor.

The UN resolution comes after two years of a genocide war launched by Israel on Gaza since October 8, 2023, resulting in the martyrdom of more than 70,000 Palestinians and injuring more than 171,000 in the Gaza Strip, most of them children and women.

Simultaneously, the Israeli army killed 1,096 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, injured about 11,000 others, in addition to arresting more than 21,000.

For decades, Israel has occupied lands in Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon, and refuses to withdraw from them and establish an independent Palestinian state, with its capital in East Jerusalem, on the borders before the 1967 war.

The United Nations announced that Israel continues to obstruct the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip despite the harsh winter conditions, and warned of the increasing risk of newborns freezing due to the cold.

This came from the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Farhan Haq, on Monday, during his daily press conference.

Haq explained that the United Nations and its partners continue to work to deliver aid to the "most vulnerable" Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip.

He said: "Staff from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warn that the needs, amid the ongoing obstacles they face, still exceed the capacity of humanitarian workers to respond."

Haq pointed out that the heavy rains and extremely cold weather in recent days have worsened the situation, noting the increased risk of hypothermia in newborns, and that special aid kits are being distributed to combat freezing cases.

He clarified that during the past week, 3,800 tents and 4,600 tarpaulins were distributed, confirming the continuation of delivering packages that include, in addition to shelter supplies, basic food items and hygiene materials.

However, Haq added: "Nevertheless, our partners have been forced since Friday to reduce the scope of aid provided through these packages, due to restrictions that affect our ability to deliver sufficient quantities of aid."

He also referred to efforts to establish temporary educational spaces benefiting 5,000 children, as part of efforts to improve children's access to education in Gaza, but emphasized that attempts to return children to normal education remain limited due to Israel's prevention of importing educational materials.

He warned again of the continuation of obstacles that hinder the ability of teams from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to accelerate and expand the humanitarian response, stressing the necessity of removing these obstacles so that the United Nations and its partners can reach all those in need.

On Thursday, the Director-General of the Health Ministry in Gaza, Munir al-Barsh, announced the death of the infant Rahaf Abu Jazzar in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern sector due to the cold and her tent flooding with rainwater.

Since Wednesday, thousands of tents sheltering survivors of the Israeli genocide over two years in Gaza have turned into pools of water, flooding beds, clothes, and food, leaving hundreds of families exposed to harsh conditions without warmth or shelter, amid a tragic reality exacerbated by the lack of life essentials.

Most displaced people take shelter in dilapidated tents, while the Government Media Office in Gaza estimated at the end of September last year that the percentage of tents no longer habitable in the sector reached about 93 percent, amounting to 125,000 tents out of 135,000.

Despite the end of the genocide war with the ceasefire taking effect on October 10 last year, the living reality for Palestinians in Gaza has not improved due to the strict restrictions imposed by Israel on the entry of aid trucks, thus violating the humanitarian protocol of the agreement.

Over nearly two years of genocide, tens of thousands of tents were damaged by Israeli bombing that hit them directly or targeted their surroundings, while some deteriorated due to natural factors such as high summer heat and winter winds.

The ceasefire agreement ended a genocide war launched by Israel on October 8, 2023, lasting two years, leaving more than 70,000 Palestinian deaths and over 171,000 injured, and massive destruction affecting 90 percent of civilian infrastructure, with initial losses estimated at $70 billion.

On Monday, Lebanon and the European Union expressed their concern over Israel's ongoing violations of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon, and called on Tel Aviv to "withdraw from Lebanese territories and respect international humanitarian law".

This came in a joint statement issued after the ninth meeting of the Partnership Council between the European Union and Lebanon in the Belgian capital, Brussels, attended by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the Union, Kaja Kallas, and Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajeh.

In the statement, both sides renewed "their commitment to strengthening the bilateral partnership and supporting the partnership agreement and its priorities".

According to the statement, "the European Union reiterated its support for the reforms launched by the new Lebanese authorities under President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam", calling for "the necessity of disarming all illegal armed groups and implementing UN Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 1701".

Resolution 1701, issued on August 11, 2006, calls for an end to combat operations between "Hezbollah" and Israel at the time, and the establishment of a weapons-free zone between the Blue Line and the Litani River in southern Lebanon, except for the Lebanese army and the UNIFIL peacekeeping force.

On August 5, the Lebanese Council of Ministers approved the monopolization of weapons by the state, including those held by "Hezbollah", and tasked the army with developing and implementing a plan before the end of 2025.

However, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem has said on more than one occasion that the party rejects this and demands the withdrawal of the Israeli army from all Lebanese territories.

Both sides expressed "their concern over Israel's ongoing violations of the ceasefire", calling on Tel Aviv to "withdraw from Lebanese territories and respect international humanitarian law".

Israel has killed more than 4,000 people and injured nearly 17,000 others during its aggression on Lebanon, which it launched in October 2023, before turning it into a full-scale war in September 2024.

It has also breached the ceasefire agreement in effect since November 27, 2024, more than 4,500 times, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries, in addition to its occupation of 5 Lebanese hills it seized in the recent war, plus other areas it has occupied for decades.

The joint statement mentioned that the two sides also discussed the file of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

The European Union renewed its commitment to support Lebanon and "work towards a voluntary, safe, and dignified return of refugees to Syria", according to the same source.

According to UN estimates, more than 378,000 Syrian refugees have returned from Lebanon to their country since the overthrow of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024.

The spokesperson for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Jonathan Crickx, warned of extremely alarming humanitarian conditions faced by children in the Gaza Strip, amid the low-pressure weather system and poor weather conditions, emphasizing that the scale of needs is extremely large.

Crickx confirmed that the real need lies in fully rebuilding homes using concrete for those living in tents, stressing the necessity of providing suitable shelter that preserves the dignity of Gazans and their children.

He added that the heavy rains cause water to enter the tents, exposing children to greater risks of illness and its spread.

In this context, he reported that hundreds of displaced people's tents have been flooded with the renewed heavy rains on the Palestinian sector, which is besieged by the Israeli occupation and where more than half its area is occupied after two years of genocide war.

He explained that the situation of the displaced in the sector is worsening amid the deep low-pressure system, heavy rains, and strong winds, describing the situation as catastrophic.

On the sidelines of his visit to Gaza City today, the UN spokesperson in Palestine said he saw barefoot children completely soaked in cold weather and low temperatures, noting that most of these children live inside tents under extremely difficult living conditions.

According to the spokesperson, these children suffer from cold symptoms, in addition to major difficulties related to personal hygiene, as they cannot bathe, describing the scene as extremely saddening.

He pointed out that while on the coastal road, he saw tents uprooted by the winds, at a time when families and their children were trying to hold onto them, considering that this makes the situation extremely alarming.

According to Crickx, his visit to Gaza came as part of UNICEF distributing winter clothes to try to keep children warm, including jackets, shoes, hats, and gloves.

However, he emphasized that the scale of needs far exceeds what has been provided, given the large number of children living in tents and the destruction of most buildings, confirming the need to double the quantities of warm clothing and deliver more aid.

He also said that UNICEF's efforts are not limited to distributing winter clothes, noting that the organization has also distributed 600,000 blankets, 7,000 tents, in addition to protective plastic sheets, but he acknowledged that these quantities are not sufficient given the scale of needs and the difficulty of the task under current conditions.

Several areas in Gaza have witnessed the flooding of hundreds of tents due to rainfall over the past few days, and displaced people in the tents lived in a tragic situation due to the incapacity and lack of means of the civil defense.

The Government Media Office in Gaza said that 12 people have died or are missing due to bad weather conditions in recent days, and that at least 13 buildings have collapsed, and 27,000 tents have been flooded.

The agenda of US President Donald Trump to reorganize the region's files seems stuck at a central knot where Gaza, Syria, and Turkey intersect, where Washington seeks a pragmatic approach based on regional partnership, while Benjamin Netanyahu's government insists on a narrow security definition that rejects any influential Turkish role.

This divergence is no longer a passing tactical disagreement, but has transformed—as reflected in the episode of the program Beyond the News—into an early test of Trump's ability to impose his regional vision in the face of Netanyahu's repeated "noes," which he presents under the title of Israel's independent security decision-making.

The visit of US envoy Tom Brake to Tel Aviv, and the strong-toned American messages that accompanied it, revealed that Washington does not view the three files—Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon—as separate paths, but as a single package that requires a cohesive regional approach, in which Turkey has a pivotal role.

In the American vision, Ankara is no longer just a side actor, but a necessary pillar for succeeding in the "day after" arrangements in Gaza, and building long-term stability in Syria, as clearly expressed by former US State Department official Thomas Warrick, when he pointed out that Washington sees partnership with Turkey as an indispensable security and political entry point.

But this approach directly clashes with Netanyahu's vision, who sees any Turkish involvement as a dual threat: first, because it gives the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) indirect political cover, and second, because it limits Israel's freedom to impose unilateral security facts, whether in Gaza or southern Syria.

The researcher specializing in Israeli affairs, Adel Shadid, considered in his talk to the program Beyond the News that the Israeli attack on Tom Brake, accusing him of turning into a "lawyer for Turkey," cannot be separated from the essence of the disagreement, for the issue—according to his reading—is not personal, but relates to a deep contradiction in the philosophy of managing the region.

For Israel, as Shadid explains, is still captive to the logic of security subjugation, and sees that the "new Syria" should be managed with the same equation previously used with the Iranian presence, while the Trump administration believes that any stability in Syria without Turkish partnership is a strategic illusion.

This contradiction also extends to Gaza, where Washington bets on forming a "multilateral executive force," which Turkey gives regional legitimacy and operational capacity to deal with the complex reality in the sector, while Tel Aviv rejects this formula entirely.

Professor of International Conflicts at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Dr. Ibrahim Fraihat, sees that Trump's insistence on involving Tom Brake in this mission reflects unprecedented American seriousness, especially after the US President himself set a declared timeline for forming the executive force.

From this perspective, Turkey's participation—according to Fraihat's analysis—is an American necessity, not a political luxury, as it gives the proposed arrangements Arab and Islamic acceptance, and opens an indirect channel with Hamas, which reduces the chances of security explosion in the post-war phase.

However, this American bet clashes with Netanyahu's internal calculations, where the Israeli Prime Minister employs the discourse of "challenging" Washington in an electoral context, through which he seeks to restore his image as a leader capable of saying "no" to the American ally.

This explains—according to Adel Shadid's reading—the insistence of Netanyahu on exaggerating the slogan of "independent security decision," despite the fact that realities indicate that Israel is still moving within a strict American ceiling, especially since October 7, 2023.

And in the Syrian file, the rift deepens further, as Washington proceeds on an accelerated path of rapprochement with Damascus, which included lifting sanctions and expanding security coordination against ISIS, while Israel sees in this path a direct threat to its ability to control southern Syria.

Here, Thomas Warrick clearly points out that the Trump administration considers integrating Syria into its Arab environment a "historic opportunity," and that this goal requires curbing Israeli movements that may undermine this path, which puts Netanyahu in a difficult equation.

As for Lebanon, the scene appears less confrontational, as both sides—the American and Israeli—agree on the goal of weakening Hezbollah, but they differ on the tools and time frame, where Washington tends to manage pressure, while Tel Aviv pushes towards harsher options.

This difference in approaches reinforces the impression that the Trump administration is trying to redefine Israel's role in the region, from a dominant partner to a player within a broader system, a transformation that Netanyahu does not seem ready to accept easily.

In conclusion, the disagreement does not revolve around Turkey itself, but around who has the right to draw maps of influence and arrange the "day after" in Gaza and Syria, for while Washington sees regional partnership as the least costly path, Tel Aviv insists that security is only managed by the lone fist.

This clash, even if it seems rhythm-controlled so far, is likely to escalate with the approaching meeting between Trump and Netanyahu in the White House, where the US President's ability to turn his regional vision from ideas on paper into political realities will be tested, in the face of an Israeli Prime Minister who still bets on a policy of rejection and delay.

The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court rejected Israel's objection to the arrest warrants issued against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The appeals judges rejected by a majority vote another appeal submitted by Israel to halt the Court's investigation into its conduct of the war on the Gaza Strip.

The decision indicates that the investigation continues and that the arrest warrants issued last year against Netanyahu and Gallant "remain in place".

Israel argues in its objection that the International Criminal Court must issue a new notification (new referral) regarding the investigation into crimes committed in Palestine, based on the fact that the events of October 7, 2023, constitute a "new situation".

In October last year, the International Criminal Court rejected for the second time an appeal submitted by Israel against the arrest warrants issued against Netanyahu and Gallant.

On February 5, 2021, the International Criminal Court ruled that Palestine is a state party to the Rome Statute, and that the Court's jurisdiction over Palestinian territories extends to include Gaza and the West Bank occupied since 1967.

On March 3, 2021, the Office of the Prosecutor announced the start of an investigation into the Palestinian situation.

Israel challenged the Court's jurisdiction on September 23, 2024, under Article 19(2) of the Rome Statute.

On November 21, 2024, the Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant for charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Palestine had submitted a request to the International Criminal Court in 2018 demanding an investigation into "crimes committed and being committed in all occupied Palestinian territories as of June 13, 2014".

In March 2021, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court indicated in his notification to Israel that the preliminary investigation into crimes committed in Palestine includes the period from June 13, 2014, and thereafter.

On November 17, 2023, five member states of the Court (South Africa, Bolivia, Bangladesh, Comoros, and Djibouti) requested the opening of an investigation into Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Leaks obtained by The Washington Post indicate that Israel is studying carrying out a new military action in Lebanon, while the White House calls for restraint and avoiding any behavior that contradicts President Donald Trump's belief that he achieved peace in the Middle East.

In a report published today, Monday, it quoted Israeli officials saying that "the government is studying the end of the year as a possible date for military action in Lebanon and it may be extended".

A senior Israeli military official said that Washington strongly urged restraint regarding Lebanon during the past two weeks".

He added "Trump said he achieved peace in the Middle East, and any Israeli escalation contradicts that".

A former Israeli military official, familiar with the discussions, said that American officials were urging more restraint during the past two weeks, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Another Israeli official, also on condition of anonymity, said "The United States will not like this part of the world to explode".

The newspaper noted that the White House expressed concern about the outbreak of another major confrontation in the Middle East during the term of President Donald Trump, who presented himself as a peace mediator.

Despite the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah since November 2024, Israel continues to carry out daily air strikes on areas in southern Lebanon, causing more casualties.

Tariq Mazraani, a displaced person from the southern town of Houla, said "Anything that moves is targeted. The situation is terrible. There is no compensation. No help".

The newspaper quoted Ali Hamdan, advisor to the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, saying that the Lebanese army clarified that it follows a gradual approach to disarming Hezbollah, but "Israel wants it to happen within 24 hours".

For his part, Lebanese Army Commander General Rudolph Haikal said "Our main goal is to secure stability while Israel continues its aggressions and occupation of Lebanese lands".

He emphasized his country's commitment to implementing Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire agreement "and fulfilling our duties despite limited capabilities".

A Palestinian boy was martyred by gunfire from Israeli occupation forces in the evening of Saturday in the town of Silat al-Harithiya west of Jenin in the northern West Bank. Medical sources reported the martyrdom of the boy Mahmoud Muhammad Khamis Nazal (17 years old), succumbing to his injury by occupation gunfire in Silat al-Harithiya.

Occupation forces had stormed the town, leading to clashes during which live fire, sound bombs, and tear gas were fired, resulting in the boy Nazal being shot in the abdomen with live fire. He was transferred to Jenin Government Hospital, where doctors announced his martyrdom.

In a related context, settlers uprooted about 400 olive trees today, Saturday, from lands in the town of Turmus Ayya northeast of Ramallah, owned by citizens from the Hajja family, in the northern area of the town, near bypass road number 60.

The mayor of Turmus Ayya, Lafi Hajja, stated that the settlers uprooted the trees from the citizens' lands in preparation for seizing them, noting that these attacks recur almost daily, manifesting in uprooting trees, destroying property, and assaulting citizens, with the aim of displacing them from their lands.

A child was martyred by the bullets of the Israeli occupation forces, Saturday evening, in the town of Silat al-Harithiya west of Jenin in the northern West Bank. The Israeli escalation led to the martyrdom of at least 1092 Palestinians, injuring nearly 11,000, in addition to arresting more than 21,000, according to official data.

A weather low threatens the lives of the displaced.. Gaza municipality demands the entry of equipment into the sector

Suspected to be Palestinian.. Occupation army shoots at a settler in the West Bank

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in West Jerusalem on Monday with US envoy Tom Barrack, amid growing pressure from Washington to move to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu's office released a video clip of Barrack's reception before holding a meeting with officials from both the Israeli and American sides.

Earlier on Monday, the official Hebrew Broadcasting Corporation stated that "the visit (of unspecified duration) is highly sensitive and reflects, according to diplomatic sources, the impatience of US President Donald Trump regarding the delay in transitioning to the next phase of his plan for the Gaza Strip."

On October 10 last year, the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between the "Hamas" movement and Israel began, but the latter violates it daily, resulting in hundreds of Palestinian deaths.

Israel conditions the start of negotiations to launch the second phase on recovering the remains of its last prisoner in Gaza, which "Hamas" is searching for amid massive destruction caused by Israel's genocidal war.

The second phase of the agreement includes several provisions, including the establishment of an international stabilization force led by the US, reconstruction of the sector, its future governance, and discussion of the fate of the "Hamas" movement's weapons.

"Barrack is scheduled to also meet senior political and security officials to assess Israel's readiness to advance towards the second phase, amid increasing American pressure," according to the corporation.

With American support, Israel began a genocidal war in Gaza on October 8, 2023; resulting in the death of more than 70,000 Palestinians and injury to over 171,000, mostly children and women.

According to the corporation, "the essence of Barrack's visit revolves around Gaza and transitioning to the second phase of the American plan to replace the temporary and fragile ceasefire with more stable security and political arrangements."

It added that the American plan includes establishing an international stabilization force led by the US aimed at gradually dismantling the military capabilities of the "Hamas" movement and creating an alternative authority in the sector.

"Hamas" insists that it is a "resistance movement against Israeli occupation," rejects disarming, and proposes freezing or storing its weapons.

The corporation explained: "Here, one of the central points of disagreement between Israel and the United States emerges, embodied in the Turkish role."

It indicated that "Barrack sees that Turkey should be part of the stabilization force, thanks to its military capabilities and influence in Gaza."

But it added: "However, Israel considers that a red line, as it sees that any party maintaining relations with Hamas cannot be classified as a stabilization force, and its inclusion (in the international force) may undermine the essence of the plan."

The corporation quoted unnamed Israeli political sources as saying that "Barrack's visit is not viewed as a routine protocol."

The sources saw his visit as "a direct preparatory step for the upcoming meeting between Netanyahu and Trump" in Florida on December 29.

The corporation considered that "Barrack is visiting Israel on a specific mission: to examine Israel's readiness to transition to the second phase and determine the limits of its flexibility, especially in the Gaza file and the international force."

On Sunday, Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said that the mission of the international forces and the proposed Peace Council in Gaza is limited to sponsoring and preserving the ceasefire agreement and overseeing the reconstruction of the sector, without any interference in internal affairs.

"Barrack is tasked with determining if Netanyahu is a partner that can be built upon in the next phase," according to the corporation.

The corporation saw that "the first indicators will become clear during the visit, while it is expected that the full picture will be decided later at Trump's table."

In the Gaza Strip, where unprecedented destruction prevails, art has emerged as a witness to the Israeli genocide and a means to resist Tel Aviv's attempts to erase and deny its crimes, as well as a tool to revive hope in the hearts of Palestinians.

Among the rubble and displacement centers, Palestinian artists document the details of suffering due to the genocide, including loss, displacement, and starvation.

While some have transformed the debris of homes destroyed by Israel into colorful artworks that break the grayness of war and instill hope for life in the residents.

Israel began the genocide in Gaza on October 8, 2023, lasting two years, resulting in more than 70,000 Palestinian deaths, over 171,000 injuries, and massive destruction affecting 90% of the civilian infrastructure in the sector.

This war ended with a ceasefire agreement that came into effect on October 10 last year, which Israel violated hundreds of times, resulting in the killing and injury of hundreds of Palestinians.

During the months of genocide, Israel denied many of the crimes it committed in the Gaza Strip, including deliberately targeting children and practicing starvation against civilians, which facts have proven.

In this context, Palestinians are trying through art to preserve the memory of the genocide and remind of the crimes committed by Tel Aviv against civilians.

**Documenting Crimes and Suffering

Palestinian artist Muhammad Al-Mughari, holder of a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Al-Aqsa University, is one of these artists who document the genocide crimes and the suffering of Palestinians.

Despite limited resources, Al-Mughari launched these artworks from his small room made of tin sheets in the city of Deir al-Balah.

Along the walls of the room, Al-Mughari's paintings are scattered, who previously participated in local and international exhibitions and festivals, narrating daily stories from the depths of Palestinian suffering in Gaza.

One of those paintings depicted a child with exhausted features, holding an empty pot, expressing the famine that struck the sector's joints during the war and whose repercussions still gnaw at Palestinians' bodies despite the ceasefire.

In the same painting, he drew an elderly man wandering the camp's streets in search of food for his children, and at the same time pointed to Israel's dehydration policy by drawing a woman making her way through the rubble pulling heavy water gallons.

During the Israeli genocide war, Palestinians suffered from acute shortages in water, food, medicine, and fuel, leading to the death of dozens due to the Israeli siege accompanied by starvation and dehydration policies.

On August 22 last year, the "Global Initiative for Integrated Food Security Phase Classification" announced in a report the occurrence of "famine in Gaza City (north)".

Al-Mughari also embodied in his paintings the crimes of killing Palestinian civilians and injuring them, and bombing tents over their heads.

In addition, he addressed the details of the primitive life to which the Israeli genocide transferred Palestinians, whether in terms of life inside the tents and its harsh consequences, or providing and cooking food where they relied on lighting fires with wood and papers, or regarding transportation where carts pulled by animals formed its basis.

Al-Mughari said in an interview that he dedicated part of his works to embodying the symbolism of the tent, considering it a witness to the ongoing Palestinian suffering since 1948, referring to the Nakba of displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their lands.

He added that he documented in his paintings all the details that Palestinians lived in displacement camps with the aim of "documentation and preserving the human memory of the war".

**Reviving Hope

In the Maghazi camp in the center of the sector, Palestinian artists transformed the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israel during the genocide months into colorful paintings pulsating with life.

In one of their artworks, the artists embodied the mythical phoenix on a pile of rubble, indicating Gaza's ability to rise despite the destruction.

Under the bird, the artists drew a Palestinian woman who wrote "Gaza" on her dress, embracing buildings between her arms, indicating Palestinians' attachment to their land.

On the remains of a demolished wall, artists wrote the word "Gaza" in English, with missiles falling from the sky on it, while flowers bloom in its soil.

In other paintings, they recorded words that give Palestinians hope, including some words from the late poet Mahmoud Darwish: "On this land, what deserves life", and "We remain as long as the thyme and olive trees remain".

**Lack of Tools

Despite limited resources, Palestinian artist Muhammad Al-Maghribi continues his artworks, the latest of which was reviving a national figure by painting a portrait of the late President Yasser Arafat.

This painting was drawn by Al-Maghribi using pens he retrieved from under the rubble of his studio, which Israel destroyed during the genocide months.

He said that the army destroyed his home and private studio during the genocide, which contained a number of his artworks, all of which turned into rubble.

He explained that he tried to integrate Palestinian national symbols alongside the character of "Abu Ammar", including Al-Aqsa Mosque and the key of return, which represents the Palestinians' dream of returning to their lands from which they were displaced in 1948.

He mentioned that the Palestinian artist faces major challenges in continuing his art due to Israel's closure of crossings and preventing the entry of necessary materials.

In the face of that, he indicated that they replaced charcoal pencils with charcoal produced from lighting fires with wood, and reused it in the field of art and drawing.

Despite the ceasefire agreement, Israel reneges on fulfilling its commitments, including opening crossings and importing the sector's basic needs, according to what Palestinian government reports confirmed.

The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced on Monday that the toll of victims of the Israeli genocide has risen to 70,665 killed and 171,145 injured since October 2023.

This came in the ministry's daily report on the statistics of the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza over two years starting from October 8, 2023.

The ministry stated: "Two new martyrs arrived at Gaza Strip hospitals, and 6 injuries during the past 24 hours."

The ministry did not provide additional details regarding the locations or circumstances of the killings and injuries, but Israel continues to violate the ceasefire agreement by targeting civilian areas and shooting at Palestinians.

The ministry indicated that 393 Palestinians were killed, and 1,086 were injured, in addition to the recovery of 632 bodies, since the start of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas on October 10 last year.

Regarding the statistics of the Israeli genocide, the ministry stated that the number of Palestinian deaths has risen to 70,665, while the number of injured has reached 171,145.

In addition to the victims, the Israeli genocide has left massive destruction affecting 90 percent of the infrastructure in the sector, with reconstruction costs estimated by the United Nations at around 70 billion dollars.

The European Union Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness, and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, said that humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip "must flow like a torrent, not drop by drop."

This came in a talk to journalists on Monday, during a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels, where she addressed the Israeli restrictions imposed on the entry of aid into Gaza.

Lahbib noted that Palestinians are still being killed daily despite the ceasefire agreement.

She pointed out that she visited Egypt two weeks ago and was not allowed (by Israel) to enter Gaza, and to the detention of hundreds of aid trucks at the Rafah border crossing.

Lahbib had previously stated that she intended to enter Gaza during her visit to Egypt, but Israel rejected her request to cross.

She emphasized that relief workers face many administrative obstacles to deliver aid to the sector.

She noted that needs in Gaza increase particularly during the winter months, and added: "Aid to Gaza must flow like a torrent, not drop by drop."

Despite the ceasefire in effect since October 10, which Israel continues to violate, the living reality for Palestinians in Gaza has not improved due to the strict restrictions Israel imposes on the entry of aid trucks, violating the humanitarian protocol of the agreement.

On the Syrian front, Lahbib said that humanitarian aid for Syria will also be discussed during the meeting.

She indicated that 16 million people in Syria still need assistance.

She mentioned that they will discuss ways to increase their contributions in Syria through humanitarian aid and development.

The American envoy and U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barak, arrived in the occupying state on Monday to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a visit described as sensitive and multifaceted.

Barak will meet with Netanyahu and senior political and security officials amid increasing American pressure to move to the next phase of President Trump's plan in the Gaza Strip, ongoing tensions in Lebanon, and open question marks in the Syrian arena.

Operationally, this visit was described as preparatory for a meeting between Netanyahu and Trump scheduled for the end of the month in Miami, and it was said that in this sense, Barak is not coming "to listen", but to verify the extent of "Israel"'s readiness to move.

Regarding Lebanon and Hezbollah's weapons, Washington expects concrete steps from Beirut, manifested in strengthening the Lebanese army's control in the south, limiting Hezbollah's freedom of movement, and showing readiness to assume security responsibility.

This meeting focuses on Gaza and the transition to the second phase, which is supposed to allow the temporary and fragile ceasefire to pave the way for a secure and permanent security and political arrangement. The model promoted by the United States includes establishing an international stabilization force, under American leadership, that enables the gradual disarmament of Hamas and the formation of an alternative government.

It is said that the international force is under discussion between America and "Israel", especially regarding Turkey's participation, as Barak believes that Turkey should be part of the stabilization force, given its military capabilities and channels of influence in Gaza. In "Israel", this is considered a red line. Politically and security-wise, no entity with ties to Hamas can be considered a stabilization force, and its inclusion in the international framework could undermine the fundamental purpose of this step. According to the newspaper.

On Monday, the Jerusalem Governorate warned of a "dangerous" Israeli plan that Tel Aviv intends to implement on the airport lands and adjacent areas north of the city, including the establishment of 9,000 settlement units.

The governorate stated in a statement: "The Israeli occupation authorities are seeking to implement a dangerous settlement plan on the lands of Jerusalem International Airport and adjacent areas."

It considered the plan a "direct threat to the geographical and demographic continuity of Palestinians between Jerusalem and the city of Ramallah (center of the occupied West Bank)."

It confirmed that the plan "aims to establish about 9,000 settlement units in densely populated Palestinian areas, including Kafr Aqab, Qalandiya, Al-Ram, Beit Hanina, and Bir Nabala, which deepens the policy of separation and isolation imposed on the city and its surroundings, and undermines any political horizon based on the two-state solution."

The governorate warned that "the so-called Israeli District Planning and Construction Committee intends to hold a session on Wednesday to discuss advancing the plan, which may include approving the basic principles of the project, including allocating commercial and public spaces."

It also noted that "the Israeli Ministry of Finance recently requested approval from the Knesset Finance Committee (Parliament) to transfer 16 million shekels (about 5 million dollars) to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, under the pretext of rehabilitating polluted lands, including Jerusalem International Airport, in a step that practically accelerates the implementation of the settlement project."

The Jerusalem Governorate warned that implementing the plan "will lead to the creation of a settlement enclave that separates northern Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings."

It confirmed that it "will continue to expose the plan and address the international community and human rights institutions as a blatant violation of international law and decisions of international legitimacy."

The Palestinian governmental Anti-Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission had spoken in a previous report about Israel's seizure of 2,800 dunams in the West Bank during last November, "through orders of placing hands and expropriation and amending state land boundaries."

Israel's devouring of the West Bank and then formally annexing it to it would end the possibility of implementing the principle of the two-state solution stipulated in resolutions issued by the United Nations.

This comes amid escalating attacks by the army and settlers in the West Bank and Jerusalem coinciding with the start of Israel's genocide war in Gaza on October 8, 2023, which lasted for two years and ended with a ceasefire agreement that entered into force last October.

Since the start of the Israeli genocide, the army and settlers have killed 1,094 Palestinians in the West Bank and injured about 11,000 others, in addition to arresting more than 21,000.

A group of settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque this morning, Monday, from the direction of Bab al-Maghariba, and carried out provocative tours in its courtyard, while a Palestinian child was injured in clashes with Israeli occupation forces in Jalazone camp in the center of the occupied West Bank.

The settlers also performed Talmudic prayers in the Al-Aqsa courtyard under the protection of the occupation police.

Jewish groups known as "Temple Mount" groups had called for intensifying the incursions during the Jewish Festival of Lights "Hanukkah".

Occupation forces arrested 22 Palestinians at dawn today, Monday, following raids and incursions they carried out in various areas of the West Bank.

A child was injured by bullets from occupation forces during the clashes in Jalazone camp north of Ramallah.

Clashes erupted in the town of Jareer and the village of Aaboud north-east and west of Ramallah city amid gunfire and sound and gas bombs.

It indicated that there is a campaign of harassment and detention of children and youth in the village of Aaboud, without reports of arrests or raids.

For its part, the Palestinian News Agency reported that the Israeli army raided the Jabal al-Taweel neighborhood in the city of Al-Bireh in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate.

The agency indicated that the army fired bullets and toxic gas bombs, without reports of injuries or arrests.

It continued that the raid also targeted the town of Turmus Ayya and the village of Kafr Malik north-east of Ramallah city.

In Hebron, occupation forces arrested 3 Palestinians after searching their homes, tampering with their contents, and assaulting them with severe beatings.

Occupation forces raided the city of Hebron and the towns of Beit Awa and Halhoul, raided several homes, detained their owners, assaulted them with severe beatings, searched their homes, and wreaked havoc on their contents.

They also set up several military checkpoints at the entrances to Hebron and its towns, villages, and camps, and closed a number of main and secondary roads with iron gates, concrete blocks, and earthen barriers.

In Jenin, occupation forces left destruction and devastation after raiding a house and arresting a number of young men during the raid on the town of Jaba to the south.

Likewise, occupation forces carried out a campaign of raiding citizens' homes in the town of Awarta south of Nablus, arrested some of them, and settlers' buses accompanied by occupation vehicles raided the town of Awarta south of Nablus.

On another front, Youssef Fanadqa, deputy head of the Popular Committee in Nour Shams camp, said that about 1907 displaced families are currently living in rented apartments distributed across various areas of Tulkarm governorate, lacking the minimum necessities of life, amid heavy financial burdens due to high rental costs.

He added that no less than a thousand residential apartments were completely demolished by the occupation in Nour Shams camp, in addition to hundreds of homes that suffered partial damage, as part of a systematic destruction policy targeting the camp and its residents.

Since the start of the Gaza war on October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation army has intensified its military operations in the West Bank, and the army and settlers' assaults in the West Bank have led to the martyrdom of no less than 1094 Palestinians and the injury of about 11,000 others, in addition to the arrest of more than 21,000, according to official Palestinian figures.

Despite the cessation of the genocide in the Gaza Strip, the repercussions of the war reveal that 'Israel' continues to face growing isolation in cultural and academic fields, where boycotts persist and soft power erodes, while the economy and arms deals have returned to a near-normal path.

In an article by Israeli journalist David Rosenberg, he stated that 'there is no doubt that the announcement by four countries last week of their boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest this year in protest against Israel's war on Gaza came as a shock to many Israelis. A fifth country joined them on Wednesday, and a sixth may join later.'

Rosenberg added that 'for Israelis, the war is over, and no matter how fierce the fighting was, they are ready to move forward. There is ongoing debate about how to investigate the October 7 disaster, and the army has conducted two internal investigations, but almost no one is talking about studying how the army itself waged the war. It is history left for historians to study someday, not something occupying our present.'

He explained that 'but the Gaza war remains strongly present in many places outside Israel. As mentioned by the Irish Broadcasting and Television Authority in its statement announcing its withdrawal from the Eurovision Song Contest: 'Ireland's participation remains unacceptable given the devastating loss of life in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there, which continues to endanger the lives of many civilians. The Irish Broadcasting and Television Authority also remains deeply concerned about the targeted killings of journalists in Gaza during the conflict.'

He noted that 'this is not the only event for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement after the war. At the end of October, more than a week after the ceasefire, over a thousand literary figures, including writers Sally Rooney, Arundhati Roy, and Rachel Kushner, signed a pledge to boycott Israeli cultural institutions. An international initiative to ban Israeli music, called 'No Music for Genocide,' launched in September, continues to attract artists and production companies. Similarly, stars like Emma Stone signed a pledge to boycott Israel in the 'Filmmakers for Palestine' campaign.'

He confirmed that 'the boycott of European higher education institutions against Israel has not receded either, according to a report issued last month by the Association of Israeli University Presidents. Even as the wave of declared boycotts subsides, Israeli academics in many cases still face hidden boycotts manifested in scientific journals rejecting their research and not inviting them to academic conferences.'

He pointed out that 'it is easy to assume that many of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaigns that launched amid the war will gradually fade if the ceasefire holds. No organizer will issue a statement announcing that a celebrity has retracted their signature on a pledge, but many of these promises to isolate Israel will be gradually forgotten. Nevertheless, Israel cannot count on a complete break from the stigma of the war.'

He said that 'as shown by the ongoing initiatives of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, Israel remains unwelcome in cultural and academic circles, as opposition to the brutal war over the past two years has often turned into opposition to Israel's existence as a Jewish state.'

He considered that 'hostility towards Israel has become an integral part of the progressive agenda adopted by many artists and academics. The war's impact was so profound that mere ceasefire will not change this reality.'

Rosenberg added that 'but this is not the full story of the boycott movement. Corporations and most governments were, at best, reluctant supporters of efforts to isolate Israel during the war, and since the ceasefire took effect in October, they have been eager to abandon the issue entirely. Notice how Hollywood studios, the commercial arm of Hollywood, publicly rejected the 'Filmmakers for Palestine' boycott shortly after the ceasefire took effect.'

He affirmed that 'the strange thing is that the most prominent example of boycott failure is arms sales. True, Israel lost some major arms deals during the war, but since the ceasefire, Elbit Systems signed a $2.3 billion contract with an unnamed buyer; Rafael Advanced Defense Systems reached a similar deal with Germany; and Israel Aerospace Industries is close to signing an agreement with Greece valued at an estimated 3 billion euros ($3.5 billion). The company is also establishing a joint factory for drone production in Morocco.'

He pointed out that 'one might think that buying Israeli weapons after the war would be the last thing governments would risk. But no matter the ethical doubts surrounding Israeli weapons due to its wartime conduct, they easily fade in the face of the two threats facing Europe: on one hand, the growing threat from Russia; on the other, America's hostility under Trump towards democracies on the continent, leaving it to face its military fate alone.'

He clarified that 'it is not limited to the arms sector where business seems to have returned to normal. The alleged commercial boycott of Israel during the war was not serious enough to show up in foreign investment and trade statistics. In fact, the largest cross-border mergers and acquisitions took place during the height of the fighting, specifically Palo Alto Networks' acquisition of CyberArk for $25 billion, and Alphabet's acquisition of Wiz for $32 billion.'

He noted that 'many have talked about lost contracts and delays in signing them, but it seems this problem has ended too. Since the ceasefire, a series of small deals have been concluded, such as the sale of Israeli-American startup Carbyn to American safety technology company Axon for $625 million. There are no recent statistics on foreign investment in Israel, but statistics related to foreign investment in technology companies showed no decline during the first nine months of this year.'

It confirmed that 'Israel's goods exports declined this year, but strangely, this decline is almost entirely due to a drop in exports to Ireland. Ireland is known for its hostility towards Israel, but it is unlikely to be the reason for this decline: most of Israel's exports to Ireland are advanced technological products and services sold to major multinational technology companies with branches there. Far from being supporters of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, Ireland strongly opposed efforts to impose trade sanctions on Israel.'

Rosenberg said that 'if Israelis had to choose between a business boycott or a boycott of arts and academia, they would likely choose the latter. Economic isolation means losing exports, jobs, and investments, leading to economic slowdown. Israel's economy is open to the world and economically advanced, while the country's market is too small, making it impossible for it to be anything less than fully engaged in the world... But no one should ignore the cost of Israel's declining soft power, that is, its ability to influence other countries through its culture, political values, and foreign policies.'

He said that 'supporters of the boycott movement had a point when they called last month to cancel the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra concert in Paris, claiming it was 'an orchestra in service of Zionist propaganda.' But this claim is exaggerated. The Philharmonic is not an arm of the Israeli government, but its outstanding performance reminds people that Israel is not just a state of war and oppression of Palestinians. Certainly, musical performances improve Israel's image far more than the failed government propaganda.'

He added that 'in any case, culture has a direct impact on the economy. Even if not on the same scale as advanced technology or natural gas, it is an export sector that creates jobs. Academic boycotts also harm the economy because they make it harder for Israeli scientists to collaborate with their counterparts around the world and obtain foreign funding that enables the innovation driving Israel's advanced technology. In fact, cross-border partnerships are extremely important; without them, Israel risks brain drain.'

He concluded by saying that 'do not expect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to address this problem. It hates cultural institutions and universities alike for belonging to the opposition camp, and will never think of sacrificing its war against them for the national interest. The film 'The Sea,' which tells the story of a Palestinian boy trying to reach the beach despite obstacles placed by the government, is nominated for an Oscar this year, but Culture Minister Miki Zohar wants to punish the film industry for producing it.'

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Ati discussed with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan, on Monday, developments in the situation in the Gaza Strip and Sudan.

This came during a phone call between them, "within the framework of the ongoing coordination and consultation between the two countries," according to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry stated that the two sides addressed the completion of the ongoing arrangements to hold the first meeting of the Supreme Coordination Council between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, scheduled to be held in the coming period under the chairmanship of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

It added that the two ministers exchanged views on developments in the situation in the Gaza Strip.

Abdel Ati emphasized, according to the statement, the importance of ensuring the sustainability of the ceasefire, and implementing the obligations of the second phase of US President Donald Trump's plan to stop the war in Gaza.

He also stressed the necessity of implementing UN Security Council Resolution 2803, and the importance of deploying a temporary international stabilization force to monitor the ceasefire, protect civilians, and enable Palestinian forces to take over law enforcement duties in Gaza.

In November last year, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2803, related to ending the fighting and managing Gaza after the war.

Abdel Ati also emphasized the importance of ensuring unobstructed access for humanitarian aid, and preparing conditions for the start of early recovery and reconstruction.

The ceasefire agreement entered into force in October last year, ending a genocide war launched by Israel on October 8, 2023, lasting two years with American support, leaving more than 70,000 Palestinian dead and over 170,000 injured, and massive destruction affecting 90% of the civilian infrastructure, with initial losses estimated at $70 billion.

The call also addressed developments in the situation in Sudan, where the two ministers affirmed the importance of continuing coordination within the Quadripartite Mechanism (comprising Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the United States), with the aim of reaching a comprehensive ceasefire, according to the statement.

Abdel Ati emphasized the importance of providing "safe havens and safe humanitarian corridors to ensure unobstructed access for humanitarian aid."

He reiterated Egypt's firm stance supporting Sudan's unity, sovereignty, and stability, and preserving its national institutions.

The humanitarian suffering in Sudan is worsening due to the ongoing war caused by a dispute between the army and the "Rapid Support Forces" since April 2023 regarding the unification of the military institution, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of Sudanese and the displacement of 13 million people.

At the end of the call, both sides affirmed the importance of continuing close coordination and consultation in the coming period, "which contributes to supporting regional stability and enhancing joint Arab action in facing current challenges," according to the same statement.

An Israeli newspaper stated that the repercussions of the genocide in Gaza have not ended for the occupation in the cultural and academic arenas, despite the cessation of fighting and the largely resumed economic and commercial activity, noting that boycotts in the arts and universities remain in place and pose a direct threat to what is known as Israel's soft power.

The newspaper, in a report by writer David Rosenberg, clarified that the announcement by several countries to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest in protest of the genocide in Gaza was a shock within the occupation's circles, especially amid a prevailing conviction among settlers that the war has become a thing of the past, and that it is time to move on without delving into how it was militarily managed.

It pointed out that the war remains strongly present abroad, particularly in cultural and media circles, noting that the Irish Broadcasting and Television Authority justified its withdrawal from "Eurovision" by the huge human losses in Gaza and the ongoing humanitarian crisis, in addition to concerns about targeting journalists during the genocide.

The newspaper indicated that the cultural and academic boycott was not limited to "Eurovision", as more than a thousand global writers and literary figures signed a pledge to boycott Israeli cultural institutions, while international initiatives were launched to ban Israeli music, and prominent actors and filmmakers joined campaigns to boycott the occupation in the cinematic field.

It added that universities and academic institutions of the occupation still face European boycotts, whether openly or through what it described as "hidden boycotts", such as refusing to publish scientific research or not extending invitations to participate in international conferences.

The newspaper noted that although some boycott campaigns have receded with the implementation of the ceasefire, Israel cannot rely on the disappearance of the war's effects, confirming that its image in progressive cultural and academic circles remains negative, and that opposition to the war has in many cases turned into opposition to the very existence of the occupation.

The newspaper affirmed that the real danger lies in the decline of the occupation's soft power, explaining that culture, arts, and universities play a pivotal role in improving "Israel's" global image, and that academic boycotts threaten innovation and scientific cooperation and may lead to brain drain.

The Israeli army launched a series of air raids and artillery bombardment on various areas of the Gaza Strip early Monday, within the areas it controls under the ceasefire agreement.

This comes as new violations of the agreement that entered into force on October 10 last year.

Eyewitnesses reported that the Israeli army carried out a series of air raids on the city of Rafah in the south of the Strip, which is entirely under its control under the agreement.

They said that army vehicles fired their random fire north of Rafah.

In another incident, army artillery vehicles bombarded various areas east of the city of Khan Yunis in the south of the Strip, in areas under army control, while its helicopters fired in the area, according to eyewitnesses.

The witnesses indicated that Israeli helicopters fired east of Jabalia town in the north of the Strip, while army vehicles fired their machine guns east of Gaza City.

Israel continues its violations of the ceasefire it signed with "Hamas", which has resulted since last October in the killing of 391 Palestinians and the injury of 1,063 others.

The agreement ended a genocide that Israel began on October 8, 2023, and lasted for two years, leaving more than 70,000 dead and over 171,000 injured, along with massive destruction with reconstruction costs estimated by the United Nations at around 70 billion dollars.

Israeli media reported today, Monday, that soldiers fired at a person at a gas station in Kedumim between Qalqilya and Nablus in the West Bank, after suspecting that he was a Palestinian attempting to carry out a stabbing operation.

It later turned out that the injured person in the shooting was an Israeli settler, where Israeli radio confirmed that there was no stabbing operation near Kedumim and the soldiers fired by mistake at a settler and injured him with serious wounds.

Israeli Channel 14 reported that the injured person is a Jewish boy with mental disturbances, and that he waved a knife towards soldiers of a military force present at the scene, which prompted the soldiers to fire at him.

Israeli ambulance reported that the boy was transferred to one of the Israeli hospitals and is suffering from very serious injuries.

Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation army has intensified its security and military operations in the West Bank, and the assaults by the army and settlers in the West Bank have led to the martyrdom of at least 1094 Palestinians, the injury of about 11,000 others, in addition to the arrest of more than 21,000, according to official Palestinian figures.

Sources in Israeli media reported the continued resistance of Benjamin Netanyahu's government to move to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza despite American pressures, while the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) affirmed its commitment to the agreement.

An Israeli security source told the official broadcasting authority that implementing the second phase "remains out of reach." It indicated that no country has agreed so far to join the international stabilization force that is supposed to be deployed in Gaza according to the agreement.

The same source added that Israel continues to monitor developments related to the search for the body of the prisoner Ran Guili, who is the last body that Israel demands to recover from Gaza.

In the context, the Walla website reported that Israel continues to resist American pressures to quickly advance to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, until the recovery of Guili's body.

For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in statements made on Sunday, said that the end of the first phase of the agreement is approaching, but he added "We are the ones who decide the measures, and we are the ones who decide the responses."

He added that Israel is working to recover the body of Ran Guili, and is making great efforts in this regard, according to him.

The occupation army continued its violations of the ceasefire on Sunday, as a correspondent reported that Israeli bombing targeted a residential building in the center of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza Strip.

The occupation army announced that it killed a Palestinian who crossed the yellow line in the north of the Strip and "posed an imminent threat" to its forces, according to it.

For its part, Hamas condemned the Israeli violations of the war ceasefire agreement, and called on the mediators and guarantor countries to intervene to stop Israel's attempts to undermine and fail the agreement.

Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas in Gaza, affirmed in a videotaped speech on the 38th anniversary of the movement's launch, Hamas's commitment to the ceasefire agreement.

He said that starting the second phase of the agreement is a priority for the movement, in order to achieve a complete withdrawal of the occupation, and that the task of the international forces in Gaza should be limited to maintaining the ceasefire and separating the two sides on the borders of the Strip.

Al-Hayya emphasized that the resistance and its weapons are a legitimate right guaranteed by international laws and linked to the establishment of the Palestinian state.

On the other hand, the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, mourned the commander of the military manufacturing corps, Raed Saad, who was martyred following an assassination operation carried out by the Israeli occupation in Gaza Strip on Saturday, and announced the appointment of a new commander to replace him.

The Qassam added that the assassination of Saad is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, and that the Israeli occupation has crossed all red lines by assassinating Qassam leaders and the sons of the people and its continuous aggression.

It indicated that Israel is disregarding the plan of the American President Donald Trump, who and the mediators bear the responsibility, according to the Qassam.

The Qassam affirmed its right to respond to the occupation's aggression and defend itself by all means. It also announced the appointment of a new commander to carry out the tasks that Saad was handling.

The implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza began on October 10 last year, after two years of the Israeli genocide war that left more than 70,000 martyrs and destroyed most of the civilian infrastructure in the Palestinian sector.

However, Israel continues to violate the agreement with its repeated raids on the sector and by changing the agreed points for the withdrawal line known as the yellow line, and continues to restrict the access of vital humanitarian aid to Gaza residents.

The greatest geopolitical challenge facing the occupying state currently lies in restoring the army's budget to a framework that allows for economic growth, and anything else is a risky gamble on its future, raising a serious question about what the new military spending represents: a strategy or a trap.

Eli Rami Rokach Domba, the military correspondent for Israel Defense magazine, mentioned that "warnings from the Governor of the Israeli Central Bank, Professor Amir Yaron, constituted a strategic alarm regarding the essence of Israel's national security, which has boasted for decades of its financial resilience that is supposed to be a lever for operational resilience. But now, the equation has changed, because military spending, which has inflated to unprecedented levels after the long war in Gaza and Lebanon, is no longer just a response to an external threat, but has become a destructive internal force."

Domba added in the article that "the army, which was considered sacred in the eyes of the public and politicians, has become in effect an uncontrollable variable in the financial system, and a critical view from a geopolitical perspective reveals a disturbing process: the current expansion in the budget does not necessarily reflect a complex and innovative assessment of threats, but rather a surrender to an outdated concept of power through money, with a glaring disregard for the economic foundation that is a prerequisite for the existence of this power."

The military correspondent explained that "what is happening recently reveals a strategic failure in funding the army, in light of the dangerous disparity between the security threat and the economic cost, with a focus on the informal taxes imposed on the reserve army, and the excessive and continuous use of the reserves is a structural failure whose cost far exceeds the monthly compensation, because from a strategic perspective, this unusual movement of individuals indicates poor planning of regular forces and the absence of an advanced warfare strategy."

Domba affirmed that "the economic crisis is paying the price for the budget shortfall in terms of declining productivity and severe damage to commercial activity, and this is an expensive, fragile, and ineffective way to fund the army, which places the burden of defense on the internal economic front, because the greatest danger lies in the multi-year path of the army's budget, and the ongoing discussions about maintaining a high level of spending for coming years, even after the fighting subsides, mean in reality a breach of the financial framework."

He pointed out that "when the central bank governor warns that the debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to rise continuously and approach 80% of GDP in the coming decade, he is in fact describing how Israel, driven by its desire to maintain its immediate defensive capabilities, is pushing itself into a financial corner that countries only enter after a sharp geo-political rupture, and this is not just a matter of 'money', but a matter of 'authority'."

Domba clarified that "despite marketing this measure as an enhancement of internal security, it in fact converts huge budgets into security mechanisms instead of strengthening the social components that systematically reduce crime: education, employment, and local governance, which clearly shows a preference for 'short-term internal security' at the expense of building 'long-term' internal capacity, but the bitter truth is that there is no security without a stable and growing economy, and any other talk is an expensive illusion that cannot be funded in the long term."

Domba added that "the problem is not in the army or the security need, but in the absence of planning, because we are facing a security budget without an economic strategy. True, the external threat is real, but the internal one exists as well, and the disproportionate expansion of the military budget with Israel's economic capacity may destroy the industry it relies on, and here it must stop and ask: how many weapons systems, how many reserve days, and how many budgets can be funded before the market stops seeing it as a flexible and healthy economy, and before investors' confidence fades, which is a strategic asset."

This critical vision of the future of Israel's military budget indicates that it represents the greatest geopolitical challenge facing it currently, because what is paid for military spending actually abandons long-term investments in education, infrastructure, and productivity, meaning that current security policies today bring disaster to Israeli security tomorrow, because priority is given to the military budget at the expense of social strategy, which is another indicator of the misconception of security.

Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor to the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said on Sunday that his country will support Hezbollah "firmly" in confronting Israel.

Velayati's statements came while Lebanon faces American and Israeli pressures to disarm Hezbollah, which has been engaged in a military confrontation with Israel for over a year following the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip.

Velayati said that "Hezbollah, as one of the most important pillars of the resistance axis, plays a fundamental role in confronting Zionism," according to what was reported by the Islamic Republic News Agency "IRNA."

He added, "The Islamic Republic of Iran, under the leadership and guidance of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, will firmly continue its support for Hezbollah, which stands on the front lines of the resistance."

A ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel has been in effect since November 27, 2024, but the Israeli army launches near-daily raids on Lebanon and continues to carry out incursions, bulldozing, and demolition operations in the south of the country.

The Lebanese government adopted an American paper in August to consolidate the ceasefire, which includes a timeline for disarming Hezbollah and deploying the Lebanese army in the south of the country. However, Hezbollah warned that moves related to disarmament could ignite a civil war.

Political Crisis

In November, a statement by Velayati sparked criticism after he considered that "the existence of Hezbollah is more important for Lebanon than bread."

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rjey responded in a post on the X platform, stating that "what is more important to us than water and bread is our sovereignty, freedom, and independence of our internal decision-making."

After the exchange, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi extended an official invitation to his Lebanese counterpart to visit Tehran "to consult on the development of bilateral relations and discuss regional and international developments," according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

However, Rjey apologized for not accepting the invitation and recently described Iran's regional role as "extremely negative" and "one of the sources of instability," especially in Lebanon.

In a post on X, Rjey considered that Hezbollah cannot "hand over its weapons without an Iranian decision, and its concern today is to buy time to maintain its internal existence in order to rebuild its capabilities," according to him.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned of an Israeli plan aimed at depopulating the Gaza Strip of its Palestinian inhabitants, emphasizing that the only way to prevent this is by deploying an international force in the sector that ensures the security of both sides and establishes a state of calm.

Fidan stated in a televised interview broadcast by a local channel that Turkey is making continuous efforts to stop the genocide in Gaza and work towards establishing a permanent ceasefire that leads to a comprehensive peace agreement.

He pointed out that all Turkish state institutions, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have intensified their diplomatic and political efforts regarding the situation in Gaza, saying: "Praise be to God, a ceasefire has been reached, but as we see today, this ceasefire is subject to repeated violations, making its environment fragile".

Fidan confirmed that President Erdogan has shown full political will in supporting the Palestinian cause, and that Ankara has actively participated in various international and bilateral efforts related to the Gaza Strip.

The Turkish minister explained that the details of forming the international stabilization force planned to be deployed in Gaza, including the number of participating countries, the size of the forces, their deployment locations, and their basic tasks, are still under discussion, within the framework of a resolution issued by the United Nations Security Council.

He noted that the Security Council adopted on November 18 last year, by a majority vote, an American draft resolution on ending Israel's genocide war on Gaza, which calls for the establishment of a temporary international force that continues until the end of 2027.

Fidan also emphasized that the main task of the international stabilization force is to establish a separation line between the occupying state and the Palestinians to prevent mutual attacks, considering that failure to achieve this will make it difficult for the force to perform its basic role.

He added that the occupation government, as a party to the conflict, has the right to choose the forces that will participate in this force, just as is the case for the Palestinians, noting that Tel Aviv exercises this right through the United States.

He continued, saying that Israel expresses reservations about Turkey's participation, given that Ankara has been the most critical and pressuring state on Tel Aviv throughout the war period.

Fidan added: "Whether we participate in this force or not, our demand is clear, which is that a force arrives that puts an end to the Israeli occupation and the injustice inflicted on Gaza, ensures the entry of humanitarian aid, and protects the survival and safety of Palestinians in the sector, as soon as possible".

He affirmed that the importance of this force stems from the fact that the current Israeli plan, according to his description, is based on depopulating Gaza of its Palestinian inhabitants, explaining that the presence of an international force on the ground is what can prevent the implementation of this plan by ensuring security and creating an atmosphere of calm.

The genocide launched by the occupying state in the Gaza Strip since October 8, 2023, and lasted for two years, resulted in more than 70,000 Palestinian martyrs, in addition to more than 171,000 injured, before ending with a ceasefire agreement that came into effect last October, but the occupying state violated it hundreds of times, leading to the fall of hundreds of martyrs and wounded among the Palestinians.

A video clip showed a passerby hindering one of the attackers and disarming him during the attack in which 12 people were killed and more than 10 others were injured, today Sunday, on the famous Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, and the attack targeted a crowd during a celebration of the Jewish holiday "Hanukkah" (Festival of Lights).

The person who disarmed one of the attackers on the beach is a Muslim named Ahmed Al-Ahmed, and he was hit by two bullets and is currently undergoing treatment.

Footage circulating on social media sites shows a man wearing a white shirt in a parking lot running towards a man wearing a dark shirt holding a rifle, then pouncing on the armed man from behind, disarming the rifle from him and pointing it at him.

Then the man with the dark shirt appeared in the video clip losing his balance, retreating towards a bridge where another armed man was, and the man who attacked him then placed the weapon on the ground.

The video was verified through reliable footage showing the same people. It was also verified that the armed men in that clip are the two who were seen surrounded by police in confirmed photos, based on their clothes.

One of the suspected attackers was killed and the other was injured and is in critical condition.

The clip of the attack on the armed man spread quickly on social media, where people praised the man's bravery, saying that his action may have saved many lives.

One user on the X platform said "This Australian saved countless lives by disarming one of the terrorists on Bondi Beach. He is a hero".