PALESTINE

Sun 27 Apr 2025 4:23 pm - Jerusalem Time

Israeli special forces kidnap a Palestinian citizen north of Jerusalem

An Israeli special forces force kidnapped a Palestinian citizen from the town of al-Ram, north of occupied Jerusalem, on Sunday evening, after storming the town disguised in civilian clothing.


According to local sources, a force of "undercover" soldiers kidnapped Mansour Abu Gharbiyeh, a Jerusalemite, from the town of al-Ram in occupied Jerusalem, and immediately withdrew from the scene.

PALESTINE

Sun 27 Apr 2025 4:09 pm - Jerusalem Time

Five Palestinians dead and wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip.

Five civilians were killed and others injured Sunday evening when Israeli aircraft bombed a vehicle near the city of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.


In the same context, the town of Al-Qarara, northeast of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, was subjected to Israeli artillery shelling, with no reported casualties or injuries.


Earlier, our correspondent reported that eight citizens were killed and others were injured after Israeli warplanes bombed a tent housing displaced persons in Hamad City, north of Khan Yunis.


Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has been committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, resulting in more than 168,000 deaths and injuries, most of them children and women, in addition to more than 11,000 missing persons.

PALESTINE

Sun 27 Apr 2025 3:38 pm - Jerusalem Time

Israeli occupation threatens to demolish facilities south of Hebron.

Today, Sunday, the Israeli occupation forces notified the demolition of water wells and agricultural rooms east of Yatta, south of Hebron.


Local sources said that "the occupation forces delivered three demolition notices in the Hawara area, northeast of the city of Yatta, belonging to: Khalil Al-Hamamdeh (water well), Ayed Al-Adra (water well), and Ibrahim Ali Khalil Hussein (agricultural room), "and gave them a period of seven days to object to the decision."


It's worth noting that the occupation forces demolished numerous facilities before the deadline, with the aim of forcing citizens to leave their lands for the benefit of colonial expansion.

PALESTINE

Sun 27 Apr 2025 3:37 pm - Jerusalem Time

Israeli occupation forces arrested two Palestinian citizens east of Jenin.

Today, Sunday, the Israeli occupation forces arrested two citizens from the village of Masiliya, southeast of Jenin.


Local sources reported that occupation forces stormed the village, firing sound bombs, and arrested citizens Yousef Ahmed Amin Abu Naim and Muhammad Hassan Amin Abu Naim, after raiding their homes.

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PALESTINE

Sun 27 Apr 2025 2:15 pm - Jerusalem Time

The occupation forces assaulted Palestinian citizens near the Zaim checkpoint east of Jerusalem.

Today, Sunday, Israeli occupation forces assaulted citizens after stopping their vehicle near the Al-Zaim military checkpoint east of occupied Jerusalem.


Local sources reported that occupation soldiers stopped a vehicle as it passed through the checkpoint and assaulted its passengers after forcing them to get out of the vehicle, resulting in several of them sustaining bruises.

PALESTINE

Sun 27 Apr 2025 1:38 pm - Jerusalem Time

The death toll from the aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 52,243 dead and 117,639 wounded.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced on Sunday that the death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Strip since October 7, 2023, has risen to 52,243 dead and 117,639 wounded.


It noted that medical teams are still facing extreme difficulties in reaching victims trapped under the rubble and on the streets due to ongoing military operations.


The ministry stated in its daily statistical report that hospitals in the Gaza Strip received 51 dead over the past 24 hours, including 11 who were pulled from the rubble, in addition to 115 new injuries.


The ministry explained that 697 dead have been added to the cumulative statistics after their data was completed and officially approved by the judicial committee responsible for following up on reports and missing persons. The ministry confirmed that documentation efforts are continuing in parallel with rescue and search operations for victims.


The ministry stated that the death toll from the Israeli aggression since March 18, 2025, has reached 2,151 dead  and 5,598 wounded, amid ongoing shelling and military operations in various areas of the Gaza Strip.

PALESTINE

Sun 27 Apr 2025 1:29 pm - Jerusalem Time

Hamas criticizes the appointment of Sheikh as Abbas's deputy, viewing it as "a consecration of autocracy and exclusion."

Hamas criticized the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee's decision on Sunday to approve the appointment of its Secretary-General, Hussein al-Sheikh, as Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee and Vice President of the State of Palestine. The movement considered the decision a "response to external dictates" and a "consolidation of an approach of exclusivity and exclusion." The move was officially welcomed by several Arab countries.


In a press release issued by the movement, Hamas expressed its rejection of the appointment decision, viewing it as "a reprehensible step that departs from national consensus and the will of the Palestinian people." It added that the decision "reflects the insistence of the powerful leadership in the PLO on paralyzing its institutions, rather than serving as a unifying umbrella for the struggle of our people and its vital forces."


The movement stressed that "the priority of our Palestinian people today is to stop the aggression, the war of extermination, and starvation, and to unify efforts to confront the occupation and settlements, not to distribute positions and divide the power pie to please external parties." It called on Palestinian factions and forces to "reject this step and adhere to rebuilding the Palestine Liberation Organization on national and democratic foundations, far from dictates and guardianship."

PALESTINE

Sun 27 Apr 2025 12:50 pm - Jerusalem Time

The Red Cross clarifies the transfer of families of foreign nationals via Kerem Shalom.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) issued a clarification statement on Sunday, confirming that its role in transporting some family members of foreign nationals and permanent residents to the Kerem Shalom crossing since March 2025 is limited to humanitarian facilitation.


The committee explained in a press statement that these operations were carried out in response to an official request from the consular services of several countries to receive the most vulnerable family members and reunite them with their families outside the Gaza Strip.


The statement indicated that the responsibility for initiating travel procedures and obtaining permits lies with the relevant countries, while the ICRC's role is limited to ensuring the safe arrival of these individuals at the Kerem Shalom crossing, without any interference with consular operations or permits.

PALESTINE

Sun 27 Apr 2025 12:45 pm - Jerusalem Time

Gaza Chamber of Commerce: Economic paralysis and a 500% increase in commodity prices.



The Chambers of Commerce in the Gaza Strip confirmed on Sunday that the Israeli occupation continues to prevent private sector trucks from entering through the crossings, bringing commercial and economic activity in the besieged Strip to a near-total standstill.


The Chambers of Commerce explained in a statement that the continued closure of the crossings has led to a dramatic increase in food prices, exceeding 500%, exacerbating the suffering of the population, who are living under a suffocating siege and catastrophic humanitarian conditions.


Due to the shortage of basic supplies, many residents of the Gaza Strip have been forced to resort to unsafe water sources, having been unable to obtain clean water due to the continued closure of crossings and the ban on the entry of water purification supplies.


The Chambers of Commerce noted that the policy of closure and denial of humanitarian aid constitutes "deliberate starvation" used as a weapon against Palestinians in Gaza, as part of an attempt to subjugate the population through economic and livelihood restrictions.

PALESTINE

Sun 27 Apr 2025 12:40 pm - Jerusalem Time

UNRWA announces the depletion of its flour supplies in the Gaza Strip.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced on Sunday that its flour supplies in the Gaza Strip have run out.


"The World Food Programme announced on April 25 that its food stocks in Gaza were completely depleted. UNRWA flour supplies also ran out earlier this week," the agency said in a post on its X account.


UNRWA stated that it has "approximately 3,000 trucks loaded with life-saving aid ready to enter Gaza," but Israel is preventing the aid trucks from entering.


The Gaza Strip, with a population of approximately 2.4 million, is almost entirely dependent on humanitarian aid, which has been completely halted since March 2, when Israel closed the Kerem Shalom, Zikim, and Beit Hanoun crossings.

The organization stressed that "the blockade" that Israel has imposed on the Gaza Strip for years must be lifted.

PALESTINE

Sun 27 Apr 2025 11:48 am - Jerusalem Time

91 days and the Israeli aggression on Tulkarm and its camp escalates

The Israeli occupation forces continue their aggression on the city of Tulkarm and its camp for the 91st consecutive day, and on the Nour Shams camp for the 78th day, amid ongoing field escalation.


Local sources said that occupation forces raided a number of homes in the Dhnaba suburb east of the city at dawn today, including those belonging to detainees in occupation prisons. They conducted a wide-scale search operation, vandalizing their contents, and subjecting their residents to interrogation and threats.


She added that heavy gunfire was heard in various parts of the city, particularly around the Nour Shams camp and the Aktaba suburb, accompanied by intensive infantry movements in the area and intensive reconnaissance aircraft flights.


Meanwhile, the occupation forces continue to send military reinforcements, including vehicles and infantry units, into the city, its two camps, and its suburbs. This deployment is accompanied by heavy firing of live ammunition and sound bombs, as they raid and search homes and shops, destroy their contents, and subject those present to interrogation and arrest.


They also set up checkpoints on the city's main streets and neighborhoods, obstructing the movement of citizens and their vehicles, subjecting them to searches, identity checks, and field interrogations.


Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps are witnessing a heavy deployment of occupation forces, firing live ammunition and sound bombs, with explosions being heard from time to time. This comes amidst a tight siege imposed on the camps, the closure of their entrances with earth mounds, and the accompanying raids and vandalism of homes, forcing the remaining residents to evacuate their homes at gunpoint.


The occupation forces also continue to seize homes and residential buildings on Nablus Street and the adjacent northern neighborhood, converting them into military barracks after forcibly evacuating their residents. They also station their vehicles and bulldozers in the vicinity.


The ongoing Israeli aggression and escalation against the city of Tulkarm and its two camps resulted in the deaths of 13 civilians, including a child and two women, one of whom was eight months pregnant. Dozens more were injured and arrested.


It also resulted in the forced displacement of more than 4,200 families from the Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps, comprising more than 24,000 residents, along with hundreds of residents from the city's northern neighborhood after their homes were seized and a number of them converted into military barracks.


The aggression caused widespread destruction to the infrastructure, including homes, shops, and vehicles, which were completely and partially demolished, burned, vandalized, looted, and stolen. 396 homes were completely destroyed and 2,573 partially destroyed in the Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps, in addition to the closure of their entrances and alleys with earth mounds.

PALESTINE

Sun 27 Apr 2025 11:34 am - Jerusalem Time

Dozens of settlers storm Al-Aqsa

Today, Sunday, settlers stormed the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, under the protection of the Israeli occupation police.


Local sources reported that dozens of settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in groups from the Mughrabi Gate, conducted provocative tours of the compound, and performed Talmudic rituals.

ARAB AND WORLD

Sun 27 Apr 2025 9:28 am - Jerusalem Time

The death toll from the Iranian port explosion has risen to 18, with 1,139 injured.

The death toll from the massive explosion that occurred Saturday at Shahid Rajaee Port in southern Iran has risen to at least 18, with 1,139 injured, according to a new toll released by the Iranian government spokeswoman on Sunday morning.


Iranian state television reported that the fire had been brought under control, but had not yet been extinguished, with thick black smoke rising from it.


According to the Iranian News Agency, a spokesman for the Crisis Management Organization stated that "the cause of the explosion was the unsafe storage of chemicals inside containers."


The explosion occurred yesterday in a container at the port, the cause of which is unknown, causing material damage to one of the port buildings.

PALESTINE

Sun 27 Apr 2025 9:11 am - Jerusalem Time

Arrest campaign in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem

Israeli occupation forces launched an arrest campaign in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem at dawn and early Sunday morning.


In Nablus, occupation forces arrested Islam Khadish after raiding and searching his family's home in Balata camp.


These forces also raided a number of homes in the camp, searched them, and vandalized their contents.


In occupied Jerusalem, occupation forces stormed the town of Issawiya and arrested two young men, Saif Muhannad Obaid and Muhammad Farid Obaid, after raiding their homes.


In Hebron, occupation forces arrested Radwan Muhammad al-Jamal and his two sons, Bilal and Yahya, Wael Marwan al-Atrash, Raed Haimour, and Muhammad Ismail al-Jamal and his three sons, Amir, Ahmed, and Ramzi, after raiding their homes in the southern part of the city.


The occupation forces also arrested: Shams Muhammad Ayyadah and Ayser Amin Ayyadah from the town of Al-Shuyukh, northeast of Hebron, and Ghassan Ismail Rabaa and Ayser Shahada Al-Tal from Adh Dhahiriya, south of Hebron.


In Ramallah, occupation forces arrested Mohammed al-Masri to pressure his son to surrender, and Ahmed Samir Nakhleh after raiding and searching their homes in Jalazone refugee camp.

PALESTINE

Sun 27 Apr 2025 8:46 am - Jerusalem Time

Updated: 7 dead and injuries in the Gaza Strip

Seven citizens were killed and others injured on Sunday as a result of the occupation's bombing of various areas in the Gaza Strip.


A citizen was also killed after being bombed by an Israeli drone in the Al-Shaaf neighborhood, east of Gaza City.


Local sources reported that two girls and a citizen were killed, and others were injured, in the occupation's shelling of Al-Sikka Street in Al-Zeitoun neighborhood.


The occupation's artillery shelling of the Shuja'iyya, Zeitoun, and Tuffah neighborhoods east of Gaza City continues.


Three civilians, including a child, were killed and others injured Sunday morning in an Israeli airstrike on Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.


Medical sources reported that a fisherman was killed by Israeli naval forces in the sea off Khan Yunis.


The same sources added that two martyrs, one of them a child, were killed when the occupation forces bombed a tent sheltering displaced people in the town of Khuza'a, east of the city.


Meanwhile, the occupation forces are destroying a number of residential buildings north of Rafah.


Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has been committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, leaving more than 168,000 dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing.

OPINIONS

Sun 27 Apr 2025 8:34 am - Jerusalem Time

How do you see my driving? Our trust in your leadership was misplaced!



Awni Al-Mashni


If opposition in poetry is for a poet to write a poem that imitates another poem with the same rhyme and meter, and with a level no less than the first poem, then I permit myself, in the same sense, to write an article in which I oppose the article of my creative journalist friend Ibrahim Melhem, “How Do You View My Leadership?” with my conviction that I will not respond to the second condition, which is to imitate his article, in idea, language, and meaning.

I tried to imagine the answer, and I was guided by their influence. I didn't need to ask a friend for help, or delete two answers, or even ask the audience for help, as George Qardahi did in his famous program "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" I was guided by "the dung that leads to the camel," as I tried to revive my imagination by contemplating the facts of objective reality.

We were promised a state, but the West Bank became too cramped for its inhabitants, turning it into racial ghettos. We were promised Singapore, but we became Somalia. We were promised democracy, but we became a democracy where slaves choose their masters. We were promised a state of law, but we became Saxonian law. We were promised a fair distribution of opportunities, but we became a fair distribution of opportunities and sacrifices together: opportunities for one group and not others, and sacrifices for another group and not others.

This is the empty half of the cup. The other half has been filled with our blood in the Gaza Strip. The screams of children in the Gaza Strip tell a different story. They say that many calculations were absent, hasty calculations, and romantic calculations. The nobility of the goal does not justify the errors in the calculations, and the saying "the honor of trying is enough for us" does not apply. The attempt, even if it is honorable, takes us to a place far beyond the borders of the homeland.

"How do you see my leadership?" Your leadership is land being stolen, blood being shed, poverty being rampant, and homes being demolished.

"How do you see my leadership?" Our trust in your leadership was misplaced. Our people were shouting at the top of their voices from inside the bus: Stop, stop, stop. We are on the edge of the abyss. Any movement could lead us to a complete collapse, and then no one will be saved.

"How do you see my driving?" You've lost control of the brakes, the steering wheel, everything. You're not driving the bus. The bus drives itself by its own acceleration. Enough!

"How do you see my leadership?" Your leadership did not take us to the final station, it did not bring us closer to the final station, it did not leave us where we were. Rather, it took us far beyond the final station.

"How do you like my driving?" Stop it, at the first stop, stop, get up from the driver's seat, let's manage to find a more knowledgeable and more professional driver.

ARAB AND WORLD

Sat 26 Apr 2025 10:12 pm - Jerusalem Time

Jordanian government: Working for Palestine does not involve targeting national stability.

Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said, "Working for Palestine does not involve targeting national stability," but rather by standing behind the Jordanian leadership, army, and security services.


According to the official Jordanian news agency Petra, Al-Momani stressed that King Abdullah II's positions are "firm and unwavering in defending the rights of the Palestinian people and supporting their steadfastness in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza, using all political, diplomatic, and humanitarian tools."


Al-Momani explained that Jordan's position on the Palestinian issue is clear and consistent, and is based on defending the Palestinians' right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.


The Jordanian government spokesman indicated that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on Palestinian lands represents his country's highest interest.


This month, Jordanian authorities announced the arrest of 16 individuals they said were involved in plots aimed at sowing chaos within the country.


Jordan explained that these plots included the possession of explosives and firearms, a project to manufacture drones, and the recruitment and training of individuals inside and outside the Kingdom.


Later, Jordanian Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya announced a ban on all activities of the Muslim Brotherhood, deeming it an illegal organization.

ARAB AND WORLD

Sat 26 Apr 2025 9:52 pm - Jerusalem Time

Benkirane: The US administration bears responsibility for the Israeli genocide in Gaza.


Abdelilah Benkirane, Secretary-General of the Moroccan opposition Justice and Development Party, held the US administration responsible for the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip on Saturday.


This came in a speech at the party conference, which is being held on Saturday and Sunday in the city of Bouznika (west), to choose a new leadership.


Benkirane said: "The United States bears full and direct material and moral responsibility, as it is directly intervening on the ground in the ongoing war of extermination in Gaza and insisting on the displacement plan."


He criticized Washington's "immoral" use of the veto against Security Council resolutions related to the Palestinian issue.


Benkirane praised "the positions of the Moroccan people, who have demonstrated, as usual, their unwavering and steadfast commitment to supporting the Palestinian cause."


He stressed that "since the beginning of the genocidal war waged by the Zionist enemy against the Palestinians in Gaza, the Moroccan people have not stopped organizing solidarity events and national marches in support of the Palestinian resistance, condemning the occupation and its barbaric massacres, and demanding an end to normalization."


Benkirane explained that his party "stands with the Palestinian resistance."


He pointed out that "this alignment is imposed by the rights of religion, brotherhood, and humanity, and the inalienable and unshakable Palestinian right to liberate the land and establish an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital."


The conference participants are expected to choose a new leadership for the party to manage its affairs for the next four years.


On October 30, 2021, the extraordinary congress of the Justice and Development Party elected Benkirane, former Prime Minister (2011-2017), as the party's Secretary-General for a four-year term.


With full American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 168,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing.

PALESTINE

Sat 26 Apr 2025 9:13 pm - Jerusalem Time

Al-Quds newspaper is a star in the Palestinian media sky.

It has maintained and continues to maintain its national unity approach, and its clear understanding of the concerns of the Palestinian citizen, especially the people of Jerusalem, and the issues of the eternal capital of the State of Palestine, with a comprehensive discourse and solid national language, despite the obstacles placed in the way by the occupation.


Obstacles, impediments, and sanctions, including closure, have been imposed as part of attempts to destroy the media, cultural, and institutional structures, as well as everything related to Jerusalem. Yet, it has remained and continues to be a resilient media voice.


Throughout its media career, Al-Quds newspaper has charted its own unique path, adding a new dimension to Palestinian media. It has fought the disease of calcification and decline that has afflicted many newspapers and publications as a result of the repercussions of the modern technology revolution and the media and social networking sites that are rising strongly on the scene. Rather, it has developed its work to keep pace with this great revolution in the world of media and to harness it to benefit from its advantages.


Despite the scarcity of financial resources that it suffered from, as did other daily newspapers and periodicals, as a result of the decline in public demand for print publications and the shrinking advertising market, it was able to overcome this through the rapid development of the content and message of the Jerusalem newspaper, which was and continues to be directed to Palestinians for daily and regular reading.


These days, Al-Quds newspaper celebrates the publication of its 20,000th issue. In this context, we should also remember that each issue has its own special charm, with the concerns, challenges, and wounds it carries. How many of them exposed the crimes and aggression of the occupier, and how many also suffered from the occupation’s censor’s scissors. These issues of Al-Quds newspaper are a journey of success with all the suffering and continuous work they carried, carried out by a group of experienced Palestinian journalists who also suffered from the woes of the occupation and its aggression. How many pictures were an adventure and how many words were written in blood.


How beautiful is Al-Quds newspaper as it reminds you through its glorious pages of what happened twenty years ago. It also boasts the articles of its writers with diverse intellectual backgrounds. How beautiful is the article of its editor-in-chief, Mr. Ibrahim Mahlam, who presents you with a comprehensive amount of information and analysis in simple language.


Al-Quds newspaper has maintained its nationalist approach first and foremost and its editorial independence, and has become a shining star in the Palestinian media sky.


This is a blessed occasion that we take advantage of to extend our greetings to all our colleagues, both male and female, and to the editor-in-chief of Al-Quds newspaper, and to highly appreciate and value their media efforts and their intellectual and combative role, which also represents a challenge to the occupation, so that Al-Quds newspaper, bearing the name of the capital, remains strong and capable of creativity and brilliance, writing for Palestine and defending its people, the blood of the martyrs and the suffering of the prisoners.

*Member of the Political Bureau of the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front

Secretary of the Central Media Department

ARAB AND WORLD

Sat 26 Apr 2025 8:54 pm - Jerusalem Time

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation expresses its regret over the US decision to lift UNRWA's immunity.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed its regret on Saturday over the US decision to lift the legal immunity of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), stressing the need for states to respect all their obligations under the UN Charter and relevant resolutions, including the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the International Organization and its Institutions.


In a statement, the organization emphasized the vital, indispensable, and irreplaceable role of this UN agency, which constitutes a lifeline for millions of Palestinian refugees, particularly in the Gaza Strip, which has been witnessing a genocidal war for 17 months.


The organization called on the United States to reconsider its decision regarding UNRWA, resume funding, and pressure Israel, the occupying power, to fulfill its obligations toward this UN agency, which reflects the international community's commitment and responsibility to provide basic services to Palestinian refugees and protect their rights until UN resolutions, particularly Resolution 194, are implemented.


The organization also renewed its call on the international community to put an end to the crimes of genocide, starvation, and siege perpetrated by the Israeli occupation, and to allow the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

PALESTINE

Sat 26 Apr 2025 7:26 pm - Jerusalem Time

Families of Israeli prisoners: Netanyahu's military pressure on Gaza is "killing our children"

Families of Israeli prisoners in Gaza said Saturday that the military pressure exerted by Tel Aviv on Hamas threatens the lives of their detained sons.


The prisoners' families published a statement on the X platform, asserting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements regarding the return of their sons through military pressure were "lies."


She pointed out that the Israeli army has not returned the 59 prisoners held in Gaza.


The statement comes after the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, released a video showing the rescue of Israeli prisoners from a tunnel bombed by Israel a few days ago. This video is part of the genocide being perpetrated by Tel Aviv, with US support, against the Gaza Strip.


The families explained that they had previously warned that military pressure would lead to the deaths of the detainees, but Netanyahu ignored them, despite Hamas's willingness to release the prisoners.


The families of the Israeli prisoners in Gaza confirmed that Netanyahu was the one who rejected the deal.


She stressed the need to return the detainees all at once, threatening to "topple Netanyahu if he refuses."


For his part, Yehuda Cohen, the father of the captured Israeli soldier, Nimrod Cohen, said: "Those still alive in captivity could become dead thanks to Netanyahu."


He added, "Netanyahu's goal is to stall, buy time, and remain in office. He has long since turned Nimrod and the hostages into pawns on his chessboard."


Cohen continued, "If Netanyahu refuses to end the war and return everyone at once, we must work to overthrow him in order to rescue the captives."


Earlier on Saturday, the families of Israeli prisoners called for a demonstration this evening to demand the return of their loved ones to their homes.


In their statement, the families stressed the need for the Netanyahu government to reach an agreement with Hamas to return the 59 Israeli detainees en masse.


The Al-Qassam Brigades have repeatedly warned, in previous statements, of Israel's procrastination in resuming the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the risks it poses to the lives of prisoners due to Israel's deliberate bombing of the sites where they are located.


Tel Aviv estimates that there are 59 Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip, 24 of whom are still alive. Meanwhile, more than 9,500 Palestinians are languishing in its prisons, suffering torture, starvation, and medical neglect, many of whom have died, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.


With full American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 168,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing.

PALESTINE

Sat 26 Apr 2025 6:05 pm - Jerusalem Time

27 dead since dawn today: 5 citizens were killed in two Israeli raids in the central Gaza Strip.

Five civilians were killed and others injured Saturday evening in two airstrikes launched by Israeli occupation aircraft and artillery on the city of Deir al-Balah and the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, bringing the death toll since dawn to 27.


According to local sources, Israeli warplanes bombed a cafeteria in Deir al-Balah, killing four citizens and wounding others. Another citizen was killed and others wounded when Israeli artillery shelled a gathering of civilians northwest of the Nuseirat refugee camp. The wounded were taken to al-Awda Hospital.


A number of citizens were injured when Israeli drones fired at Block 1 in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.


Earlier, three citizens were killed and others injured when the occupation forces bombed a gathering of civilians in the Al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip. The occupation forces also bombed the home of the Abu Mazid family in the town of Al-Zawaida, in the central Gaza Strip, killing two citizens.


Two civilians were killed in two Israeli airstrikes on Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip and the Shuja'iyya neighborhood east of Gaza City. The occupation also bombed a fishing boat off the coast of the town of Az-Zawayda, wounding six fishermen.


In Khan Yunis, a number of civilians were injured in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a tent housing displaced people.


This morning, the occupation forces bombed the home of the Al-Khour family in the Al-Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City, killing 10 civilians and wounding others, some of whom remain trapped under the rubble.


Three citizens were also killed and others injured when the occupation forces bombed the Abu Abdo family home in the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City.


Two citizens were killed and others were injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting the vicinity of the Education Roundabout in the town of Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip.


Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has been committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, leaving more than 168,000 dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing.

PALESTINE

Sat 26 Apr 2025 5:41 pm - Jerusalem Time

Two injured in settler attack on Kobar town, north of Ramallah

Two citizens were injured on Saturday evening in a settler attack on the town of Kobar, northwest of Ramallah.


According to local sources, settlers attacked residents of the town and severely beat Adnan Hassan Rashid and Musa Shalalda, causing them injuries and bruises.

PALESTINE

Sat 26 Apr 2025 5:00 pm - Jerusalem Time

Israeli occupation forces stormed the towns of Dura and Halhul in Hebron.

Israeli occupation forces stormed the towns of Dura and Halhul in the Hebron Governorate on Saturday.


According to local sources, occupation forces stormed the town of Dura in the south, deployed in several streets and neighborhoods, and began firing live ammunition, with no injuries reported.


The sources added that occupation forces also stormed the town of Halhul in the north, raiding several neighborhoods, without any arrests being reported.

PALESTINE

Sat 26 Apr 2025 4:03 pm - Jerusalem Time

Hamas: Gaza Strip residents have entered a phase of actual famine due to the occupation's siege.

Hamas has confirmed that the Gaza Strip has entered a famine phase, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his "criminal" government of using starvation as a weapon of genocide against the Strip's population.


In a statement, Hamas warned of the disastrous consequences of the comprehensive closure imposed by the occupation government on Gaza, calling for immediate action to end the blockade.


The movement noted that the World Food Programme's announcement that its stocks had run out confirms beyond doubt that the people of Gaza have entered a phase of actual famine.


Hamas called on the international community to take urgent action to stop the mass starvation and end the complete blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.


Resistance operations

The Al-Qassam Brigades announced that it had killed and wounded members of a special Israeli force after targeting them with shells and machine guns during clashes in the Shujaiya neighborhood in eastern Gaza.

ARAB AND WORLD

Sat 26 Apr 2025 3:32 pm - Jerusalem Time

More than 400 injured in a massive explosion at the Rajaee Port in southern Iran.

Dozens of people were injured on Saturday in an explosion at Rajaee Port in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran.

Iranian state television reported on Saturday a "huge explosion" and fire at a port in Iran's Hormozgan province, more than 1,000 kilometers south of Tehran.

"The explosion occurred in a part of the Shahid Rajaee Port dock, and we are working to extinguish the fire," Esmail Malekizadeh, an official with Hormozgan's Ports and Maritime Administration, was quoted as saying by state television.

He added, "Initial investigations indicate that the explosion was caused by a number of containers stored at Shahid Rajaee Port. We are evacuating the scene and transporting the injured."

A powerful explosion occurred at the port of Rajaee in southern Iran.

"Eighty injuries have been transferred to hospitals so far," an emergency medical service spokesman said.

Later, Tasnim News Agency quoted a spokesman for Iran's Emergency Organization as saying that the number of injured in the explosion had risen to 195.

Later, the spokesman for the Iranian Emergency Organization announced that the number of infected people had risen to more than 400.

An Al Arabiya TV correspondent quoted an eyewitness inside Rajai Port as saying that one building was completely destroyed by the explosion, in addition to extensive damage to buildings in the vicinity.

Mehr News Agency reported that Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni received a preliminary report on the incident during a phone call with Hormozgan Governor Mohammad Ashouri, noting that he ordered an immediate investigation.


In turn, the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company stated: "Following the publication of news of an explosion and fire in the Shahid Rajaee Port area, we would like to inform you that this explosion was not related to the oil refineries, fuel tanks, distribution complex, or oil pipelines associated with this company in that area, and that the facilities in the Bandar Abbas area are currently operating without interruption."

The statement added: "Rescue and firefighting equipment and machinery from all oil companies present in the region are on standby and offering their services to assist in managing the aforementioned incident, by the Ports and Maritime Organization."

ARAB AND WORLD

Sat 26 Apr 2025 3:29 pm - Jerusalem Time

Israeli AI experiments in the Gaza war raise ethical concerns.

Washington - Saeed Erekat


The New York Times reported in an investigation published on Saturday, April 26, 2025, that in late 2023, Israel aimed to assassinate Ibrahim al-Bayari, a senior Hamas leader in northern Gaza who helped plan the October 7, 2023, attack. However, Israeli intelligence was unable to locate al-Bayari, who was believed to be hiding in a network of tunnels under Gaza.


Therefore, according to the newspaper, "Israeli officers turned to a new military technology enhanced by artificial intelligence, according to three Israeli and American officials familiar with the events," noting that "this technology was developed a decade ago, but had not been used in combat. The discovery of Al-Bayari provided a new impetus to improve the tool, so engineers from Israel's Unit 8200, the Israeli counterpart to the US National Security Agency, rushed to integrate artificial intelligence into it, according to these people."


Shortly thereafter, Israel listened to al-Bayari's calls and tested an AI voice tool, which provided an approximate location of where he was making his calls. Using this information, Israel ordered airstrikes targeting the area on October 31, 2023, killing al-Bayari. More than 125 civilians were also killed in the attack, according to Airwars, a London-based conflict monitoring organization.


The audio tool was just one example of how Israel is using the war in Gaza to rapidly test and deploy AI-powered military technologies to an unprecedented degree, according to interviews with nine American and Israeli defense officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the work is classified.


According to the newspaper, two people familiar with the programs said that many of these efforts were partnerships between Unit 8200 conscripts and reservists working for technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Meta (Facebook). Unit 8200 created what became known as "The Studio," an innovation center and a place to match experts with AI projects, the people said.


However, even as Israel races to develop its AI arsenal, the deployment of the technology has sometimes led to mistaken identities, arrests, and civilian deaths, according to Israeli and American officials. Some officials have grappled with the ethical implications of AI tools, which could lead to increased surveillance and the killing of other civilians.


European and US defense officials said no other country has been as active as Israel in testing AI tools in real-time combat, offering a glimpse into how these technologies could be used in future wars—and how they could go wrong.


"The urgent need to deal with the crisis has accelerated innovation, much of it powered by artificial intelligence," Hadas Lorber, head of the Institute for Applied Research in Artificial Intelligence at Israel's Holon Institute of Technology and a former senior director at Israel's National Security Council, told the newspaper. This has led to the development of game-changing technologies on the battlefield and advantages that have proven valuable in combat.


But Lorber said these technologies "also raise serious ethical questions." She warned that AI requires checks and balances, adding that humans make the final decisions.


An Israeli military spokeswoman said she could not comment on specific technologies due to their "secret nature." She added that Israel is "committed to the legal and responsible use of data technology tools," adding that the military is investigating the Biari strike and is "unable to provide any additional information until the investigation is complete."


Meta and Microsoft declined to comment to the newspaper, and Google claimed it has "employees serving as reserve personnel in various countries around the world. The work these employees perform as reserve personnel is not associated with Google."


Israel has previously used the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon to test and develop technological tools for its military, such as drones, phone hacking tools, and the Iron Dome defense system, which can help intercept short-range ballistic missiles.


The newspaper says: "After Hamas launched cross-border attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, the use of artificial intelligence technologies was quickly authorized, according to four Israeli officials. They added that this led to cooperation between Unit 8200 and reservists at the "studio" to quickly develop new artificial intelligence capabilities."


The newspaper quotes Avi Hasson, CEO of Startup Nation Central, an Israeli nonprofit that connects investors with companies, as saying that reservists from Meta, Google, and Microsoft have become a key element in driving innovation in the field of drones and data fusion. He added, "Reservists bring technical know-how and access to key technologies that were not available in the military."


The Israeli military quickly used artificial intelligence to enhance its drone fleet. Aviv Shapira, founder and CEO of Extend, a software and drone company working with the Israeli military, said AI-powered algorithms were used to build drones that identify and track targets remotely.


"In the past, guidance capabilities relied on focusing on the target image. Now, AI can recognize and track the object itself—whether a moving vehicle or a person—with pinpoint accuracy," he said. Shapira said his main clients, the Israeli military and the US Department of Defense, were aware of the ethical implications of AI in warfare and discussed the responsible use of this technology.


Three Israeli officers familiar with the program said that one of the tools developed by The Studio was an Arabic-language AI model known as the Large Language Model. (Plus 972, an Israeli-Palestinian news site, previously reported on the Large Language Model.)


Developers faced difficulty creating such a model due to the scarcity of Arabic data to train the technology. When such data was available, it was mostly in written Modern Standard Arabic, a more formal language than the dozens of dialects used in spoken Arabic.


The three officers said the Israeli military didn't face this problem. The country had decades of intercepted text messages, written phone calls, and social media posts gleaned from spoken Arabic dialects. So, Israeli officers created a large language model in the first few months of the war and built a chatbot to process queries in Arabic. Four Israeli officials said they integrated the tool with multimedia databases, allowing analysts to conduct complex searches across images and videos.


Three Israeli officers told the newspaper that when Israel assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last September, the chatbot analyzed responses across the Arabic-speaking world. The technology distinguished between different dialects in Lebanon to gauge public reaction, helping Israel assess whether there was public pressure to launch a counterstrike.


Two officers said the chatbot was sometimes unable to identify some modern slang terms and words translated from English into Arabic. One officer said this required Israeli intelligence officers with experience in various dialects to review and correct its work.


Two Israeli intelligence officers said the chatbot also occasionally gave incorrect answers—for example, returning images of pipes instead of guns. However, they said the AI tool significantly accelerated research and analysis.


At temporary checkpoints set up between the north and south of the Gaza Strip, Israel also began equipping cameras after the October 7 attacks with the ability to scan and send high-resolution images of Palestinians to artificial intelligence-powered facial recognition software, the newspaper reported.


The system also sometimes had difficulty identifying people whose faces were obscured. This led to the arrest and interrogation of Palestinians who were mistakenly identified by the facial recognition system, according to two Israeli intelligence officers.


Israel also used artificial intelligence to sift through data collected by intelligence officials on Hamas members. Before the war, Israel built a machine learning algorithm—codenamed "Lavender"—that could quickly sort through data to search for low-level militants. It was trained on a database of confirmed Hamas members and was intended to predict who might be part of the group. Although the system's predictions were inaccurate, Israel used it early in the Gaza war to help select attack targets.


There were no greater goals than finding and eliminating Hamas’s top leadership. At the top of the list was Biari, the Hamas commander Israeli officials believe played a pivotal role in planning the October 7 attacks. Israeli military intelligence quickly intercepted Biari’s calls with other Hamas members but was unable to pinpoint his location. So they turned to an AI-powered audio tool that analyzed various sounds, such as stun grenades and airstrikes. Two intelligence officers said that after deducing an approximate location of where Biari had made his calls, Israeli military officials were warned that the area, which includes several residential complexes, was densely populated. They said that an airstrike would need to target several buildings to ensure Biari’s assassination. Approval was given for the operation. Since then, Israeli intelligence has also used the audio tool, along with maps and photos of Gaza’s labyrinth of underground tunnels, to pinpoint the locations of hostages. Over time, the tool has been refined to locate individuals with greater precision, two Israeli officers said.

PALESTINE

Sat 26 Apr 2025 2:08 pm - Jerusalem Time

A young Palestinian died of wounds he sustained two months ago in Beit Furik.

A young man died of his wounds today, Saturday, in the town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus.


Medical sources confirmed that the young man, Ahmed Nasasra (30 years old), died of wounds he sustained about two months ago during clashes with the Israeli occupation forces in Beit Furik.


It is noteworthy that the young man, Nasasra, was married and had one child. He was lying in the Arab Specialized Hospital in Nablus, where doctors announced his martyrdom today.

PALESTINE

Sat 26 Apr 2025 2:07 pm - Jerusalem Time

Trump administration lifts immunity from UNRWA

The administration of US President Donald Trump has decided to lift the immunity of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), no longer considering it part of the United Nations, which would allow it to be sued in US courts.

This statement came in a legal document submitted by the US Department of Justice to the Federal Court in New York last Thursday, as part of a serious lawsuit against UNRWA accusing it of covering up for employees who participated in the events of October 7, 2023, and demanding exorbitant financial compensation.

This shift reflects the US administration's hardline stance toward the UN agency, especially in light of repeated Israeli accusations against UNRWA.

Since his first term as US President in 2017, President Donald Trump has been working to combat UNRWA and cut its funding, with the aim of eliminating the refugee issue.

UNRWA's legal defense team described these accusations as "not serious," stressing that the agency enjoys legal immunity as a UN agency, a position adopted by previous US administrations.

PALESTINE

Sat 26 Apr 2025 2:06 pm - Jerusalem Time

The death toll from the aggression on Gaza rises to 51,495 dead and 117,524 wounded.

The death toll from the genocidal war and aggression waged by the Israeli occupation forces on the Gaza Strip has risen to 51,495 dead and 117,524 wounded since October 7, 2023.


According to medical sources, the death toll includes 2,111 dead and 5,483 injuries since March 18, when the occupation resumed its aggression on the Gaza Strip following the ceasefire.


The same sources confirmed that 56 dead, including 7 dead who were recovered, and 108 injured, arrived at hospitals in the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours, while a number of victims are still under the rubble and in the streets, and ambulance and civil defense crews are unable to reach them.