The Israeli occupation forces continue their escalating aggression against the city of Tulkarm and its camp for the 76th consecutive day, and for the 63rd day against the Nur Shams camp, amid military reinforcements and ongoing field escalation.

Local sources reported that late last night, Israeli occupation forces dispatched military reinforcements, including vehicles and Eitan armored vehicles, to the city. They were stationed around the Peace Roundabout in the eastern neighborhood, obstructing traffic. Israeli soldiers conducted thorough searches of vehicles and citizens' IDs.

In the same context, the occupation forces dispatched additional military reinforcements, including infantry units and vehicles, to the Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps, while live ammunition was fired and explosions were heard from time to time.

In Tulkarm refugee camp, occupation forces deployed in the Abu al-Foul neighborhood, conducting search and combing operations. They also fired flares into the skies above the camp, as part of the ongoing escalation that has affected all of its neighborhoods. The camp has been emptied of its residents after they were forcibly displaced from their homes, and is completely devoid of any signs of life, following the complete destruction of its infrastructure, the sabotage, demolition, and burning of homes and facilities.

Israeli occupation forces continue their tight siege of Nour Shams refugee camp, with explosions heard last night. They also continue raiding and searching homes in the al-Mahjar neighborhood, detaining young men and subjecting them to field investigations.

Israeli occupation forces continue to seize homes and residential buildings on Nablus Street and the city's northern neighborhood, converting them into military barracks with their vehicles stationed around them. The pace of these seizures has intensified after they seized five additional buildings yesterday, containing dozens of apartments housing dozens of families, including displaced persons from the Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps.

Among these buildings are others that had been previously seized by the occupation forces: Khrioush 3, Al-Rabi', Al-Firdous, Al-Amer, and Khrioush 6, located within two residential blocks in the northern neighborhood and Nablus Street opposite Tulkarm camp and the Dhnaba suburb.

Meanwhile, Nablus Road, which connects the Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps, has witnessed a heavy deployment of occupation forces, restricting movement and harassing citizens. Sections of the road have been closed off with earth mounds in both directions.

The ongoing Israeli aggression and escalation against the city of Tulkarm and its two refugee 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 4,000 families from the Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps, along with dozens of families 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 refugee camps, in addition to the closure of their entrances and alleys with earth mounds.

The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, described the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip as "hell on earth," warning that supplies at the organization's field hospital will run out within two weeks.

"We now find ourselves in a situation I would have to describe as hell on earth," Spoljaric told Reuters from the committee's Geneva headquarters. "People in many areas have no access to water, electricity, or food."

She added that supplies were dangerously low, "For six weeks nothing has come in, so within two weeks we will run out of the supplies we need to keep the hospital running."

The World Health Organization said supplies of antibiotics and blood bags were running out rapidly. Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO representative in the Palestinian territories, told reporters in Geneva via video link from Jerusalem that 22 of the Strip's 36 hospitals were operating at minimal capacity.

The head of the Red Cross also expressed concern about the safety of humanitarian operations.

"Population movement is very dangerous, but it is especially dangerous for our work," Spoljaric said.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor held the Dutch government directly legally responsible for its "complicity in the crimes" committed by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly in the Gaza Strip, due to its continued direct and indirect support for the Israeli war machine.

The Observatory said in a press release that the Netherlands continues to export "military dogs" to the Israeli occupation army and other Israeli security agencies, despite their use as a tool for systematic torture and intimidation of Palestinians, as part of the Israeli system based on imposing comprehensive domination over them, stripping them of their human dignity, and completely destroying their existence.

The Observatory stated that it followed with great concern the information revealed by the Center for Research on Multinational Enterprises (SOMO) regarding Dutch companies obtaining veterinary certificates to export 110 dogs to Israel during the period between October 2023 and February 2025. One hundred of these certificates were allocated to Four Winds K9, a dog training center located in the Dutch village of Geven, which, according to the research center, has a long record of exporting dogs to Israel.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor emphasized that the close coordination between Israeli state institutions, Dutch legal entities, and the company Four Winds K9 reveals a transnational network of deliberate complicity that actively feeds Israel's killing and repression machine and ensures the company's continued vital role in supplying units directly implicated in serious violations of international law.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor confirmed that its field team documented numerous crimes in which the occupation forces used dogs to directly attack Palestinian civilians, including children, the elderly, and the sick. They also documented the desecration of corpses, terrorizing families, and torturing Palestinian detainees, including horrific rapes using dogs. The report noted that Israeli forces systematically use large military dogs during their military attacks in the Gaza Strip, particularly during raids on homes, hospitals, and shelters, as well as during incursions into the West Bank.

He pointed out that his field team had documented the Israeli forces' use of dogs to attack and terrorize children and women inside homes and shelters, particularly during ground military attacks in Gaza City, the north, and Khan Yunis, as part of a systematic policy aimed at spreading terror and intimidation among the civilian population.

He explained, based on what his field team documented, that the most horrific forms of the use of military dogs appeared in targeting Palestinian prisoners and detainees without any restrictions or deterrent, as the horrific nature of these violations reached the point of using these dogs to carry out brutal rape crimes against prisoners and detainees, in front of other detainees and jailers, as part of a systematic and deliberate pattern of sexual violence, which also included forced nudity, sexual harassment, threats of rape, and the use of sharp objects and inserting them into sensitive areas of the bodies of prisoners and detainees, with the intent of humiliating and physically and psychologically abusing them.

He recalled the incident of the attack on the elderly woman, Dawlat al-Tanani (60 years old), who was mauled by an Israeli military dog in her home on May 14, 2024, in Jabalia camp, north of the Gaza Strip. The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor stated that it had received testimonies about the Israeli army’s use of military dogs to raid hospitals. The Observatory quoted a woman who requested anonymity as saying: “Israeli forces stormed our home, and as soon as we opened the door, the soldiers released a dog into the apartment. It attacked my elderly husband, biting him in the chest, stomach, and leg, causing him to bleed profusely, without the soldiers taking any action.” In this regard, he referred to the testimony of Dr. Islam Sawali, last February, who confirmed that the Israeli occupation forces used dogs to storm Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis at the time, to terrorize medical staff and displaced persons and force them to evacuate.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor condemned the role of companies supplying Israel with weapons and military equipment, including Dutch companies, stressing that international law, including the Statute of the International Criminal Court and customary international law, particularly the principle of "aiding and abetting," as well as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, legally oblige companies to cease any cooperation or support that might facilitate or enable the commission of any violations of international law.

On Friday evening, the State of Qatar condemned Israel's decision to close six schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in East Jerusalem.

She stressed the need for the international community to take urgent action to hold Israel accountable and compel it to comply with international law.

The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that its country condemns "the decision of the Israeli occupation authorities to close six schools affiliated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in East Jerusalem."

Depriving children of education is "a new crime in the ongoing series of Israeli crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories."

The ministry reiterated its categorical rejection of "the politicization of education and Israeli moves aimed at ending or reducing the role of UNRWA."

She stressed "the need for the international community to act urgently to hold Israel accountable and compel it to comply with international law."

She also stressed that "the right to education is a fundamental right guaranteed by international human rights laws and charters."

A Louisiana immigration judge on Friday declared Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and legal permanent resident of the United States (with a permanent green card), deportable.

Judge Jamie Comans' decision comes after the federal government filed a memorandum Wednesday from Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleging that Khalil could be deported because of his "beliefs, statements, or associations" that could harm U.S. foreign policy interests.

An immigration court's "deportability determination" means that a judge has determined that a person is subject to removal from the United States due to an immigration law violation or lack of legal immigration status. Khalil's attorneys are expected to appeal the ruling.

The judge's decision (in this case) does not mean that Khalil will face deportation any time soon, as he has an ongoing case in New Jersey. A federal judge in New Jersey ordered Khalil's lawyers and the U.S. Department of Justice to hold a conference call immediately after his immigration hearing in Louisiana. Khalil's legal team argued that the Louisiana judge's decision violates the graduate's constitutional rights and sets a harmful precedent.

Immigration judges, like Judge Jamie Cummins, are not Article III judges. Rather, they are attorneys at the U.S. Department of Justice, appointed for that purpose. They merely rule that the federal government has the authority to determine a person is deportable based on—as in this case—U.S. foreign policy grounds, but the ruling does not constitute enforcement.

"Although the government failed to prove that Mahmoud violated any law, the court has determined that lawful permanent residents can have their residency revoked for their advocacy for Palestine," Khalil's legal team said in a press conference following the hearing. "This is a blatant violation of the First Amendment and sets a dangerous precedent for anyone who believes in freedom of speech and political expression."

Khalil was arrested on March 8 by federal agents outside his apartment on the Columbia University campus, following a deportation order issued by the Trump administration. Khalil, who is married to an American citizen, is a prominent Palestinian activist and played a pivotal role in protests against Israel's war of genocide in Gaza on the prestigious Columbia University campus.

At the end of the hearing, Khalil informed the court that he was not afforded "due process rights and basic fairness," according to a press release from the American Civil Liberties Union. "None of these principles were present today or in this entire process," Khalil said. "This is precisely why the Trump administration sent me to this court, a thousand miles from my family."

Khalil's wife, Nour Abdullah, said her husband was imprisoned for his support of Palestine.

"My husband is a political prisoner who is being denied his rights because he believes Palestinians deserve equal dignity and freedom," she said in a statement read during a briefing on Friday. "Nothing the government can say about my husband can hide this truth."

Assistant Chief Immigration Judge Jamie Comans ordered the federal government to turn over evidence supporting its order to deport Khalil, a lawful permanent resident, from the United States by Wednesday evening, or she will move to end the case, according to Khalil's lawyer.

In response to the request, the federal government filed Rubio's memorandum on Wednesday, which did not include any allegations of criminal activity. Khalil's lawyers challenged the charges against him in federal and immigration court, arguing that he was targeted for his pro-Palestinian activism in violation of his constitutional right to free speech.

“Today we saw our worst fears come to fruition: Mahmoud was subjected to a travesty of due process, a blatant violation of his right to a fair trial, and the exploitation of immigration law to suppress dissent,” Khalil’s immigration lawyer, Mark van der Hout, said in a statement Friday.

Gloria J. Brown Marshall, a professor of constitutional law at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told CNN in an interview on Friday that Friday's ruling could have a chilling effect on free speech on colleges and universities in the United States.

“It is chilling for all expression rights when the federal government’s memo does not outline any criminal charges against Mahmoud but seems to say that one person can influence US foreign policy through student protests,” she said.

As a graduate student at Columbia University, Khalil served as a key negotiator for student protesters in talks with the Ivy League university administration regarding a controversial campus encampment last spring to protest Israel's war on Gaza.

Khalil's case has been the subject of controversy since his arrest on March 8, 2025, outside his college dorm, where he lived with his wife, a US citizen who was nine months pregnant. He was transferred to a detention center in Louisiana, where his immigration proceedings will be processed. A separate federal lawsuit is currently underway in New Jersey, in which Khalil is suing the federal government over his arrest.

In the New Jersey case, Khalil's team will continue to seek bail and a preliminary injunction to release him from custody pending the conclusion of his immigration case, according to the ACLU press release. The administration ordered Khalil's deportation "based on information provided by DHS/ICE/HSI regarding [the freedman's] and Khalil's participation and roles in anti-Semitic protests and activities, creating a hostile environment for Jewish students in the United States," Rubio stated in the memo filed Wednesday.

The memo continues that Khalil's actions and continued presence in the United States "undermine U.S. policy to combat anti-Semitism globally and in the United States, as well as efforts to protect Jewish students from harassment and violence in the United States."

Khalil's lawyers previously stated that they would challenge the evidence at the hearing and request an opportunity for Rubio to testify.

Van der Hout said the government presented evidence proving Khalil's involvement in protest negotiations at Columbia University, but did not provide evidence to support the foreign policy allegation.

"Rubio's letter is the only evidence against the main charge in this case. There is no other evidence," Van Der Hout said Thursday.

Van der Hoot also challenged the government's characterization of anti-Semitism, saying, "What is anti-Semitism? It's criticizing Israel and the United States for the massacres being committed in Gaza, in Palestine. That's the essence of this issue."

While ICE insists its detention of individuals is "non-punitive," some immigration attorneys say the agency strategically isolates unwanted immigrants from their attorneys, families, and support systems.

In a statement released after Friday's hearing, Abdullah said she would continue to advocate for her husband's return home, even though he may miss the birth of their first child in less than a month.

Khalil is among the first students or faculty members at American universities—whether residing in the United States as permanent residents or on work or student visas—to be detained by federal agents as part of the administration's immigration crackdown. More than 400 students, faculty members, and researchers have had their visas revoked this year. The Trump administration, which has accused Khalil of supporting Hamas, said it is acting under a provision of U.S. immigration law that grants broad authority to revoke a person's immigration status if the Secretary of State determines that "their activities in the United States could have serious foreign policy consequences."

In cases where the basis for this determination is the foreign person's past, present, or anticipated beliefs, statements, or associations that are lawful, the Secretary of State must personally determine that the foreign person's presence or activities would harm a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest, according to Rubio's newly released memo.

Adam Cox, a New York University law professor, told CNN that the provision the Trump administration is trying to use against Khalil—and other activists—is too vague. Cox recently joined a group of 150 immigration lawyers and legal scholars in filing a friend-of-the-court brief in Khalil's federal case.

The summary stated that in the years following its enactment in 1990, this provision was used in only 15 out of 11.7 million deportation cases. Of these 15 cases, only five involved detention for the duration of the case, while only four resulted in deportation, according to experts.

With this provision being used against other students included in Trump's immigration crackdown, Cox says the decision in Khalil's case on Friday could be significant for future cases.

Three civilians were killed and others injured early Saturday morning when the occupation forces bombed a house east of Gaza City and a tent housing displaced people in Khan Yunis.

Local sources reported that an Israeli drone bombed a home belonging to the Kahil family on Nakhil Street, east of the Tuffah neighborhood in eastern Gaza City, killing two civilians.It  added that a citizen was killed and others were injured when the occupation forces bombed a tent sheltering displaced people on Abu Kaware' Street in the Mawasi area of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.

The occupation artillery bombed the Qizan Rashwan area, south of Khan Yunis.

The death toll in the Gaza Strip since the start of the aggression on October 7, 2023, has risen to 50,912, and the number of injuries has risen to 115,981.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced on Friday that Gaza is approaching "extreme hunger," as essential supplies in the Strip are running out due to the ongoing Israeli closure of the crossings since March 2.

"With the Israeli blockade on Gaza continuing for more than six weeks, all essential supplies are running out," UNRWA Director of Media and Communications Juliette Touma said in a statement.

Touma explained that the depletion of basic supplies is accompanied by a "significant increase in the prices" of goods available in Gaza over the past month, since Israel imposed its blockade on the Strip.

"This means that babies and children go to bed hungry," she continued.

Touma stressed that without these basic supplies, the Gaza Strip is approaching extreme hunger every day.

It called for an immediate resumption of the ceasefire in Gaza, lifting the blockade, and allowing unimpeded entry of humanitarian and commercial supplies, according to the statement.

The Israeli army said on Friday that it had completed control of the entire "Morag axis" and "completely encircled" the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, according to official media.

The Israeli Army Radio reported in a post on the X platform that "the army announced significant progress in ground operations in the southern Gaza Strip," as it completed what it described as "the institutionalization of the Morag Corridor," a land corridor extending north from the border with Egypt to the outskirts of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

According to the Israeli army radio, "Forces from the 36th Division and the 188th Armored Brigade were able to take complete control of the axis and surround the city of Rafah from all sides."

The radio station reported that Rafah was now "completely besieged" by Israeli forces.

She stated that "the next phase includes operations to consolidate control within the Morag axis and prepare to expand the incursion into Rafah, with the aim of incorporating it into the border buffer zone as an area under Israeli control."

Two civilians were killed and others were injured, most of them seriously, when Israeli occupation aircraft bombed the Al-Mawasi area in Khan Yunis.

Medical sources reported that two civilians were killed, one of them when an Israeli drone bombed a tent housing displaced persons, and the other when an Israeli airstrike targeted Roni Street in the Al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Yunis. Dozens were also injured.

A number of citizens were killed and others injured when Israeli warplanes targeted a house on Masoud Street in Jabalia al-Balad, north of Gaza.

A number of citizens were also injured when an Israeli bombardment targeted a house in the Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip.

A Palestinian source familiar with the ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday that he expects the Hamas negotiating delegation, headed by Khalil al-Hayya, to arrive in Cairo on Saturday at Egypt's invitation to discuss ideas that could lead to an agreement to consolidate the ceasefire.

The source stated that meetings will be held with Egyptian officials to discuss the latest developments related to Egypt and Qatar's efforts to reach an agreement. He emphasized that the movement has expressed its willingness to reach an agreement on the exchange of prisoners and detainees and to complete the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, "but we hope the occupation will not obstruct the current mediators' efforts."

The source indicated that reaching an agreement "is possible if the occupation agrees," explaining that Hamas has agreed to the latest Egyptian-Qatari proposal.

The source confirmed that Hamas "has flexibility and a willingness to agree to any new proposal regarding prisoners, provided it includes a cessation of hostilities, a transition to the second phase, and the completion of implementation of the humanitarian protocol."

Separately, a leading Hamas source said in a statement that the movement "has not received any new ceasefire offers, and that it agreed to the last proposal it received from the mediators. It announced this clearly before Eid al-Fitr, and since then, no new proposals have been presented to it."

He expressed the movement's openness to any new proposals that would "achieve a ceasefire, withdraw the occupation forces, and end the suffering of our Palestinian people."

Mediators' proposal

According to sources, mediators have proposed new ideas over the past week to release eight live detainees and eight corpses, in exchange for Israel releasing between 180 and 220 prisoners serving life sentences and long prison terms.

More than 2,000 Gaza detainees arrested by Israel after October 7, 2023, and the extension of the truce from 50 to 70 days, with the second phase issues to be discussed in the second week of the agreement's entry into force.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States is "close" to reaching an agreement to release the remaining detainees in Gaza and reactivate the ceasefire.

Trump explained: "We are communicating with Israel and Hamas... and we are close to returning the detainees from Gaza."

US envoy Steve Witkoff and Egyptian mediators are trying to reach an interim agreement that satisfies both Israel and Hamas, according to Axios.

Israeli officials told the US website that the chances of reaching an agreement within the next two weeks have improved significantly, but significant gaps remain.

Israel resumed its war on Gaza on March 18, launching airstrikes across the Strip and launching a new ground operation aimed at reoccupying 25% of Gaza's territory.

Over the past four weeks, indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, have not yielded any breakthrough in the talks.

Israel rejected the latest offer presented by Hamas, which included a 50-day ceasefire during which five detainees would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, as well as the resumption of humanitarian aid, which Israel had cut off to pressure the movement.

Hamas' proposal also stipulated the withdrawal of Israeli forces from areas recently reoccupied in Gaza and the commencement of serious negotiations to end the war.

But Israel rejected the offer, demanding the release of 11 living detainees and the return of the remains of 16 others who died in detention.

Today, Friday, the Israeli occupation forces arrested journalist Nadine Jaafar from occupied Jerusalem.

Local sources reported that the occupation forces arrested journalist Jaafar at Bab al-Ghawanmeh, one of the gates of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The occupation forces arrested Jaafar on March 4th while she was at Al-Aqsa Mosque and issued a ban on her from entering the mosque for a week. They released her after detaining her for several hours.

In April 2024, Jaafar was physically assaulted by occupation forces while covering news in the Bab al-Amoud area of Jerusalem, resulting in bruises.

The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed on Friday that it has no information regarding the imminent opening of the Gaza Strip crossings to humanitarian aid.

The committee clarified in a press release on Friday that the ICRC had not been asked to coordinate the entry of any humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

The Committee called for the immediate resumption of urgent humanitarian aid into Gaza, affirming its commitment to responding to humanitarian needs.

The Israeli occupation forces have continued to close the crossings with the Gaza Strip since March 2, preventing the entry of humanitarian aid and relief supplies into the Strip.

Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Mustafa said, "The priority now is to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible, as this is the real gateway to addressing the catastrophic humanitarian situation. Without this ceasefire, recovery in the Gaza Strip cannot begin, and a comprehensive reconstruction process cannot begin, paving the way for a serious political process leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state that assumes full responsibilities in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem."

This came during his speech at a press conference with the Foreign Ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and the Republic of Turkey, Hakan Fidan, following the Antalya Ministerial Meeting for the Two-State Solution and Permanent Peace in the Middle East, held on Friday. The meeting included members of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee and a number of international partners.

The Prime Minister expressed his deep appreciation to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan for hosting this meeting in Turkey and for his continued support for the Palestinian cause. He also thanked Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their leadership, both in chairing the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee and in advancing the global coalition to implement the two-state solution. He also commended their efforts, in cooperation with France, in preparing for the upcoming international conference in New York.

The Prime Minister focused on the ongoing aggression taking place in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, by the occupation forces, settlers, and the Israeli government at all levels: political, economic, settlement, destruction, and inhumane practices against our people.

Mustafa also stressed the need to assist and empower the State of Palestine and its government to lead the process of unifying the land and institutions, and to begin reconstruction with the support of international and Arab partners, just as called for in the resolutions of the Arab Summit and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

In a related context, Mustafa stressed during the meeting of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Contact Group that "Israel is primarily responsible for this disastrous and inhumane situation, and pressure must be exerted on it to stop this war and allow aid to enter."

The Prime Minister added: "I warn against the continuation of the Israeli economic war, including the withholding of Palestinian tax revenues and its efforts to undermine our work. I also warn against the importance of active participation in the upcoming donors' conference, organized in cooperation with Egypt and the United Nations, and in the Global Coalition for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. The high-level conference to be held in New York next June, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, is now more urgent than ever."

Mustafa strongly rejected Israel's systematic targeting of international organizations, especially UNRWA, "which is a lifeline for Palestinian refugees and must be protected and supported until the right of return is achieved in accordance with Resolution 194."

Mustafa also stressed that what we urgently need now is collective action to end the suffering of our people, preserve the viability of the two-state solution, and help build a more secure and hopeful future for the entire region.

Mustafa continued, "Israel must be forced to implement UN resolutions and end its prolonged occupation, which is the root cause of instability in our region."

Mustafa also stressed the need to empower the State of Palestine and its government to lead the process of unifying the state's territories and institutions, and to begin reconstruction with support from international and Arab partners, just as called for in the resolutions of the Arab Summit and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Mustafa stressed "the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire, in line with Security Council Resolution 2735," reiterating "our collective opposition to annexation and displacement, and our shared commitment to Palestinian reconstruction, independence, and regional peace."

For his part, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan affirmed during the press conference the Kingdom's categorical rejection of attempts to displace the Palestinian people from the Gaza Strip under any pretext.

Bin Farhan said, "We categorically reject the deportation of the Palestinian people from Gaza under any pretext," calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and ensuring the flow of humanitarian aid to the Strip.

For his part, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reiterated his country's rejection of any plan aimed at forcing Palestinians to leave their homeland.

He explained that the meeting was attended by the foreign ministers of Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, and Indonesia, as well as the secretaries-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States, in addition to representatives from the UAE, China, Russia, Ireland, Spain, Norway, Slovenia, Nigeria, and the European Union.

Fidan stated that they discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza, efforts to re-establish the ceasefire agreement, developments in the occupied Palestinian territories, and the consequences of the escalating Israeli aggression at the regional level, stressing the need for international action toward peace and a two-state solution.

Fidan stressed the need to ensure a permanent ceasefire in Gaza as soon as possible and to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza on a permanent basis.

He also expressed his country's support for the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, calling on the international community to provide all forms of support for peacemaking efforts.

For his part, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Ati called on Israel to return to its commitments under the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

He stressed that "the exodus of the Palestinian people from their land will lead to the liquidation of the Palestinian cause," affirming that "any displacement under any pretext is completely unacceptable."

Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said on Friday that Israel's actions in Gaza undermine the future ability of Palestinians to live in the Strip.

"In light of the cumulative impact of the conduct of Israeli forces in Gaza, the High Commissioner expresses grave concern that Israel appears to be imposing on Palestinians in Gaza living conditions that are increasingly incompatible with their continued existence as a group in Gaza," Shamdasani said during a press conference on Gaza in Geneva.

She noted that "while Israel, as an occupying power, can lawfully order the temporary evacuation of civilians from certain areas, subject to strict conditions, the nature and scope of the evacuation orders raise serious concerns that Israel intends to permanently evacuate the civilian population from these areas, with the aim of creating a 'buffer zone'."

"The permanent displacement of civilians within the occupied territory amounts to forcible transfer," she said.

She pointed out that "Israel's closure of the crossings into the Gaza Strip for six consecutive weeks to date is exacerbating the already dire conditions under which Palestinian civilians live, preventing the entry of food, safe drinking water, medicine, and other essential aid and supplies."

She added: "Israeli officials have made statements indicating that the entry of humanitarian aid is directly linked to the release of the hostages, raising serious concerns about collective punishment of civilians and the use of starvation as a method of warfare, both of which constitute crimes under international law."

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement that "between March 18 and April 9, 2025, approximately 224 Israeli airstrikes hit residential buildings and tents housing displaced persons," noting that it is verifying "information related to approximately 36 airstrikes, indicating that the victims documented so far are exclusively women and children."

According to information from the Commission, "despite Israeli military orders requiring civilians to move to the Mawasi area in Khan Yunis, airstrikes continued to target the tents of displaced persons in that area. The High Commissioner has documented at least 23 such incidents since March 18."

Shamdasani said that these and other attacks "raise serious questions about Israeli forces' compliance with international humanitarian law, particularly the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions in attack. Intentionally directing attacks against civilians not directly participating in hostilities constitutes a war crime."

She also stated that "the targeting and killing of Palestinian journalists is escalating this disturbing trend. During the night of April 6-7, an Israeli airstrike hit a tent erected in front of the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, where a number of journalists were known to be staying. The strike reportedly came without warning."

The Egyptian Foreign Minister affirmed that the ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip are fruitful, noting that Egyptian-Qatari efforts are continuing on a daily basis to conclude a prisoner exchange deal.

"Israel must return to its obligations under the ceasefire agreement," the Egyptian Foreign Minister said in a statement on Friday.

He noted that an interim committee will take over the administration of the Gaza Strip for six months until the Palestinian Authority is able to take over.

He pointed out that Palestinians in Gaza are being deprived of the most basic necessities of life, stressing that they are seeking to enable the Palestinian people to remain on their land.

He added, "Any displacement of Palestinians under any pretext is completely unacceptable."

The death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 50,912, and the number of injuries to 115,981 since October 7, 2023.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that the death toll includes 1,542 dead and 3,940 wounded since March 18.

it said that 26dead were killed (including 6 whose bodies were recovered), and 106 injured people arrived at hospitals in the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours.

It explained that a number of dead remain under the rubble of destroyed homes and facilities, and on the roads, and that ambulances and specialist teams are unable to reach them due to limited resources.

Twelve pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at Stanford University last year after occupying a campus building and allegedly causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage are facing criminal charges.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, California, said in a press release Thursday that the 12 individuals, current and former students at Stanford University, one of the nation's top universities, have been charged with criminal vandalism and criminal conspiracy to commit trespass.

The District Attorney's Office added that the defendants' ages range from 19 to 32. They will be arraigned later this month at the San Jose Hall of Justice.

A student journalist who was arrested with the protesters but was not accused of participating in the vandalism was not charged.

According to the charges, the takeover of Stanford University began around dawn on June 5, 2024, the last day of the spring semester at the university located in California's Silicon Valley. Some protesters barricaded themselves inside the building housing the university president's office. Others linked arms outside, the Stanford Daily reported at the time. The group chanted, "Free Palestine, we will liberate Palestine."

The takeover ended after three hours.

Prosecutors accuse the protesters of spray-painting the building, smashing windows and furniture, disabling surveillance cameras, and pouring a red liquid described as fake blood on objects throughout the building. Prosecutors estimate the damage at hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The prosecution added that the detainees' mobile phones showed communications about planning the operation, including an "occupation manual."

The Associated Press confirmed that it recorded at least 86 incidents last spring involving arrests during protests on college and university campuses against the war in Gaza across the United States.

Israeli occupation forces burned down a house in Jenin camp on Friday.

Al-Quds.com correspondent reported that the house belongs to Jamil Muhammad Abu Ghadhi.

The occupation army continues its aggression on the city of Jenin and its camp for the 81st consecutive day, amid acts of sabotage and destruction of infrastructure.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused reservists and retired officers and soldiers on Friday of publishing protest petitions over the past two days, calling for an end to the war on Gaza and a prisoner exchange. The petitions were initiated by organizations receiving foreign funding and aimed at bringing down his government.

According to Netanyahu, these are "the same petitions again: once on behalf of pilots, once on behalf of Navy personnel, and once on behalf of others. But the public doesn't believe their lies in the media propaganda."

He considered that "these petitions were not written in the name of our heroic soldiers. They were written by a small group of weeds, used by foreign-funded associations with one goal: to bring down the right-wing government. This did not mobilize (the masses) and did not succeed."

Netanyahu added, "This is a small group of retirees who are causing a stir, are chaotic, and are out of touch with reality, and the vast majority of them have not served in the army for years."

He continued, "These weeds are trying to weaken the State of Israel and the IDF, and are encouraging our enemies to target us. They have already sent a message of weakness to our enemies once, and we will not allow them to do so again."

Netanyahu called on Israeli citizens to "learn a lesson. Refusal to serve is refusal to serve, no matter what euphemism they give it. Anyone who encourages refusal to serve will be immediately dismissed. The IDF is fighting and will win."

Netanyahu's statement follows the publication of petitions in the press yesterday and today, beginning with a petition signed by approximately 1,000 reserve and retired fighter pilots, including former IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz. It was followed by a petition by reserve and retired officers and soldiers in the navy and armored corps. Today, a petition signed by hundreds of reserve officers and soldiers in the Military Intelligence Directorate was published.

These petitions included similar messages against Netanyahu and his government following the resumption of the war on Gaza, stating that "the war at this time primarily serves political and personal interests, not security interests. Continuing the war does not contribute to any of the declared war goals and will lead to the deaths of kidnapped Israeli soldiers and civilians."

She added, "We view with concern the erosion of reserve elements and the increasing rate of non-compliance in service, and we are concerned about the future impact of this trend."

She stressed that "only through an agreement can the kidnapped soldiers be returned safely, while military pressure primarily leads to the deaths of the kidnapped soldiers and poses a threat to our soldiers. Every day that passes endangers their lives, and any further moment of hesitation is a disgrace."

Israeli military analysts and correspondents claimed on Friday that Israeli forces are conducting "reduced" military operations and that "there is almost no fighting in the Gaza Strip."

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper stated that the Israeli Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, and Avi Dvrin are insisting on a "policy of blackout" on this issue, "hiding most military operations despite the lack of popular support, such as during the invasion at the beginning of the war and ending last August, with the occupation of the Philadelphi Corridor, and the recent intensive military operation in Rafah."

The newspaper added that the Israeli army attributes the "concealment" to two reasons: the first is that Hamas is not aware of the direction and nature of the current military operation; and the second is that the Israeli army, and Zamir in particular, "want to act first and then talk" about the military operations, after he declared in his inaugural speech that "Hamas has not been defeated, and we have years of a multi-front war of attrition ahead of us."

The newspaper pointed out that during the ground invasion of the Gaza Strip last year, the Israeli army updated the public daily on the progress of the war, and the army allowed reporters to conduct field interviews in the Gaza Strip weekly, "in order to bring the voices of soldiers and officers into Israeli homes and to their families." However, "today, even the faces of soldiers and officers below the rank of brigadier general are forbidden from being shown, for fear of their involvement abroad in violating international law," meaning committing war crimes.

The newspaper added that this blackout policy is very convenient for the political echelon as well, especially Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz.

The current ground incursion is being falsely portrayed in the media as a resumption of the offensive against Hamas or a full-scale resumption of the war. Thus, right-wing circles can sit back and believe that the IDF is breaking Hamas's bones once again, that Ben-Gvir is returning to the government, and that Smotrich is stopping his threats to withdraw from the government. Both seem to know the truth, and perhaps even share it: Hamas remains, with decisive assistance from Israeli policy, as a reserve force in the Gaza Strip to isolate it from the Palestinian Authority.

The newspaper quoted an Israeli officer as saying, "There are almost no armed clashes in the current military operation because it is limited and partial, and also because most of the Hamas members in deserted Rafah have fled to the displaced cities in Khan Yunis."

"We continue to hunt them down from the air and try to locate Hamas leaders. This creates movement and pressure on Hamas, but it cannot decide the war."

According to Amos Harel, a military analyst for Haaretz, "The clear impression is that Zamir, who drew up the new offensive plans, is being careful not to get involved in clashes that would result in many casualties, at least as long as there is no direct order from the government to reoccupy the Strip."

The Israeli military claims that the goal of the current military operation is to eliminate Hamas's Rafah Brigade. However, Harel pointed out that the Israeli military had previously announced that the Rafah Brigade had collapsed on September 12. He suggested that this discrepancy is related to the waste of months of futile negotiations until US President Donald Trump imposed the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, which went into effect on January 19. "At that point, Hamas began to recover."

Harel continued, saying that Hamas has recruited tens of thousands of new fighters, and that although they are young and inexperienced, they know enough to fire Kalashnikov rifles and RPGs. Hamas has also begun renovating its rocket-making system, "and it wouldn't be a surprise if it tried to disrupt the Jewish Passover holiday tomorrow."

The US military announced Thursday that a second aircraft carrier deployed to the Middle East to protect trade flows has arrived in the region, as the US military is currently waging an intensive campaign of strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.

"The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and its air wing, which includes F-35C Lightning II fighters, are operating alongside the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in the US Central Command area of responsibility," the US Central Command said in a statement.

According to a US military official, the United States has struck more than 100 targets in Yemen since launching its latest air campaign against the Iran-backed Houthis in mid-March.

The Houthis are launching attacks on US warships and Israel, claiming they are in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

The Houthis began targeting ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as well as Israel, after the outbreak of war in Gaza in October 2023, and halted the attacks after a truce in the Strip took effect in January.

Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza since early March and resumed its war on the Strip on March 18, ending a short-lived truce.

The new US campaign came after Houthi threats to resume attacks due to the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

Houthi attacks have disrupted a vital sea route through which approximately 12% of global shipping traffic normally passes, forcing many companies to take a much longer alternative route, by circumventing Africa.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said that approximately 400,000 citizens have been displaced in the Gaza Strip since the Israeli occupation army resumed its aggression on March 18.

This came in a post by UNRWA on the X platform on Friday, in which it stated that estimates indicate that approximately 400,000 people have been displaced in Gaza following the collapse of the ceasefire.

She noted that citizens in the Gaza Strip are facing the longest period of disruption to aid and commercial supplies since the beginning of the aggression.

Since March 2, the occupation has been preventing the entry of essential supplies, including food and water, into the Gaza Strip after closing the crossings, causing a humanitarian disaster and worsening famine and thirst.

UNRWA called for an immediate ceasefire and the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies into the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli occupation forces continue their escalating aggression against the city of Tulkarm and its camp for the 75th consecutive day, and for the 62nd day against the Nur Shams camp, amid military reinforcements, escalating field operations, and arrests.

Local sources reported that the occupation forces raided a number of citizens' homes in the city's suburbs at dawn on Friday, searching them and vandalizing their contents. They arrested four citizens, including former detainees: Adi Fayeq Shaaban, Muthanna Al-Masry, and Moatasem Asaad Shalbaya, all from the Dhnaba suburb, and Ammar Manaa from the Ezbet Al-Jarad suburb.

The occupation forces also raided the home of the Hijazi family in Dhnaba, deliberately vandalizing and destroying its contents. They deployed their vehicles in the streets of the suburb, set up flying checkpoints, and searched citizens' vehicles and checked the identities of their passengers.

Meanwhile, occupation forces patrolled the city's southern neighborhood, specifically Al-Amouri Mosque Street and Omar Bin Abdul Aziz School Street, conducting combing and search operations.

Late last night, an Israeli occupation forces' diesel tanker truck rammed into and damaged lampposts around Thabet Thabet Square in the city center, causing damage and obstructing vehicle traffic. The tanker, which was traveling alongside a number of military vehicles, drove against traffic and ran over empty stalls scattered on the sidewalks.

In the same context, the occupation forces sent military reinforcements of infantry units, vehicles and bulldozers to the Tulkarm and Nour Shams camps, accompanied by the firing of live ammunition, and the sound of explosions heard from time to time. In Nour Shams camp, the occupation forces stormed the Al-Mahjar neighborhood, carried out raids and searches of homes, and detained a number of young men after taking them away and subjecting them to field investigation, before releasing them at a later time. At a time when the camp is witnessing a complete siege, including raids on homes, vandalism, the expulsion of their residents and preventing them from returning to them.

The occupation forces continue to seize homes and residential buildings on Nablus Street and the city's northern neighborhood, transforming them into military barracks with their vehicles stationed around them. Meanwhile, they are restricting citizens' movement on the street, sections of which have been closed off with earth mounds in both directions.

This escalation comes as part of the occupation's continued systematic aggression on the city of Tulkarm and its tightened siege on its two camps, which has resulted in the martyrdom of 13 citizens, including a child and two women, one of whom was eight months pregnant, in addition to the injury and arrest of dozens, and the forced displacement of more than 4,000 families from the Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps, along with dozens of families from the northern neighborhood of the city after their homes were seized and a number of them converted into military barracks.

The occupation's aggression also 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 closing their entrances and alleys with earth mounds.

In a report on Thursday, The New York Times reported that the Americans were in a hurry (to reach an agreement for the release of the hostages), that the Americans were in a hurry, as Adam Boehler, a senior American official, wanted Hamas to agree to the release of the last living American-Israeli hostage in Gaza so that President Trump could announce his freedom during his speech to Congress.

The two sides were still haggling as Mr. Trump arrived at the Capitol, and neither met the deadline, according to four people familiar with the discussion, leaving the president with only a passing reference to the hostages in Gaza.

However, the talks, which distanced themselves from decades of entrenched hostility, continued the next day, demonstrating how keen both sides were to strike a deal.

It all began and ended in March, according to the newspaper. Although the United States has backed Israel in its endless war on Gaza, after Hamas launched an October 7, 2023, attack that killed some 1,200 people in Israel, including 311 active-duty soldiers, according to Israel, Trump administration officials met with senior Hamas officials in Qatar three times, according to the four people. The meetings marked a break with long-standing U.S. policy against engaging with the militant group, which the United States considers a terrorist organization. Trump had made the release of all hostages a key goal, aiming to demonstrate success where the Biden administration had struggled. However, in a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, his remarks on the hostages were largely overshadowed by talk of tariffs and Iranian diplomacy.

The March talks underscored the Trump administration's ad hoc approach to diplomacy. But in the face of furious Israeli opposition, Hamas's hesitation, and the Trump administration's shifting stance, no agreement was reached to release the hostage, Idan Alexander.

The newspaper says: “This report is based on conversations with six people familiar with the closed-door meetings, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy.” The talks were separate from faltering attempts by Israel and Hamas to extend a troubled ceasefire. The first phase of the agreement signed in January ended without an agreement to move to the second phase, which called for an end to the war and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Netanyahu has stated that the war will not end until Hamas’s military wing and government are dismantled, while Hamas appears willing to give up control only of the civilian government, but not its weapons. This stalemate has left U.S. officials with the impression that Israel’s resumption of its war on Gaza is only a matter of time, endangering Alexander’s life and jeopardizing the release of the bodies of four other Israeli-Americans, according to two people familiar with the matter. They added that Boehler believes Hamas may want to make a gesture to President Trump, and that a side agreement could build momentum toward serious discussions on the second phase.

On the day of the first meeting, after the iftar meal during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, three Hamas officials welcomed Adam Boehler, a private equity investor who was Trump's nominee for special envoy for hostage affairs, and his advisor, a recent Harvard Business School graduate. They met in a living room featuring a large mural of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and a picture of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau who was assassinated by Israel last July. After midnight, according to the newspaper: “The officials reflected on the historic nature of the meeting and ate knafeh and drank fresh orange juice. They also discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the October 7 attack, four people familiar with the conversation said. The Hamas officials, Taher al-Nunu, Bassem Naim, and Osama Hamdan, made an effort to appeal to their American counterparts, according to the four people. Al-Nunu argued that Hamas was trying to ensure freedom for Palestinians – a value he said was dear to the Americans. About 50,000 people have been killed in the war, according to Gaza health authorities, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, and some protesters in Gaza called on Hamas to stand down. Two days after the first meeting, Boehler returned to speak with Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s chief negotiator, according to the four people. Al-Hayya said Hamas would normally demand the release of 500 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli detention in exchange for a hostage like Mr. Alexander, but as a gesture of goodwill and to save time, it would ask for only 250, including 100 serving prison terms. Life imprisonment

Al-Hayya said he believed the United States could push the Israelis to release that number of people, according to two people familiar with the discussion.

Later that day, Buehler offered 100 inmates serving life sentences and promised to release 150 lower-ranking inmates at a later date in exchange for Mr. Alexander, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Israel has approximately 300 prisoners serving life sentences in detention, and officials have been wary of handing over a large number of them for a single hostage.

Boehler has been under pressure from Israel regarding the talks. He received an angry phone call from Ron Dermer, a Netanyahu adviser, expressing frustration that Boehler had not informed Israel in advance, according to two people familiar with the call. The next day, Axios reported that Boehler had met with Hamas officials—a leak that US officials said they believed was engineered by Israeli officials to sabotage the talks.

The United States often consults with Israel on sensitive national security matters, but Trump administration officials may not have wanted to keep Israeli officials informed because Israel had blocked a previous attempt to meet with Hamas leaders.

In this case, immediately after Mr. Trump's inauguration on January 20, Boehler traveled to Doha, Qatar, where he hoped to meet with Hamas officials, among other reasons for the trip. But when the Israeli Prime Minister's Office learned of Boehler's plans, Israeli officials intervened with the White House, according to two people familiar with the events. The White House canceled the meeting.

During the March meetings, Boehler was in close contact with Steve Witkoff, Trump's Middle East envoy, coordinating positions and providing updates, the two people said. Before the third and final meeting with Hamas, on March 5, US officials no longer considered their offer feasible. They decided the most they could offer was the release of 100 prisoners, with no promise of life sentences, in exchange for the American detainee Alexander.

Two people familiar with the matter said the offer would also include the release of Palestinian women and children in exchange for the bodies of the four American-Israeli hostages, the resumption of aid deliveries to Gaza, and a plan to send Witkoff to Doha to iron out the details of the exchange and begin discussions on the second phase. Israel had halted the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza on March 2, days before the proposed meeting, in order to pressure Hamas.

The meetings also addressed Hamas's vision for the future of Gaza. Al-Hayya told his American interlocutors that Hamas was open to a five- to ten-year truce, during which the movement would lay down its weapons.

Among other suggestions, al-Hayya also said Hamas wanted the release of two leaders of the now-defunct Texas-based Holy Land Foundation, who were convicted in the United States in 2008 of providing "material support" to the group, according to four people familiar with the conversation, the newspaper reported.

At the end of the final meeting, Boehler told his Hamas interlocutor (Hayya) that his latest offer was final and might not be on the table if Hamas did not accept it by the time his plane took off in a few hours, according to four people familiar with the matter. Hayya indicated that Hamas would not accept him, even if he himself wanted a deal. A week later, Hamas issued a statement announcing its willingness to make a deal to release Alexander and the bodies of the American-Israeli hostages. The offer was similar to the one Boehler had proposed, according to two people familiar with its content.

But it was too little, too late: Boehler was no longer negotiating directly with the movement. When Witkoff traveled to Doha in mid-March, he demanded that Hamas agree to the release of several living hostages without any guarantees that the war would end.

It should be noted that just a few days later, at dawn on March 18, Israel resumed its war on Gaza, ending the prospects of a deal that had been directly discussed between the Americans and Hamas.

“Gaza is a death trap,” “the most dangerous place in the world,” “a place no one wants to live in,” and if you take the Palestinians and move them to different countries, you’ll find plenty of countries that will do the same… “You’ll have a free zone,” Trump.

It is clear that war criminal Netanyahu's strategy of destroying Hamas and displacing the population of Gaza is doomed to failure, as nothing has changed in the past eighteen months. Tamir Hayman, executive director of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), former head of military intelligence, and one of Israel's most respected analysts, confirms this failure: "Hamas continues to maintain its sovereignty in the Strip."

Coinciding with Netanyahu's second visit to Washington, Hamas fired ten rockets at the cities of Ashkelon and Ashdod, the largest barrage since the resumption of the genocide. This was a clear indication that Hamas had not been defeated, thus refuting Netanyahu's narrative of "absolute victory."

Intelligence reports indicate that weapons continue to flow to Hamas from Sinai and within the occupied Palestinian territories, via smuggling by Bedouins crossing the border, who have found this to be a lucrative business. For example, Hamas recently acquired ten drones worth $1 million, which it modified to carry 70 kilograms of explosives, but they have not yet been used.

Politically, a Hamas delegation is expected to visit Cairo to discuss the new Egyptian proposal, which stipulates a ceasefire of 40 to 70 days in exchange for the release of eight Israeli detainees out of an estimated 59 held by the movement, along with an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners held by the occupation. This anticipated visit was preceded by a Fatah delegation's visit to Cairo, in an attempt by the movement to assume control of Gaza after the war and persuade Hamas to disarm and withdraw its leaders from the Strip.

In contrast to this plan, an alternative initiative is emerging to form a civil administration of Palestinian businessmen and technocrats to manage the Gaza Strip after the war. This initiative is being pushed by some Arab countries, which are pressing for this direction. The name of Mohammed Dahlan has resurfaced as a potential candidate to head this administrative authority. It is likely that the Palestinian Authority has tacitly agreed to this scenario, especially after its president, Mahmoud Abbas, issued a general amnesty for all dissident Fatah members, including Dahlan.

This scenario also seems acceptable to the United States. Although its president continues to talk about displacing Gaza's residents and turning it into a "Riviera" under American control, for the first time, he publicly raised the idea of deploying international peacekeeping forces there. This was during Netanyahu's visit, indicating that he rejects the entity's occupation of Gaza, as promoted by politicians there. Behind closed doors, he informed Netanyahu of the need to end the massacre, emphasizing that the deadline he had given him had expired. The US president has issues he considers a priority, most notably the Iranian issue and the economic war it has sparked. He also plans to visit his allies in the Gulf states, knowing that the continuation of the genocide will be met with a clear consensus on the demand to stop it, which could spoil the celebratory atmosphere he is seeking.

In an attempt to promote the deportation idea, Netanyahu announced from the White House that countries had agreed to accept Gaza residents. Somaliland, the likely frontrunner, quickly denied the claim, asserting that it would not accept anyone.

In contrast, research centers and leading analysts agree that Hamas will remain in Gaza, and that a military solution will not succeed in removing it, as Netanyahu promotes. It is an ideological movement that cannot be resolved through battle.

Therefore, the most likely scenario for Gaza's future appears to be the formation of a civil administration of Palestinian technocrats unaffiliated with Hamas, headed by Mohammed Dahlan, with the presence of international peacekeeping forces. This would end the scenario of forced displacement of the Strip's residents, even if the door were opened voluntarily to those who wished to leave. Hamas would remain a reality to be dealt with later, and quietly.

In the latter half of 2020, the former Trump administration reached an agreement with several Arab countries for a series of agreements to normalize relations with Israel—the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. These agreements became the first true normalization agreements between Arabs and Israel in the 21st century. The Americans called them the "Abraham Accords," based on their belief that Arabs and Jews share a common ancestor, Abraham, to whom the three monotheistic religions are attributed. On August 13, 2020, it was announced that the UAE and Israel had reached an agreement to fully normalize relations, including numerous agreements in the economic, technological, security, medical, energy, trade, industry, tourism, and other fields. On September 11, 2020, a month later, another normalization agreement was announced between Israel and Bahrain, which joined the Abraham Accords. The agreement was signed on September 15, 2020, at the White House in the presence of President Trump. The agreement stipulated the full normalization of diplomatic relations between the signatory parties and the adoption of necessary measures to prevent the use of either country's territory to target the other. On October 23, 2020, the White House announced that Sudan and Israel had also agreed to normalize relations, with Khartoum paying $335 million, as requested by Trump, in compensation to "victims of terrorism." On December 10, 2020, the United States announced that Morocco and Israel had reached another normalization agreement in exchange for Washington's recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, and Washington's agreement to supply Morocco with weapons and undertake major investments.

After all this, Trump left the White House due to the Republican Party's loss in the presidential elections. He did not complete the Abraham Accords, which Washington had worked tirelessly to reach a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel. What hindered reaching an agreement was Saudi Arabia's insistence that Israel accept negotiations to end the conflict with the Palestinians based on the two-state solution and the 2002 Beirut Arab Peace Initiative, a move Israel was not prepared to accept at the time. The Biden administration did not cancel any of the agreements and adhered to them, although it did not make any additional efforts to complete the Abraham Accords and thus reach new normalization agreements between other Arab countries and Israel, such as Saudi Arabia, because it did not use central pressure on Israel to enable it to accept a resolution to the conflict with the Palestinians. During that period, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made a great effort to reach this agreement. He visited Saudi Arabia more than once and met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. His most important meeting was in May 2023. Sullivan informed bin Salman that the United States believed there was a possibility of concluding a deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel before the end of the year. However, this did not happen, and it was likely expected to be reached before the end of 2023. Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein were sent to Israel to brief Netanyahu on the results of the discussions and Saudi Arabia’s demands, which were summarized in Israel’s recognition and engagement in a negotiation process with the Palestinians based on the two-state solution. This was something Israel was not prepared to accept. However, negotiations continued to achieve a normalization agreement, but the events of October 7 and the war on Gaza hindered any new agreement that would expand the Abraham Accords.

When Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, he began focusing on completing the Abraham Accords and working to reach an agreement that would include Saudi Arabia. Trump made no secret of this desire, which he has spoken of on more than one occasion. He expressed optimism that new Arab countries would join the agreement without labels, knowing that the ongoing war on Gaza and the displacement of Palestinians, which he discussed during his first meeting with Netanyahu in February 2025, would hinder any new agreements with any Arab, or even Islamic, African countries. Therefore, at the beginning of his White House tenure, he declared that he would work to end wars around the world. He chose Saudi Arabia as a negotiating platform between Ukraine and Russia, giving Saudi Arabia a unique leadership and diplomatic role in the Arab region as a prelude to a broader role that Saudi Arabia would accept for negotiations based on reaching a normalization agreement with Israel. During the meeting between Netanyahu and Trump on April 8 at the White House, Netanyahu failed to achieve any progress or score any positive points for Israel, particularly on the Iranian nuclear issue, taxes, the Turkish-Syrian file, and the Gaza file. What concerns us to clarify through this analytical article is Donald Trump's desire to end the war on Gaza and to lead negotiations with Hamas as a sole party, rather than as a mediator, with Qatar and Egypt as mediators. This would achieve an agreement to return the Israeli hostages in exchange for a final ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. This is despite the Israeli Defense Minister's talk of expanding the buffer zones in the Strip, the occupation forces' control over them, and turning the entire Rafah area into a buffer zone with Egypt. This is because Trump believes that ending the war on Gaza and exploring a genuine peace process that ends the conflict is the true gateway to any normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia. At the end of March 2025, the White House announced President Trump's intention to visit several Middle Eastern countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and several others. Of course, this visit will not succeed and will not achieve Trump's grand goal in the region unless the war on Gaza stops and the flow of humanitarian aid and fuel to the population there is resumed.

President Trump considers reaching a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel the most important political achievement of his current administration, given the ongoing economic war. This achievement will restore security and stability to the Arab region and will also bring trillions of dollars to the US Treasury in the form of investments and other resources. It will also expand US influence in the region, easily serving American interests. All of this now hinges on an end to the war in Gaza and the acceptance of the Arab initiative adopted at the Arab Summit last March for the reconstruction of the Strip, which is the alternative plan to the displacement of Palestinians. I believe this plan has been accepted by the US and internationally, but arrangements are being sought to secure the necessary financial funding, in addition to discussions on the day after the war in Gaza and who will assume control of the Strip. The fear now in this file is that the conflict resolution file will be reduced to an entry point for American-Israeli-Saudi normalization by resolving the war on Gaza, stopping it, starting the implementation of the plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip, recovering the West Bank, and expanding the security powers of the Palestinian Authority within a plan to integrate the Palestinians into the Abraham Accords as an alternative to negotiations to resolve the conflict based on the two-state solution. However, despite this fear, the outcomes of the Arab Summit, individual meetings of American and international officials, the tripartite Egyptian-French-Jordanian summit, the meetings of Arab foreign ministers, and the statements of the meetings of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the African Union were all clear and focused on the condition of negotiating on the basis of the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative to establish the Palestinian state in order to reach a comprehensive and just peace in the Arab region that removes all traces of tension and related conflicts.

About 100 Israeli reserve military doctors have called for an end to the war on Gaza and a prisoner exchange, in a petition addressed to the government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the army leadership, and the Knesset, Israeli media reported Friday.

The petition stated, "We warn that the continuation of the fighting and the abandonment of the kidnapped individuals contradicts the commitment to the sanctity of life and the Medical Corps' commitment not to abandon any of our personnel behind."

Israel's Army Radio quoted the petition's initiators as saying, "We have confidence in the Chief of Staff and the army leadership to send us only on worthy missions. We are not calling for non-compliance with military service, nor are we hinting at it. Some of us have received another draft order, for several more weeks, and we certainly intend to comply. We will always comply, but we want the state to have its eyes open to reality."

The radio station noted that the petition has not been officially published, that it is a nascent initiative, and that many people are expected to join it.

Demands for an end to the war and a prisoner exchange have been growing within the Israeli army's reserve forces. Yesterday, it was announced that hundreds of soldiers in the navy and armored corps had signed a petition demanding an end to the war, joining nearly 1,000 reserve and retired fighter pilots who published a similar petition in the media the previous morning.

Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir decided to suspend the reserve pilots who signed the petition from military service, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described them as a "group of extremists."

Israeli occupation forces launched a campaign of raids and arrests in the West Bank at dawn and early Friday morning.

In Jenin, occupation forces stormed the town of Silat al-Harithiya and deployed troops in the streets, amid drones hovering overhead.

The occupation soldiers also caused damage to the gate of the high school at the entrance to the town, and raided a house near the school, ransacking its contents and smashing its interior doors.

In Nablus, occupation forces stormed the village of Burqa, northwest of Nablus, raided several homes, wreaked havoc and arrested freed Palestinian activist Muhannad Ragheb Salah.

The occupation forces also arrested the young man, Fares Bani Shamsah, from the town of Beita, and the freed man, Mahmoud Amer Nassar, from the town of Madama, south of Nablus.

In Tulkarm, occupation forces arrested Amir Hassan after raiding his home and vandalizing its contents in the town of Deir al-Ghusun.

Twelve citizens were killed and others wounded early Friday morning when the Israeli occupation forces bombed a house in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, and a group of citizens in the town of Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip.

Local sources reported that Israeli warplanes bombed a home belonging to the Al-Farra family in the vicinity of the Al-Mahta area in Khan Yunis, killing 10 family members and wounding others.

It added that other citizens were killed and several others were injured when an Israeli drone bombed a group of citizens in the Al-Atatra area, west of Beit Lahia.

The occupation forces' artillery also shelled the Al-Salam and Al-Manara neighborhoods south of Khan Yunis, while the occupation forces' aircraft launched raids on the northern area of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

The death toll in the Gaza Strip since the start of the aggression on October 7, 2023, has risen to 50,886, and the number of injuries to 115,875.

Three citizens were injured on Thursday evening after being severely beaten by Israeli occupation forces during a raid on the city of Al-Bireh.

According to local sources, Israeli occupation forces stormed the Sateh Marhaba neighborhood in the city of Al-Bireh, raided several homes, and severely beat three citizens, causing them to sustain injuries and bruises. Palestinian Red Crescent Society ambulance crews transported the men to the hospital.