Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir attacked Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, accusing him of attempting to stage a coup against the government.

In an interview with i24NEWS, Ben-Gvir said that Bar is "carrying out a coup," adding, "He is gathering evidence against an elected official," referring to investigations the Shin Bet chief was conducting into employees in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

Ben-Gvir's public statements reveal the extent of the confrontation between the Israeli government and the head of the Shin Bet, whom Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed last Thursday in a move frozen by the Supreme Court and further fueled internal political disputes within Israel.

Netanyahu initially asked Bar to resign, but he refused. Netanyahu then publicly announced his intention to fire Bar, but Bar refused and defied him again. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara intervened, warning Netanyahu that he could not fire Bar. However, the prime minister held a cabinet meeting last Thursday that led to a vote to dismiss the Shin Bet chief, a move that caused a political and legal earthquake, united the opposition against Netanyahu and his government, and launched a series of protests that returned Israel to the divisions that existed before the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

The dismissal of the Shin Bet chief came at a time when the agency was investigating employees in Netanyahu's office, a situation that Attorney General Baharav-Miara described as a conflict of interest that prevented Bar from being fired.

But Netanyahu ignored this and proceeded with the decision until Israel's Supreme Court froze it, a decision that deepened the crisis. Baharav-Miara warned that the dismissal faced legal challenges, and the Supreme Court subsequently issued a temporary injunction suspending Bar's dismissal. Following the injunction, Baharav-Miara, whom the government is also seeking to dismiss, informed Netanyahu that he was legally barred from appointing a new Shin Bet chief or even conducting interviews for the position, including appointing an interim chief.

In response to the court order, the government said it could not be forced to work with a Shin Bet chief it did not trust. The government also rejected Baharav-Miara's claim of a conflict of interest. In a brief submitted to the court last Tuesday, it added that beginning the search for Barr's successor was of paramount importance to national security. It said the search would take about two weeks. The court approved interviews, but not Barr's dismissal at this time.

The Supreme Court is considering petitions filed by several opposition parties and NGOs against Barr's dismissal due to a conflict of interest.

Israeli opposition leaders, writers, analysts, former security officials, and Bar's predecessors as Shin Bet chiefs have warned that Netanyahu is dismantling the state and endangering Israeli democracy by appointing loyalists to head the security agency.

Never in Israel's history has a prime minister dismissed a Shin Bet chief. All former heads of the General Security Service have completed their terms, with the exception of two who resigned prematurely.

Bar had challenged Netanyahu and pledged to remain in office until all hostages from Gaza were returned and a government commission of inquiry was formed into the Hamas attack, a position the government opposes.

Bar's relationship with Netanyahu deteriorated significantly following the Hamas attack, with both sides accusing each other of responsibility and failure for the attack.

The Israeli Prisoners' Families Committee in the Gaza Strip said on Saturday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is sacrificing their sons and the state in a war whose sole purpose is to consolidate his rule.

This came in a statement in which the families said that the war on the Gaza Strip would not bring their loved ones back, but would kill them.

He added, "Instead of responding to the desires of the Israeli people and the will of their voters, Netanyahu is sacrificing the detainees to consolidate his rule," adding that "the blood of Israelis is a political gain for Netanyahu."

The Prisoners' Families Committee called on the head of the Israeli negotiating team, Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, to "make a deal that would return the 59 abductees in one go."

The commission called for "intensified participation in tonight's demonstrations to demand a deal that would release all detainees at once."

In early March 2025, the first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel concluded. The agreement, which went into effect on January 19, 2025, was brokered by Egypt and Qatar and supported by the United States.

While Hamas adhered to the terms of the first phase, Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, shied away from starting the second phase in deference to extremists in his ruling coalition, according to Hebrew media.

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.

On March 18, Israel reneged on the 58-day ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement and resumed its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, 2023, and has resulted in the deaths and injuries of more than 164,000 Palestinians, most of them children and women, and more than 14,000 missing.

The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, announced that tomorrow, Sunday, is the first day of Eid al-Fitr.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Syria, Yemen, and Turkey announced that tomorrow, Sunday, will be the first day of Eid al-Fitr.

This year, Eid falls amidst the resumption of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and its continued aggression on the West Bank.

The atmosphere of Eid al-Fitr is absent for all residents of the Gaza Strip due to the war and the painful scenes unfolding in the Strip, particularly with the destruction of markets, public parks, and residential neighborhoods.

US media reported on Saturday that a University of Minnesota student was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), without revealing his identity.

According to the New York Times, university president Rebecca Cunningham said in a statement that the student was arrested at an off-campus residence.

Cunningham confirmed that the university had no prior knowledge of the arrest, noting that federal authorities had not shared any information prior to the incident.

The university president did not disclose the student's name or the type of visa he holds.

For his part, university spokesman Jake Ricker said that the student is enrolled in the Carlson School of Management.

Meanwhile, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials did not respond to a request for comment regarding the incident.

Commenting on the matter, Minnesota Senator Doron Clark said in a statement: "Our universities must be safe places for all students, staff, and visitors. We must stand against the Trump administration's policy of unjustifiably demonizing our friends, families, and neighbors."

It's worth noting that the University of Minnesota was among the major universities that hosted pro-Palestine protests in 2024.

Last February, the US Department of Justice announced that the university would be among 10 educational institutions that inspectors would visit to assess whether they were protecting "Jewish students and faculty from unlawful discrimination."

The Twin Cities campus, one of the university's five campuses, was also named on a list of 60 educational institutions that the Department of Education warned earlier this month of "potential sanctions" over allegations of anti-Semitism.

On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that his country had revoked the visas of at least 300 foreign students, alleging that they "support Hamas."

The World Food Programme (WFP) stressed on Saturday the urgent need for aid to reach the Gaza Strip, as food stocks dwindle and Israel continues to close crossings as part of its starvation policy as part of its genocide of Palestinians.

The UN program has again warned that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are at risk of severe hunger and malnutrition as food stocks dwindle and Israel continues to close the crossings.

In a post on his X account, he stressed the "urgent need for urgent aid access to the Gaza Strip."

In a statement on Thursday, the World Food Programme warned that thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are once again facing the threat of severe hunger and malnutrition as food stocks in the Strip dwindle and crossings remain closed to aid.

The program added that "the expansion of military activity in Gaza is severely hampering food assistance operations and putting the lives of relief workers at risk."

On March 2, Israel closed the Gaza Strip's crossings to the entry of humanitarian, relief, and medical aid, causing an unprecedented deterioration in the humanitarian situation, according to local government and human rights reports.

Regarding the latest developments in food security in Gaza, the World Food Programme stated that it and its partners have been unable to bring new food supplies into Gaza for more than three weeks.

He pointed out that Israel's continued closure of border crossings since March 2nd has prevented the entry of any humanitarian or commercial goods.

The program explained that it has approximately 5,700 tons of food stocks remaining in Gaza, sufficient to support its operations for a maximum of two weeks.

On Sunday, the Government Media Office in Gaza warned in a statement of rising rates of hunger and malnutrition and the dangers of Israel's continued policy of starvation against Palestinians.

On March 18, Israel reneged on the 58-day ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, resuming its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip that began on October 7, 2023. The war has resulted in the deaths and injuries of more than 164,000 Palestinians, most of them children and women, and in more than 14,000 missing persons.

Israel has been blockading Gaza for the 18th year, leaving approximately 1.5 million of its 2.4 million Palestinian citizens homeless after their homes were destroyed in the war of extermination. The Strip has entered the first stages of famine due to Tel Aviv's closure of the crossings to humanitarian aid.

The Israeli occupation forces continue their massive bombardment of various parts of the Gaza Strip on the 12th day of their resumption of their war of extermination. Palestinian media reported deaths and injuries as a result of the targeting of Khan Yunis, Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, and Rafah.

Meanwhile, Egyptian sources revealed to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Hamas has agreed to a new proposal for a truce during the Islamic and Jewish holidays. This would allow the entry of aid and provide an opportunity to begin negotiations on the second phase of the stalled ceasefire agreement. According to the same sources, the movement agreed to the release of American soldier Idan Alexander, in addition to four other detainees, some of whom are still alive. The sources confirmed that the ball is now in the court of the Israeli occupation government and the American side.

On the ground, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir is planning a large-scale ground operation that could include the occupation of the entire Gaza Strip, despite the lack of Israeli consensus on continuing the war and the large number of reserve soldiers refusing to report for military service. This comes as the IDF gradually expands its ground operation in Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip, the eastern part of the Netzarim axis in the central Gaza Strip, and the Shabura and Tel Sultan neighborhoods in the devastated city of Rafah in the south.

While the occupying authorities continue to issue evacuation orders to residents since the resumption of their war, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has accused Israel of violating international law by forcibly displacing Palestinians in Gaza under "mandatory evacuation orders." OHCHR spokesperson Thameen Al-Khitan said in a statement that the evacuations announced by the Israeli military do not comply with the requirements of international humanitarian law. He added, "Israel is not taking any measures to provide accommodation for the evacuated population, nor is it ensuring that the evacuations take place in acceptable conditions in terms of hygiene, health, safety, and nutrition."

A US federal judge ordered the continued detention of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil on Friday evening during his first court appearance following his arrest for leading pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the United States.

During a court hearing in New Jersey, Federal District Court Judge Michael Farbiarz in Newark ordered that activist Khalil remain in detention at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Louisiana.

Farbiarz refused to listen to arguments on whether the Palestinian activist, who holds a green card, should be released.

Khalil, who did not attend the hearing, remains in custody at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Louisiana, two weeks after his arrest.

In this context, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the Newark, New Jersey, courthouse during Khalil's trial, in support of the Palestinian activist.

Some protesters carried signs demanding Khalil's release, while others criticized President Donald Trump and his administration's harsh stance toward international students studying at US universities on student visas.

On March 9, US authorities arrested Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who led solidarity protests at Columbia University last year to condemn Tel Aviv's genocide in Gaza.

The Israeli occupation army issued a warning on Saturday to residents of the Abasan, Al-Qarara, and Khirbet Khuza'a areas in the southern Gaza Strip.

The occupation army called on residents to evacuate their homes and head west towards shelters in the Al-Mawasi area.

The occupation army claimed in its statement that Palestinian factions continue to launch rockets from within residential areas.

It is noteworthy that the occupation army was bombing areas it claimed were safe as part of the ongoing aggression against the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli Supreme Court's ruling absolving the Israeli government of responsibility for opening the crossings and allowing the flow of aid, food, and medical supplies into the besieged Gaza Strip, since the resumption of the war of extermination two weeks ago, reveals the division of labor between the three authorities in the rogue state, which continues to commit crimes of genocide through killing, thirst, and starvation. This is a scene unparalleled in modern history, according to numerous testimonies issued by humanitarian organizations still operating in the Strip, which have warned that their food stocks will run out within two weeks.

The Supreme Court's ruling also reveals the success of biblical fundamentalism in its judicial coup, and indicates the depths to which Israel is descending as a racist, fascist state. It has succeeded in subjugating the judiciary to serve the ideological orientations of the ruling coalition, which will harm its opponents at home as much as it will harm its enemies abroad.

The decision also signals the outcome of a three-judge court ruling on the 8th of next month, empowered to decide on the dismissal of the Shin Bet chief. This decision is likely to deepen the polarization within Israeli society, already revolting in the streets, amid fears that the Torah-based right will encroach on the state's institutions. This could herald a civil war, as many officials and observers of the Israeli scene have warned.

Stop the war of extermination now...!

Dozens of reserve officers and soldiers in the Israeli army's medical corps have declared that they are not prepared to return to combat in the Gaza Strip, according to Hebrew media.

According to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, the objectors indicated that they oppose the seizure and settlement of areas in Gaza, as well as the lack of progress toward the second phase of the exchange deal.

Meanwhile, protests continue in Israel demanding an agreement to return the hostages.

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced his intention to introduce two joint resolutions before the Senate to prohibit the sale of certain US offensive weapons to Israel.

"Next week, I will force the Senate to vote on two joint resolutions of disapproval I have introduced to prohibit the sale of certain offensive weapons to Israel," Sanders said.

The senator, who has introduced similar bills several times since the beginning of Israel's war of annihilation on Gaza, explained: "These sales, proposed by the Trump administration, will provide $8.8 billion in bombs and other munitions to Prime Minister Netanyahu's extremist government to continue the destruction of Gaza. Netanyahu has clearly violated American and international law in this brutal war, and we must end our complicity in this carnage."

Sanders noted in his proposal that "no humanitarian aid has entered Gaza for more than three and a half weeks, since the Israeli authorities declared a complete blockade—meaning no food, water, medicine, or fuel since the beginning of March. Blocking humanitarian aid is morally repugnant and a clear violation of both the Geneva Convention and foreign aid law."

“This war was waged almost entirely with American weapons, and with nearly $18 billion of American taxpayer money,” Sanders said. “Israel dropped 2,000-pound bombs, provided by the United States, on crowded neighborhoods, killing hundreds of civilians, to eliminate a handful of Hamas fighters, and made little effort to distinguish between civilians and combatants. These actions are immoral and illegal. Trump’s recent sales provide nearly $8.8 billion more in American bombs and other munitions, including more than 35,000 massive 2,000-pound bombs.”

Sanders emphasized that "the United States should not continue to supply the Netanyahu government with endless amounts of military aid and weapons. It is unacceptable, especially at a time when President Trump and Israeli officials are openly talking about forcibly displacing millions of people from Gaza to make way for what Trump calls a 'Riviera.'... There is a name for this policy—ethnic cleansing—and it is a war crime."

Sanders points out: “Hamas started this war with its brutal terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 innocent people and took 250 hostage. Israel had the right to respond to Hamas. Instead, the extremist Netanyahu government launched an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people. Out of a population of 2.2 million, more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 112,000 wounded—60% of them women, children, and the elderly. Last week alone, eight aid workers were killed in Gaza, bringing the total to 399.”

Sanders said, "Israeli bombing has damaged or destroyed 92% of Gaza's housing stock, and has devastated civilian infrastructure and the healthcare system. All 12 of Gaza's universities have been bombed, as have hundreds of schools. Congress must act to block these arms sales."

Hamas leader Suhail al-Hindi confirmed on Friday that there was a "positive spirit" during the movement's recent talks with mediators to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, at a time when "talks have intensified in recent days."

A member of Hamas's political bureau told Al-Arabiya TV: "We are open to talks if the enemy commits," adding that Hamas "does not raise the white flag before the enemy, but we are seeking a real deal" to end the Israeli aggression and exchange prisoners.

"Ready to hand over power"

Al-Hindi explained that Hamas is prepared to hand over control of the Gaza Strip to the Community Support Committee, stressing, "We have informed the mediators of this."

The Hamas leader stressed that "the movement's ultimate goal is to stop the bloodshed and rebuild the Gaza Strip."

Sources close to Hamas told Agence France-Presse that talks began Thursday evening in Doha between the Palestinian movement and mediators from Egypt and Qatar, with the aim of reviving the ceasefire and securing the release of Israeli detainees held by Palestinian resistance groups.

For his part, Hamas Political Bureau member Bassem Naim confirmed on Friday that talks between the movement and mediators to resume the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip have "intensified in recent days."

"We hope that the next few days will witness a real breakthrough in the war situation, after contacts with and from mediators intensified in recent days," Naim said in a statement.

In this context, Naim explained that the proposal being negotiated "aims to achieve a ceasefire, open the crossings, allow in aid, and, most importantly, return to negotiations on the second phase, which must lead to a complete cessation of the war and the withdrawal of the occupation forces."

The first phase has ended

Earlier this month, the first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel concluded. The agreement, which went into effect on January 19, 2025, was brokered by Egypt and Qatar and supported by the United States.

While Hamas has adhered to the terms of the first phase, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, has reneged on the start of the second phase in deference to extremists in his ruling coalition, according to Hebrew media.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced on Friday that the death toll from the Israeli genocide has risen to 50,251 martyrs and 114,025 injuries since October 7, 2023. In a daily statistical report, the ministry said, "43 martyrs, including two cases pulled from the rubble, and 115 injuries have arrived at Gaza Strip hospitals in the past 24 hours."

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced Thursday his intention to introduce two joint resolutions before the Senate to prevent the sale of certain US assault weapons to Israel.

"Next week, I will force the Senate to vote on two joint resolutions of disapproval I have introduced to prohibit the sale of certain offensive weapons to Israel," Sanders said.

The senator, who has introduced similar bills several times since the beginning of Israel's war of annihilation on Gaza, explained: "These sales, proposed by the Trump administration, will provide $8.8 billion in bombs and other munitions to Prime Minister Netanyahu's extremist government to continue the destruction of Gaza. Netanyahu has clearly violated American and international law in this brutal war, and we must end our complicity in this carnage."

Sanders noted in his proposal that "no humanitarian aid has entered Gaza for more than three and a half weeks, since the Israeli authorities declared a complete blockade—meaning no food, water, medicine, or fuel since the beginning of March. Blocking humanitarian aid is morally repugnant and a clear violation of both the Geneva Convention and foreign aid law."

“This war was waged almost entirely with American weapons, and with nearly $18 billion of American taxpayer money,” Sanders said. “Israel dropped 2,000-pound bombs, provided by the United States, on crowded neighborhoods, killing hundreds of civilians, to eliminate a handful of Hamas fighters, and made little effort to distinguish between civilians and combatants. These actions are immoral and illegal. Trump’s recent sales provide nearly $8.8 billion more in American bombs and other munitions, including more than 35,000 massive 2,000-pound bombs.”

Sanders emphasized that "the United States should not continue to supply the Netanyahu government with endless amounts of military aid and weapons. It is unacceptable, especially at a time when President Trump and Israeli officials are openly talking about forcibly displacing millions of people from Gaza to make way for what Trump calls a 'Riviera.'... There is a name for this policy—ethnic cleansing—and it is a war crime."

Sanders points out: “Hamas started this war with its brutal terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 innocent people and took 250 hostage. Israel had the right to respond to Hamas. Instead, the extremist Netanyahu government launched an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people. Out of a population of 2.2 million, more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 112,000 wounded—60% of them women, children, and the elderly. Last week alone, eight aid workers were killed in Gaza, bringing the total to 399.”

Sanders said, "Israeli bombing has damaged or destroyed 92% of Gaza's housing stock, and has devastated civilian infrastructure and the healthcare system. All 12 of Gaza's universities have been bombed, as have hundreds of schools. Congress must act to block these arms sales."

As the war resumes, the lives of thousands of families in Gaza have become a daily struggle under tents, after the bombing and destruction forced them to flee their homes. These families face dire humanitarian conditions, as the camps lack even the most basic necessities of life, amid bitter cold at night and intense heat during the day, along with a severe shortage of clean water, food, and basic services.

“We never imagined we’d be living in a tent,” says Abu Mahmoud, a displaced person in a temporary camp in Gaza City. “We had a home, a stable life, and now we’re here struggling to survive.” He adds that life in the tents is extremely difficult, with rainwater seeping in, and families suffering from a lack of privacy and the spread of disease due to unsanitary conditions.

For their part, relief organizations confirm that the humanitarian crisis is worsening as the war continues, with families suffering from food shortages and a scarcity of fuel for cooking and heating. Children also suffer from a lack of healthcare and malnutrition, threatening a humanitarian disaster unless the situation is addressed quickly.

This comes amidst the resumption of war on the Gaza Strip following the announcement and signing of a ceasefire on January 17, 2025, and the displacement of residents of Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia, and eastern Shuja'iyya due to the ongoing bombardment of these areas.

A responsible source in the Palestinian National Authority denied recent media reports about "disbursing financial aid to the families of militants."

He stressed that the Palestinian National Authority no longer bears any responsibility in this regard following the issuance of the decree-law, noting that responsibility for disbursing financial aid has been fully transferred to the Palestinian National Foundation for Economic Empowerment, in accordance with established standards.

The source indicated that the Palestinian National Foundation for Economic Empowerment is the sole entity responsible for implementing the program, and that financial assistance will be disbursed based on the social registry form, which adopts the "multidimensional poverty equation," the primary criterion that will determine which families are eligible for support.

"This criterion is based on a comprehensive assessment of each family's social and economic status, based on several factors such as income, health, education, housing conditions, and other precise social criteria," he said.

The source confirmed that the process of collecting data and analyzing social cases is still ongoing and is expected to take approximately six months to complete accurately.

He pointed out that the results of this process will be announced after the collection and analysis of all data related to needy families, to ensure that support is provided based on fair and transparent criteria.

The source emphasized that the Palestinian National Authority is committed to promoting social justice, and that the Palestinian National Foundation for Economic Empowerment is the sole entity authorized to distribute financial aid according to precise social criteria, without interference from any other party.

The death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 50,251, and the number of injuries to 114,025, since October 7, 2023.

Medical sources reported that the death toll includes 896 dead and 1,984 injuries since March 18, when the occupation resumed its aggression on the Gaza Strip following the ceasefire agreement.

It explained that 43 dead, including two who were recovered, and 115 injured people arrived at hospitals in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours. A number of victims remain under the rubble and on the streets because ambulances and specialist teams are unable to reach them.

The occupation has resumed its policy of starvation, killing, and oppression following the end of the truce and the resumption of the war of extermination in Gaza. It has tightened the siege to prevent the entry of food and medical aid, continuing to strangle the besieged Strip from all sides, as part of an organized genocidal approach that relies on killing and ethnic cleansing.

Despite international calls from human rights organizations and the United Nations, he has not backed down from his brutal policies. Instead, he has intensified his crimes immediately after the war resumed, using barbaric bombardment that has claimed the lives of thousands, targeting children, women, and the elderly, and forcing residents to flee from one neighborhood to another as part of his plans to control territory.

In light of this tragic situation and impossible reality, the Palestinians in Gaza are suffering from the scourges of hunger, thirst and continuous bombardment, amidst the lack of means of life and survival. The people are screaming at the world demanding intervention to stop the massacres and genocide, but the deaf world is still reluctant to take action to stop the war. In fact, some are still biased in their support and backing of it, and history will not show mercy to them. The war will inevitably stop, but history will show no mercy to everyone who committed, supported, backed and remained silent about the genocide, and the day of punishment will come sooner or later.

The starvation policy practiced by the occupation represents an unprecedented level of brutality and organized state terrorism in warfare. Over the past months, the occupation has committed bloody crimes unprecedented in history against a people besieged in a small area, which it has transformed through bombing and destruction into a hell without hospitals, schools or homes, lacking the necessities of life. Not content with the destruction and killing that has claimed the lives of more than 10% of the total population of Gaza, between martyrs and wounded to date, the occupation has also devised new methods of collective punishment, including depriving people of food, water and medicine.

Denying food and medicine to civilians is a fascist crime that proves the brutality of the occupation and its ideology of ethnic cleansing. It does not hide this, but rather openly declares its crimes. It declares its intentions and future plans every day, which it threatens will be more bloody than before. It is not satisfied with the long months of war that have not satisfied its thirst for annihilation.

The siege intensifies, the killing and bombing continue, and the war of extermination continues its criminal acts, while the world's silence grows more and more deafening, fleeing, shirking, and denying its responsibilities, as if humanity has lost its voice and its conscience.

The UN Security Council is holding a closed session on the humanitarian situation in Gaza today, Friday, with Edem Wosorno, Director of Operations and Advocacy at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), briefing members.

France and the United Kingdom, with support from Algeria, requested the meeting to discuss the humanitarian situation and the protection of aid workers in Gaza. The Council presidency stated that an official statement would be adopted at the end of the session, in accordance with Rule 55 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure.

Hamas said on Friday that the brutal massacres in the Gaza Strip and the use of starvation and thirst as weapons constitute a full-fledged genocide.

In a statement, Hamas called on the world, Arab and Islamic countries, to take urgent action to pressure the occupation to lift the siege and halt the aggression.

It called for an immediate response to warnings from humanitarian organizations and UN rapporteurs of a looming catastrophic famine.

It renewed the call to the Arab and Islamic peoples and the free people of the world to take action by all means to support our steadfast people in the Gaza Strip.

It said: "Let the coming days be days of mobilization and anger to pressure for an end to the aggression and to hold the occupation leaders accountable for their crimes."

Hezbollah denied responsibility for firing rockets toward Kiryat Shmona, stressing that this was "in the context of fabricating dubious pretexts" to continue the Israeli aggression against Lebanon. It also affirmed its commitment to the ceasefire.

Hezbollah's media relations department quoted a "source" within the party, described as responsible, as confirming "the party's commitment to the ceasefire agreement."

The source denied "any connection to the rockets launched from southern Lebanon today toward northern occupied Palestine."

He pointed out that "these incidents come within the context of fabricating suspicious pretexts to continue the Israeli aggression against Lebanon."

Earlier on Friday, air raid sirens sounded in and around the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona following the launch of two rockets. Meanwhile, towns in southern Lebanon came under Israeli artillery fire following the launch of two rockets from Lebanon into northern Israel. The Israeli military announced it had attacked Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

An Israeli drone dropped bombs targeting a café and a house in the town of Houla, while the Lebanese National News Agency confirmed that "Israeli artillery shelling targeted the outskirts of the town of Qaqaiyat al-Jisr and the vicinity of the town of Yahmar al-Shaqif" in the south of the country. Israeli artillery shelling also targeted the towns of Taybeh and Markaba.

Five people were killed on Thursday in an Israeli airstrike targeting the town of Yahmar in southern Lebanon, and a car in the town of Barashit. Meanwhile, the Israeli army announced the assassination of a leader in the "Radwan Force" and two Hezbollah members.

On October 8, 2023, Israel launched an aggression against Lebanon, which escalated into a full-scale war on September 23, 2024. This resulted in more than 4,000 deaths and approximately 17,000 injuries, including a large number of children and women, in addition to the displacement of approximately 1.4 million people.

Despite a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on November 27, 2024, Israel committed 1,263 violations, leaving at least 100 dead and 331 wounded, according to official Lebanese data.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has confirmed that the accumulation of waste in the Gaza Strip is endangering people's health and lives.

UNRWA said in a post on its X platform on Friday that many are forced to live in tents amid piles of waste.

She stressed that the worsening waste crisis is exacerbating environmental and health challenges, indicating that the Palestinians' struggle to survive in harsh humanitarian conditions has become increasingly difficult.

On Thursday, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that no humanitarian aid had entered Gaza for more than three weeks, the longest period the Strip has gone without supplies since the beginning of Israel's 18-month-long genocide.

Lazzarini stressed the need to "lift the blockade, reopen the crossings for the regular flow of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies, stop the bombing, and resume the ceasefire in Gaza."

Four citizens were injured on Friday with bruises and fractures when settlers attacked shepherds in Khirbet Janba in the Masafer Yatta area, south of Hebron.

Local sources said that armed settlers attacked Maher Ahmed Mohammed and his son Osama while they were grazing their livestock in Khirbet Janba in the Masafer Yatta area. They assaulted them, causing them injuries and bruises.

She added that the settlers continued their attack on the village's residents, assaulting them, causing Aziz Shahada Al-Amur and his son, Ahmed, to sustain injuries and fractures. The injured were taken to the hospital for treatment.

She pointed out that the occupation army stormed the village after the settlers' attack, raided the residents' homes, destroyed the contents of several of them, and detained and abused the residents.

On the fourth Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, Israeli occupation forces continued to impose strict restrictions on the entry of worshippers from the West Bank into occupied Jerusalem to perform prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Since dawn on Friday, hundreds of elderly citizens began arriving at the Qalandia checkpoint to reach Jerusalem, to perform the last Friday prayers of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque, amid a heavy presence of Israeli occupation forces, at the Qalandia military checkpoint north of occupied Jerusalem, and the "300" checkpoint separating the cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and they checked the citizens' identities, and prevented men under the age of 55 and women under the age of 50 who obtained "special permits" from entering Jerusalem. Despite this, thousands of citizens have flocked since this morning, through the checkpoints in an attempt to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Eyewitnesses reported that occupation forces turned back dozens of elderly people at the Qalandia and Bethlehem checkpoints as they were on their way to Al-Aqsa Mosque, claiming they did not have the required permits to enter.

The occupation forces also imposed strict restrictions on the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque, checked the IDs of young men at the entrances to the Old City and the gates of the mosque, and prevented a number of them from entering.

The Israeli occupation forces continue their aggression on the city of Tulkarm and its camp for the 61st consecutive day, and on the 48th day on the Nur Shams camp, amid a military escalation, intensive reinforcements, and attacks targeting markets and shops.

In the hours after midnight, infantry units and military vehicles deployed to the gold market in the center of Tulkarm, blocking the movement of vehicles and citizens, interrogating a number of them on the spot, and forcing them to leave the market under the pretext of a curfew.

They also raided the Abu Shanara agricultural supplies store in the area, after removing its gate, searching it and vandalizing its contents. They also raided the Al-Jallad Fertilizers store near Al-Salam Roundabout in the eastern district and vandalized its contents.

Israeli military vehicles patrolled the city's streets at night, including the Abu Safiya intersection, the slaughterhouse roundabout, and the vegetable market. They drove against traffic, disrupting traffic and causing several vehicles to collide.

Meanwhile, the occupation forces set up flying military checkpoints in several locations throughout the city, particularly around Faroun Roundabout to the south, and on the road between the Dhnaba suburb and the town of Kafr al-Labad. The road has become an alternative route for vehicles after the occupation forces destroyed the infrastructure on Nablus Street at the city's main entrance.

Eyewitnesses reported that soldiers stopped vehicles for extended periods, conducted thorough searches, and fired sound bombs at them.

Israeli occupation forces dispatched reinforcements of military vehicles and bulldozers to the Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps, deployed in several neighborhoods, and imposed strict restrictions on the movement of citizens and vehicles.

Tulkarm camp witnessed a large-scale military deployment in the al-Hadaida and al-Matar neighborhoods, where soldiers raided homes, broke down doors, and ransacked their contents. Meanwhile, residents of the al-Hadaida and al-Raba'a neighborhoods continued to be displaced after being forcibly removed from their homes.

In Nour Shams camp, Israeli occupation forces opened heavy and random fire with live ammunition at dawn on Friday, while bulldozers closed several entrances to Jabal al-Nasr neighborhood with earth mounds. The camp is under a tight siege, accompanied by the seizure of dozens of homes and their conversion into military barracks.

On Nablus Street and around the traffic circle, occupation forces reinforced their presence at military barracks they had set up inside residential buildings after forcibly evicting their owners. This coincided with the destruction caused by their bulldozers to the street after closing off sections of it with earth mounds.

Meanwhile, the Tulkarm Education Directorate announced the resumption of in-person education in schools in the city and suburbs starting Sunday, April 6. This follows arrangements with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the Tulkarm Governorate, and supporting parties to ensure the smooth running of the educational process.

This decision comes two months after the transition to e-learning was triggered by the ongoing Israeli aggression on the city and its two camps, which has resulted in the deaths of 13 civilians, including a child and two women, one of whom was eight months pregnant. Dozens more have been injured and arrested, and more than 4,000 families have been forcibly displaced from the Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps, along with dozens of families from the city's northern neighborhood.

The 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.

**fetal**

The Israeli occupation continues its aggression on the city and camp of Jenin for the 67th consecutive day, amidst bulldozing and burning homes, and converting others into military barracks.

The occupation forces arrested five citizens from the governorate's towns at dawn today. An Israeli special force surrounded the home of Abdul Karim Rabaya in Meithalun and arrested him after shooting him. Ammar Khader was arrested from the village of Anza after raiding his home. In the village of Marka, south of Jenin, Walid Tawalbeh, Mahmoud Yasser Musa, and Ahmed Jamil Musa were arrested.

Arrests in Jenin Governorate are on the rise, with occupation forces conducting near-daily arrests in the city and other towns and villages in the governorate.

The occupation forces have dispatched military reinforcements, accompanied by bulldozers, to Jenin camp. Meanwhile, bulldozing, widening streets, and paving new roads continue. Live ammunition continues to be fired in the camp's vicinity, with infantry units operating inside and drones flying overhead.

The number of displaced persons from the camp reached 21,000, distributed between the city of Jenin and the villages of the governorate.

The mayor of Jenin said in a press statement that 3,250 housing units in Jenin camp have become uninhabitable due to destruction and burning during the ongoing Israeli aggression.

The occupation's aggression on the city and camp of Jenin, which has been ongoing for 67 days, has resulted in 34 martyrs, dozens of injuries, hundreds of arrests, and raids on homes, villages, and towns in the governorate.

There is no pain equal to the pain of loss and bereavement that breaks the hearts of mothers, who cry out for help morning and evening, seeking refuge in their prayers, supplications, and stillness from the gloom of the scene and the evil of the outcome.

The evil coup that swept the region, turning hopes and dreams into terrifying nightmares, haunting the bereaved, forcing sleep from their eyes, breaking their hearts with worries, and inhabiting their souls with anxiety because of what they saw with their own eyes. They had never seen anything like it before, due to its horror, extreme brutality, and the absence of any meaning for the values of truth, justice, and humanity, after they were replaced by double standards, and “the right of power, not the power of right,” became what prevails in a world where maps have been lost, injustices have spread, and the lineages of concepts have become mixed, so that truth has become falsehood and falsehood has become truth.

There is nothing in Gaza but brutal death. People are dying in their homes, in tents, and at iftar tables. They are dying of hunger, oppression, thirst, fear, and bombing. The wounded are dying in hospitals, and the sick are breathing their last breaths for lack of care and even the most basic medical requirements in an area where all hospitals are out of service and have become cemeteries for their residents.

Mothers' hearts cannot bear the earthquakes of losing their children. Even if they endure the calamities with patience, supplication, and hope, these are nothing more than palliatives. Soon, tired hearts overflow with the pangs of pain and reservoirs of sorrow, and rivers of their tears flow without stopping, while wet nurses are unable to produce milk for their children, and mothers are unable to provide a meal of soup for the remaining children who are alive, as they wait their turn in the queue of rolling extermination.

As of the time of writing this article, before iftar time, the number of martyrs on breaking news was in the dozens.

Stop the genocide now...!

Axios reported on Thursday that Qatar has presented Hamas with a new US proposal to restore the ceasefire in Gaza by releasing Israeli-American hostage Idan Alexander. In exchange for Alexander's release, US President Donald Trump will issue a statement calling for calm in Gaza and the resumption of negotiations for a permanent ceasefire.

Experts doubt that Hamas will agree to release Alexander in exchange for a statement from Trump alone. The movement, which has been engaged in a fierce war with Israel since October 7, 2023, may demand something more substantial in substance, especially since Israel has been abandoning its commitments to agreements with the movement without hesitation. Israel's abandonment of its commitments would quickly receive full support from the US administration.

It is noteworthy that Alexander is one of the remaining 59 hostages - 24 of whom are believed to be still alive, according to Israeli media, which relies on Israeli intelligence estimates.

Hamas had rejected a proposal by US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, which sought to extend the first phase of the ceasefire. The movement insisted on adhering to the terms of the agreement signed on January 16 (which entered into force on January 19), which continued until Israel launched an unannounced attack with more than 100 warplanes at dawn on March 18, killing and wounding more than 1,100 people, most of them women and children.

The agreement was supposed to enter its second phase on March 2, which included the release of all remaining living detainees in exchange for a full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition refused to end the war "until Hamas's military and governmental capabilities are dismantled, and therefore refused to enter the second phase," and instead pushed for an extension of the first phase of the temporary ceasefire.

Egypt later worked to persuade Hamas to accept a proposal largely similar to the one Witkoff proposed earlier this month, which included the release of five living prisoners in exchange for an extension of the phase until April 19, when the two sides would hold talks on the terms of a second phase of a permanent ceasefire.

Cairo has threatened to deport a group of Palestinian prisoners who have been stranded in Cairo since their release earlier this year as part of the first phase of a ceasefire in Gaza. Israeli media claimed that Hamas leaders abroad responded positively to the offer, but Hamas leader in Gaza, Mohammed Sinwar, rejected it.

Following this rejection, Witkoff held talks with Qatari mediators to reach a new proposal, which the US envoy presented to Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer on Wednesday, according to the Axios news website.

The website said that previous US efforts to secure the release of American hostages were met with strong opposition from Dermer and Netanyahu, who felt it could lead to a more permanent ceasefire that would end the war before Hamas was removed from power.

According to the website, Hamas has yet to respond to the latest US proposal, but Qatari mediators informed the movement that compliance would create goodwill with Trump, increasing the likelihood that he would push Netanyahu to agree to a permanent ceasefire.

Arab sources reported that Qatari and Egyptian mediators met with a Hamas delegation in Doha on Thursday evening to discuss the latest US proposal.

Israel's response to the proposal is also unclear. Netanyahu held consultations with his security chiefs and senior advisors on Thursday to discuss the matter, an Israeli official told the website.

Netanyahu threatened on Wednesday to intensify Israel's military campaign in Gaza if Hamas did not begin releasing the hostages, saying the IDF would begin occupying additional parts of the Strip.

The prime minister insisted earlier this week that Israel was close to defeating Hamas - something he has been claiming for more than a year.

Experts believe that the resumption of the war (since March 18) puts the remaining hostages at risk and will not achieve what Israel failed to achieve during the first fifteen months of the war.

The website claimed that "America's Arab allies" instead offered to marginalize Hamas through a diplomatic initiative that would include gradually returning the Palestinian Authority to rule Gaza—something Netanyahu categorically rejected.

The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said that no humanitarian aid has entered Gaza for more than three weeks, the longest period the Strip has gone without any supplies since the beginning of the Israeli war of extermination.

In a statement issued Thursday evening, Lazzarini announced that eight UNRWA employees were killed by Israeli fire in Gaza over the past week.

The UN official warned that "hunger is increasing in Gaza, the threat of disease looms, and Israeli bombing continues."

"Parents cannot find food for their children, and patients are without medicine in Gaza," he said.

He pointed out that "prices in Gaza are rising like crazy."

He continued: "Last week witnessed the bloodiest days in the past year and a half of war, with more than 500 people reported killed, including women and children."

He pointed out that "more than 140,000 people in Gaza were forced to flee due to evacuation orders issued by Israel."

Lazzarini stressed the need to "lift the blockade, reopen the crossings for the regular flow of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies, stop the bombing, and resume the ceasefire in Gaza."

A young man was injured this evening, Thursday, by shrapnel from Israeli occupation forces' bullets during a raid on Beit Furik, east of Nablus.

The Red Crescent Society reported that a young man was injured by live bullet shrapnel in the head and abdomen during the occupation forces' raid on the town of Beit Furik.

The occupation forces stormed the town of Beit Furik, amid heavy gunfire, and clashes erupted in the area.

Eyal Cohen, a leading candidate to succeed Ronen Bar as head of the Israeli General Security Service (Shin Bet), supports the occupation of Gaza and the suspension of humanitarian aid to the territory.

The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan 11) reported that Cohen, the potential next head of the Shin Bet security service and a former head of a department in the Mossad, supports the occupation of the Gaza Strip and the cessation of humanitarian aid. This came during his presentation of his views on the organization's roles in recent weeks.

Cohen also supports increased military pressure and believes that the Shin Bet "should not interfere in the affairs of a democratic system," which may appear to be in line with views previously expressed by the Israeli Prime Minister when attacking Shin Bet chief Bar.

The report noted that Cohen's positions come "against the backdrop of accusations that the outgoing Shin Bet chief exceeded his authority and exploited his position and the agency's resources."

On Wednesday, Netanyahu began interviewing candidates to head the Shin Bet security service, following the Supreme Court's decision to reject the attorney general's request to suspend the appointment process.

This came after the Supreme Court rejected Netanyahu's request to overturn the court's injunction freezing the dismissal of current Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar until the petitions filed in this regard are adjudicated. However, the court allowed him to interview candidates for the position.

Judge Gila Kanfi-Steinitz's decision also contradicted the position of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who had also demanded that the process of replacing Bar and appointing a new head of the agency be frozen until the Supreme Court considers the petitions filed against his dismissal.

Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs Sheikh Muhammad Mustafa Najm confirmed that the occupation forces have refused, for the fourth consecutive Friday, to hand over the Ibrahimi Mosque, including its facilities, courtyards, and gates. They have also refused to open the eastern gate for the fourth time.

Najm said in a statement issued Thursday evening that the ministry refused to receive the sanctuary without one of its important parts, as this would be an admission of this deficiency. The ministry had already defined its position on this matter since the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, and it will maintain this position until the occupation retracts its positions that violate the rights of Muslims to pray in their sanctuary with all its courtyards, prayer areas, and corridors.

Najm called on the Palestinian people to protect the Ibrahimi Mosque by being present there and making their way there tomorrow, Friday, as this would affirm the identity of the mosque and protect it from the occupation's plans.