The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Knesset approved, in a preliminary reading, a bill that allows Jews to register themselves as landowners in the West Bank.

In a separate context, the Minister of the Occupation Army, "Israel Katz", appeared in a video clip filmed from inside the Jenin camp, where he stated that the occupation "declared war on Palestinian militants in the West Bank."

Katz addressed a message to the Palestinian Authority, saying: “Stop funding the militants and start fighting them seriously. Funding their families and teaching their children to destroy the occupation puts your existence at risk.”

The occupation forces continue their extensive aggression on the cities of Jenin and Tulkarm, their camps and villages, as the military campaign continues for the ninth consecutive day in Jenin, and for the third day in Tulkarm.

The aggression has destroyed infrastructure, including sewage, water and electricity networks.

The aggression resulted in the deaths of 17 martyrs in Jenin and 3 martyrs in Tulkarm, in addition to dozens of injuries and arrests.

Katz added: "Jenin camp will not return to what it was before, and we will ensure that the Palestinian resistance will not return after completing the military operation inside the camp."

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Begin said on Wednesday that the army "declared war on Palestinian terrorism in the West Bank."

Katz accompanied the Israeli army forces operating in and around the camp to see the progress of the military operation against Palestinian militants there.

He added in a statement from Jenin, where he accompanied the army forces, that "after completing the operation, our forces will remain in the camp to ensure that terrorism does not return."

Katz stressed that "we must work with all our might until we reach a situation in which terrorism will not return to this camp when our operation ends."

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said that the deportation or displacement of the Palestinian people is an injustice in which we cannot participate, stressing that the constants of the historical Egyptian position on the Palestinian issue can never be relinquished in any way.

This came during a joint press conference between President Sisi and the President of the Republic of Kenya, William Ruto, today, Wednesday, at the Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo.

President Sisi said that the displacement of the Palestinian people can never be tolerated or allowed because of its impact on Egyptian national security, noting that Egypt is determined to work with US President Trump to reach the desired peace based on the two-state solution.

President Sisi added that there are historical rights that cannot be ignored, and Egyptian, Arab and international public opinion believes that there has been a historical injustice that has been inflicted on the Palestinian people for 70 years.

He stated that Egypt warned at the beginning of the war that the goal was to make life in the Gaza Strip impossible in order to displace the Palestinian people, and Egypt announced its position from the beginning rejecting that.

Today, Wednesday, the Israeli occupation forces arrested four citizens from Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron.

According to local sources, these forces stormed the "Al-Tuba" settlement in Masafer Yatta and arrested the following: activist Ali Rashad Awad, Hamza Abu Jundia, Ismail Ali Awad, and Ibrahim Nasser Awad, after they tried to confront settlers who carried out provocative acts and released their livestock around the residents' homes and into their agricultural crops.

In a related context, settlers released their sheep and cattle into the fields and crops of the residents, near “Mughayer al-Ubaid and Khirbet al-Rakeez,” and destroyed a number of trees and wheat and barley crops belonging to the Makhamra and al-Amur families.

In Jericho, the occupation forces stormed Al-Duyuk Al-Tahta and arrested the citizen Muhammad Suleiman Younis Fahidat, during the process of demolishing 5 houses and preventing press crews from reaching the area.

The Prisoners and Freed Prisoners Affairs Authority reported today, Wednesday, that the detention conditions in Megiddo Prison are still very bad since the beginning of the war of extermination against our people in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

The Commission’s lawyer reported after visiting a number of detainees, according to a statement by the Commission, that the detainee Mahdi Jamal Abu Sharifah from Jalazone camp north of Al-Bireh, (32 years old), is still detained and is suffering from “Scabius” disease, and the prison administration has not given him treatment, and he does not have any extra clothes, and he has been wearing the same clothes for some time.

The detainee told the Commission’s lawyer that the situation in the prison is very bad, the food is scarce and poor, cleaning materials are completely unavailable, the shower area is open, there is no privacy, and the prison guards continue to insult and beat him.

The lawyer said that the detainee, Mohammed Ibrahim Saber Abu Muammar, from Ramallah (33 years old), who has been detained for three months and has been an administrative prisoner for six months, has not changed his clothes since his arrest, which has caused the spread of diseases due to the lack of hygiene. He pointed out that Abu Muammar is married and has a son and a daughter, and is in Section 8, where the extreme cold increases the suffering of the detainees.

In turn, the detainee Ayman Nasser Muhammad Subhi Salama from Nablus (31 years old), who has been detained since 3/20/2024, explained that the prison guards treat them in a humiliating manner during their transfer outside the section, as they are handcuffed in a painful manner during their interrogation, noting that he was severely beaten by 10 masked prison guards while he was in his cell, which caused a broken finger, severe pain in the back and spine, and sensitivity in his legs.

The Civil Administration's Supreme Planning Council is set to approve the construction of 682 housing units in three settlements: Halamish, Metzad and Pedval today, Wednesday. According to the plans, 531 housing units will be built in the settlement of Halamish, also known as Neve Tzuf, which will double the number of settlers there. In the settlement of Metzad (Asfar), 126 housing units will be built, and in Pedval 25 housing units.

The Peace Now movement stated that the second year of the Netanyahu-Smotrich-Ben Gvir government is the year in which the implementation of the government’s annexation plans began, as specified in the coalition agreement by the end of 2022. In 2023, the settlement administration was formed in the Ministry of Defense, headed by Minister Smotrich, within the framework of the coalition agreements between the Likud and Religious Zionism. In parallel, Itamar Ben Gvir took over the Ministry of National Security and became Minister of Police, which reduced law enforcement on settlers who commit acts of violence against Palestinians.

The year 2024 was marked by a policy of reducing the living space of Palestinians in Areas C and B and expanding the Israeli presence in both areas. No previous year had witnessed such infringement on the rights of Palestinians in the West Bank, nor such weakness in dealing with settler attacks and their construction violations and their violation of Palestinian rights. In addition, budgets and approvals for settlement construction were transferred, and the legalization of settlement sites became unprecedented. This policy is being implemented through the establishment of a record number of random sites, the paving of an unprecedented number of roads, a sharp increase in the number of abuses of Palestinians, which the head of the Shin Bet described as Jewish terrorism, the closure of roads, and the whitewashing and support of random sites reached its peak. Since the formation of the current government, Israel has begun preparing the administrative structure for plans for the practical annexation of the West Bank by confiscating the powers of the Civil Administration and transferring them to a civil-political institution linked to Minister Smotrich.

Conditions in the West Bank during the year 2024

Settlements and outposts: At least 59 new outposts were established, most of them settlement farms that work to control land and expel Palestinians from it. This is an unprecedented number of new sites. By comparison, from 1996 until the beginning of 2023, an average of 7 sites were established per year.

Random sites in Area B: Since the signing of the Oslo Accords, at least 8 random sites have been established in Area B, meaning that 13% of the random sites established in 2024 are located in Area B. Hundreds of illegal roads have been paved, extending over 114 kilometers, for the expansion of settlements.

Approval of plans for 9,884 settlement units - The Supreme Planning Council of the Civil Administration approved these plans. In November 2024, the government decision issued in June 2023, which stipulated that settlement projects do not need to obtain approval from the political echelon, was implemented. The Supreme Planning Council of the Civil Administration began holding weekly meetings to approve building plans, and within six weeks it approved the construction of approximately 2,400 housing units.

New tenders issued for the construction of 1,399 housing units in the West Bank, excluding Jerusalem.

24,258 dunams of West Bank land were declared as state land, which is approximately half of the land declared as state land since the signing of the Oslo Accords until today.

The cabinet decided to establish five new settlements - Avtar, Givat Asif, Sde Ephraim, Adorim and Nahal Haltz, all of which are outposts that will become settlements. The process of legalizing five other sites as neighborhoods of existing settlements has begun - the sites of Ahiye and Beit Eliyahu, and the deposit of plans to legalize the sites of Mahana De and Givat Hanan has been approved. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich instructed government ministries and other institutions to provide financial support to 70 outposts for the purpose of building public buildings and connecting them to water and electricity networks, etc.

Settlers stormed a house in Hebron under the pretext that it had been purchased from Palestinians. The settlers were able to storm it after obtaining a “contract license” from circles connected to Smotrich. A plan was also published to establish a new settlement in Hebron, including 234 housing units, north of Kiryat Arba.

Money and budgets

The government doubled the budget of the Ministry of Settlement and the funds allocated to the Settlement Division by NIS 302 million. Smotrich spoke about an agreement he made with Miri Regev, the Minister of Transportation, which stipulates allocating NIS 7 billion to pave roads between settlement cities. In 2024, approval was given to pave many roads aimed at increasing the area of the settlements and the number of settlers in them. NIS 409 million were allocated for special projects in the settlements, including preserving antiquities in the West Bank, reconstructing the Sebastia Park, and developing the Old City Basin in Jerusalem (tourist settlement in East Jerusalem) as part of projects supervised by the Elad settlement association. NIS 75 million were allocated for random sites, including about NIS 39 million for settlement farms, some of which are characterized by violence against Palestinians.

Annexation steps

The powers of settlement and land confiscation were transferred from the army to an employee subordinate to Smotrich. The minister appointed a settler employee and called him “Deputy Head of the Civil Administration.” He is considered, in practice, the governor of the settlements and is not linked to the Civil Administration, but only to Smotrich. The position of legal advisor to the Civil Administration was transferred from the army to a judicial system linked to Smotrich. The government seized the powers of law enforcement in part of Area B from the Palestinian Authority, in complete contradiction to the Oslo Accords. The commander of the Central Command, under the direction of the cabinet, signed an order that gives Israel the power to demolish Palestinian homes in areas called “agreed reserves” under Palestinian control, and the monitoring unit began demolishing buildings erected in these areas.

Preventing Palestinians from accessing their agricultural lands: The army and settlers prevent Palestinians from accessing their agricultural lands surrounding settlements. Israel demolished 1,067 Palestinian structures in the West Bank under the pretext of not having building permits, 17 of which were in Area B, causing 857 Palestinians to lose their homes. For comparison, in 2016, which was the peak year for the demolition of Palestinian structures, 870 structures were demolished, and 2,704 Palestinian homes were demolished in the context of military operations, especially in Jenin and Tulkarm (the number is correct as of 1/25/14). In 2024, 215 homes were demolished in East Jerusalem under the pretext of not having building permits. The municipality began demolishing homes in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood in Silwan as part of plans to demolish the entire neighborhood in order to establish a tourist park called “The King’s Garden.” In the Al-Bustan neighborhood alone, 15 homes were demolished out of a total of 100 homes for which demolition orders were issued.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported today, Wednesday, that 63 dead and 8 injuries arrived at the hospitals of the Strip during the past 24 hours.

The Ministry of Health said in a statement, "59 martyrs were recovered, two martyrs succumbed to their injuries, and others are new."

It added: "The death toll from the aggression has risen to 47,417 dead and 111,571 injuries since October 7, 2023."

It pointed out that there are still a number of victims under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the idea of displacing Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt or Jordan is unacceptable.

This came in response to a question about why Germany provided weapons to Israel, which committed war crimes, during an election event for his party in the capital, Berlin.

Claiming that Germany provided military support to Israel to defend itself, Scholz said: "We evaluated each decision individually. We did not discuss each decision publicly on this issue."

He added that they will continue to support Israel with weapons, adding that "respect for international law is at the heart of everything that includes civilian assistance to the people of Gaza, the two-state solution and a just vision for the future."

Scholz said, "The perspective on this issue must be a two-state solution through which peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestine can take place."

"From my point of view, this means concretely that the Palestinian Authority administration must also take responsibility for Gaza, and the possibility of a two-state solution must develop from there," he added.

The German Chancellor added that living together can only be achieved in this way, and that his country will not give up defending it.

In response to US President Donald Trump, without mentioning his name, who raised the idea of displacing Palestinians in Gaza to Arab countries, especially Jordan and Egypt, Scholz said: “Any plans for resettlement, and the idea of deporting the people of Gaza to Egypt or Jordan, are unacceptable.”

Scholz stressed that hopes for peace should not be risked now, saying: "This is very important. It is not just a pause. A lasting peace must emerge from a ceasefire."

During the event, two people protested against Scholz because Germany supplies weapons to Israel.

On Saturday, Trump called for the displacement of the Palestinians of Gaza to neighboring countries, such as Egypt and Jordan, citing the "lack of habitable places in the Gaza Strip" as a result of the Israeli genocide.

With American support, Israel waged a genocidal war against the Palestinians in Gaza between October 7, 2023 and January 19, leaving about 159,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 14,000 missing.

Today, Wednesday, the Israeli occupation forces continued their aggression on the city and camp of Tulkarm for the third day, causing widespread destruction to the infrastructure and citizens’ property, and displacing citizens from their homes.

A short while ago, a young man was shot in the head by an occupation sniper in the Hanoun Square neighborhood in Tulkarm camp. Citizens are calling for an ambulance to be brought in to take him to the hospital, as he is lying on the ground bleeding, while the occupation forces are preventing ambulances from entering the camp.

According to local sources, the occupation forces have sent more of their vehicles towards the city and its camp, which is under a tight siege, while their bulldozers continue to destroy the infrastructure in its neighborhoods, which has affected the water, electricity, sewage, internet networks, and public and private property.

It added that the citizens inside the camp's neighborhoods are living for the third day without water, electricity or communications, and they have become cut off from the outside world, and they are calling for their rescue and the provision of basic necessities, especially for the sick, children and the elderly.

This morning, the occupation forces forced the residents of the Shuhada neighborhood to leave their homes and leave the camp towards the city, joining a convoy of citizens who were forced to leave the camp since the first day.

All the camp's neighborhoods are witnessing a large deployment of occupation vehicles and soldiers, who are firing live ammunition intensively, storming homes and wreaking havoc and corruption, and subjecting citizens to interrogation and investigation. They have also forced a large number of them to leave under threat of arms.

In Tulkarm, the occupation forces continue their siege of the Martyr Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital and the Israa Specialized Hospital, and obstruct the work of ambulances and their medical crews.

The occupation forces are deployed in the city’s various neighborhoods and streets, specifically the western, southern and eastern neighborhoods, obstructing the movement of vehicles, stopping them, searching them and forcing their passengers to return to their homes under threat of arms.

It also stops citizens, especially young men, detains them and abuses them after checking their identities.

In a later development, the occupation forces raided a number of citizens' homes in the western neighborhood of the city, some of which were turned into military barracks after their residents were expelled from them. They checked their identities and subjected them to interrogation, without any arrests being reported.

The occupation soldiers were seen trying to open old and abandoned houses in the western neighborhood, which belong to the Habayeb family, using heavy tools.

In addition, Tulkarm Municipality crews are working to repair the main water lines feeding parts of the city, located in the vicinity of Jamal Abdel Nasser Square, which were destroyed by the occupation bulldozers two days ago, causing water to be cut off from large parts of the city.

Last night, the young man Ayman Al-Naji was martyred in the Artah suburb, south of Tulkarm, bringing the number of martyrs in Tulkarm over the past two days to three, after the occupation bombed a vehicle in front of the entrance to Nour Shams camp, killing two young men who were inside it.

In the early hours of dawn today, the occupation bulldozers demolished the home of the family of the martyr Tamer Fuqaha in the Shuwaika suburb, north of the city, who was martyred in November of last year 2024.

Israel received American pledges to halt the reconstruction of areas in the northern Gaza Strip, and to postpone the process of introducing prefabricated homes (caravans) into areas in northern Gaza adjacent to the settlements to a longer time frame, until security plans are agreed upon to ensure the security of the settlements adjacent to the Strip, according to what Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported on Wednesday morning.

The American pledges were conveyed to Tel Aviv during a meeting between the US President's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prior to the announcement of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

It was reported that there is an American plan that includes security concepts and projects that will be funded by the United States and the Gulf, related to the permanent buffer zone between the settlements of the Gaza Strip and the Strip, to ensure that the Strip does not pose any future threat to Israel.

According to the information, the American pledges to Netanyahu to urge him to proceed with the agreement aim in their content to push the Palestinians to emigrate from the Strip, by obstructing and slowing down the reconstruction process and making the areas of northern Gaza uninhabitable in the long term.

In this context, Witkov arrived in Israel on a visit that includes a field tour in the Gaza Strip, to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas.

Israeli reports indicated that Witkov's visit comes amid ongoing preparations and preliminary discussions regarding the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, negotiations for which are scheduled to begin on the 16th day of the agreement, which falls next Tuesday.

As part of his visit to the region, the US envoy intends to conduct a field visit to the Gaza Strip, which may include the Netzarim axis and the Kerem Shalom crossing, amid reports that the US administration aims to ensure the full implementation of the agreement in relation to the normalization process between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Today, Wednesday, the prisoners' institutions announced the martyrdom of two detainees from the Gaza Strip, namely: Muhammad Sharif Al-Asali and Ibrahim Adnan Ashour, in the occupation prisons.

To follow ...

Amidst the scene of massive destruction that covered most areas of Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip, the smell of gunpowder still filled the air, bearing witness to what had happened to the place.

The faces of the returnees showed signs of pain and astonishment, reflecting deep wounds that are difficult to describe or bear, according to what was reported by a Xinhua News Agency correspondent.

Silence hung over the scene, broken only by the sound of falling rubble as residents tried to remove what remained of their destroyed homes.

Time seemed to have stopped here, as scattered stones silently told stories of pain and ongoing suffering, and the alleys that were once teeming with life became empty, devoid of everything except the memories of people who used to fill the place with laughter and hope.

After an arduous journey on foot that lasted for hours, a number of returning displaced people sat on the ruins of their homes, staring into space, their features telling of a frantic race with memories of the past... memories that seemed scattered between every destroyed corner of their places that were once full of life.

The returnees' steps were heavy, as if the earth itself was suffering under the weight of the grief they carried. Each movement was like a new testimony to the weight of the suffering that had not left them from the moment they left their homes until they returned to their ruins.

When Mariam Abu Shahla arrived in her hometown, in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood west of Gaza City, she could not recognise the neighbourhood where she had spent 25 years of her life, as the rubble had swallowed everything.

“The houses that were once full of memories have become piles of stones and silence, as if the earth itself has swallowed everything,” Maryam added.

Maryam does not know where to go or where to set up her tent, in the absence of any political solutions to save her from this “hell,” as she puts it.

"Even all the words in the Arabic dictionary cannot describe the horror of what we are seeing," she says in a choked voice.

As for Abdul Rahman Abu Sitta, from the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, he returned to his neighborhood after a year of displacement, only to find that his town had completely disappeared.

“I lost everything,” Abu Sitta said. “Not only our homes were destroyed, even our memories.”

"This is not a war against a Palestinian faction, but a war against our existence as Palestinians," the man continued.

Despite the devastation, Abu Sitta insisted on searching for hope among the rubble. He said, “I see in every destroyed corner a part of the past that has evaporated and vanished.”

"Israel has always sought to end our existence, but we are here to stay, and we will persevere no matter the difficulties," he added.

Sajida Ayesh, a Palestinian from the Saftawi neighborhood in northern Gaza, sums up her determination to stay despite the extent of the destruction that has befallen her area, saying, “We are here despite everything... proving our existence and rebuilding what others have destroyed.”

Sajida was forced to flee several times to the southern areas of the Gaza Strip in search of safety for her family of five.

With a voice full of sadness and defiance, Sajida recounts the details of the suffering she experienced, saying, “There, in the south, we experienced the most difficult types of torture. Fear, hunger, and fatigue never left us. There was no safe place, and our displacement was the biggest lie that the Israeli army had marketed.”

Despite all this, Sajida asserts with determination, “I will not repeat this mistake, even if the army kills us here. We will die in our homes and on our land, not somewhere else.”

When Sajida saw the beach in Gaza, she tried to recapture the moments of reassurance that the sea used to give her. But she said with a tone tinged with sorrow, “Even the sea has changed… That sea that always symbolized freedom and unlimited hopes, now groans with us, as if it shares our pain.”

The large number of returnees, who have exceeded half a million people according to initial estimates, face enormous challenges, as many will suffer from shortages of basic materials such as food and water, while others will be forced to live on the streets at the mercy of winter. Hosni Muhanna, an official in the Gaza municipality, described the situation as “catastrophic by all standards” in the city. “The infrastructure has been almost completely destroyed, and we are doing everything we can to provide basic services such as water and electricity,” he added. “We have worked to maintain some water wells and networks in an attempt to provide as much water as possible to the displaced,” he continued. “The difficult reality and the challenges are enormous and exceed our current capacity. There is an urgent need for international support to secure the needs of the returning population, especially in light of the difficult humanitarian conditions we are living in,” he added. Amjad Al-Shawa, director of the NGO Network in the Gaza Strip, said that the return of thousands of displaced people to the northern areas of the Strip represents “a new phase of suffering,” with the enormous humanitarian challenges they face continuing. Al-Shawa explained that “the scenes we are seeing show the scale of the disaster, as many have returned to find their homes transformed into “We are facing a complex humanitarian crisis, as the displaced are facing a severe shortage of shelter, clean water, and food, amid harsh winter weather and shelters,” he added. He pointed out that the situation requires “urgent international intervention” to secure the basic needs of the affected population. “Despite the local efforts made to provide relief to the population, the current situation is beyond the capabilities of any local party,” Al-Shawa continued. “There is a need for a responsible international position to alleviate the suffering of the population and ensure the reconstruction of what was destroyed by the war.”

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that more than 376,000 Palestinians returned to the northern Gaza Strip between Monday morning and Tuesday afternoon.

The office explained that half of these displaced persons are men, a quarter are women and the other quarter are children.

OCHA relied on figures from a working group of several organizations that set up census points throughout the Strip.

“Pregnant or lactating women, the elderly, people with disabilities, people with chronic diseases or in need of urgent medical care, or unaccompanied minors are among the key vulnerable groups of displaced people who have made this difficult journey on foot,” the office said.

A family, including a child, suffered from suffocation due to inhaling toxic gas fired by the Israeli occupation forces during their raid on the town of Deir Istiya, northwest of Salfit.

The mayor of Deir Istiya, Abdul Rahim Zidane, reported that the occupation army stormed the area adjacent to the entrance to the town last night and fired tear gas bombs at citizens’ homes, which resulted in a family suffering from suffocation, including a four-month-old child.

Zidane pointed out that the occupation forces are targeting the town repeatedly, and are continuing their attacks on citizens and their property, closing its main entrance, and preventing citizens from moving.

While the massive return of Gazans to the north of the Strip from its center and south continues, amidst large crowds and heartwarming scenes, and despite tens of thousands being certain that there are no homes or buildings suitable for living, the love of the homeland and the soil of Gaza is greater than anything else and mixes feelings of joy of return with sadness and grief as the search for the bodies of the martyrs begins under the rubble, as the opportunity to obtain a ceasefire and curb the Israeli aggression is in itself a gain for those seeking to rebuild, cling to the land, hold on to it and stand firm on its soil no matter the cost.

Despite all this, Western voices and mouthpieces, led by the United States, continue to follow Israeli desires to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and settle them in a Western or Arab country. After the failure of the American attempt with Jordan and Egypt, the option of Indonesia appears as a new solution amidst a strange and suspicious insistence by President Trump, who seeks to deport two million Palestinians to the Asian country under the pretext that there is no security to live in Gaza.

Indonesia did well when Foreign Ministry spokesman Totok Roliensya Sumert denied that his country had received any offer from any party, including the United States, regarding the transfer of Palestinian refugees from Gaza to Indonesia, and stressed that the Indonesian government supports the reconstruction of Gaza in various ways without receiving Palestinian refugees on its territory.

The Foreign Minister did well when he announced that his country is ready to support the reconstruction of Gaza, increase the flow of aid, and send peacekeeping forces if the United Nations requests it. This is a civilized approach that our people respect. As for the suspicious calls for displacement, whatever their source, they are rejected and condemned, and the Palestinian people will confront them with all their strength.

We would also like to salute the countries of the region, including Egypt and Jordan, which rejected the idea of receiving Palestinian refugees, and affirmed their commitment to keeping the Palestinians on their land, as stated by Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, who said that “Jordan is for Jordanians, and Palestine is for Palestinians,” while Egypt stressed its rejection of any forced transfer of Palestinians.

In the latest episode of the Israeli targeting of this plan, Channel 7 published yesterday what the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army published regarding the Rafah crossing when he said: Israel will allow the residents of Gaza to leave the Rafah crossing to Egypt, but only in one direction, and that they will not be able to return to Gaza, where the story is completely consistent with the calls for voluntary displacement advocated by extremist ministers.

Taking such a crazy step would threaten the stability of the countries of the region, provoke widespread popular anger, and would certainly face strong resistance from the Arab countries and the Palestinians, who would fight it because it is an attempt at demographic change and ethnic cleansing.

Just as all previous attempts have failed, this step will collapse in the face of our people’s ambition and will. Even the recent attempts in Jenin and Tulkarm, through demolishing homes and expelling residents, will not deter our people from standing up to these conspiracies and fighting them forcefully, because displacement operations are war crimes that do not comply with any international or humanitarian law, and everyone must confront them firmly and forcefully and not allow them to pass.

The Israeli occupation forces launched an arrest campaign in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem at dawn on Wednesday.

In occupied Jerusalem, the occupation forces arrested Hamza Zaghir, Adi Jihad Zaghir, Ahmed Basem Zaghir, Abdullah Munir Zaghir, Moataz Zaghir, Izz al-Din Misbah Abu Subaih, Subaih Misbah Abu Subaih, Mahmoud Triyaki, and the freed prisoner Majed al-Jubeh, from the city of Jerusalem, on the pretext of their participation in welcoming the freed Jerusalemite prisoner Ashraf al-Zaghir, who was released as part of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

They also raided the home of the freed Jerusalemite prisoner Ashraf Zaghir, searched it and ransacked its contents.

The occupation also arrested the young man Mahmoud Al-Taryaki from the town of At-Tur, east of Jerusalem, after raiding his home and tampering with its contents.

In Ramallah, the occupation forces raided many citizens' homes during their storming of the city of Al-Bireh, the town of Beitunia, west of Ramallah, the villages of Deir Ammar, Kober, Shaqba, Abu Shakhdam, and Al-Mazra'a Al-Qibliya, northwest of Ramallah, the towns of Silwad, Kafr Malik, and the village of Barqa, east of Ramallah, and the Jalazone camp, north of Ramallah.

In Tulkarm, the occupation forces arrested the young man, Tamer Issam Nassar, after raiding and searching his home in the town of Anabta. He is a former detainee.

In Jenin, the occupation forces raided the house of the young man, An’ad Abu al-Khair Tahaineh, in the town of Silat al-Harithiya, and ransacked its contents, before arresting him.

Khalil Al-Tafakji: Demolishing homes and establishing settlement outposts in Jerusalem are part of a clear strategy to expel Jerusalemites and replace them with Israelis

Dr. Hassan Khater: Demolition and settlement are among the most dangerous plans of the occupation aimed at displacing the people of Jerusalem and controlling the Holy City and its sanctities

Medhat Diba: The policy of closure and intensification of military checkpoints is an unprecedented collective punishment, a war crime, and part of the plan to annex the West Bank

Ismail Muslimani: Israel seeks, through the "E1" project, to expand settlements and cut off geographical continuity between the north and south of the West Bank

Muhammad Alian: The occupation government is exploiting Trump’s presence in power and his support to intensify the demolition of homes as practical measures to implement the “Deal of the Century”

The occupation authorities have recently escalated the policy of demolishing homes in occupied Jerusalem, in addition to establishing settlement outposts within Palestinian neighborhoods, as part of a clear strategy to facilitate the processes of expulsion and replacement, i.e. expelling the Palestinian population and replacing them with Israelis, which means reducing the Palestinian presence in the city and strengthening Israeli control.

Observers, analysts and legal experts warned “I” of the dangers of racist colonial policies against Jerusalem and the people of Jerusalem, trying to sound the alarm, especially regarding the project to establish a new settlement known as “E1”, which includes the construction of 3,500 housing units and 4,000 hotel rooms on 12,000 dunams of land in At-Tur, Anata, Al-Eizariya and Al-Issawiya, noting that this project represents the end of any hope of establishing a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and reinforces the “Greater Jerusalem” plan, whose area is equivalent to 10% of the West Bank.

They pointed out that since the beginning of the Zionist project, dozens of plans have been drawn up to displace the people of Jerusalem and control the Holy City and its sanctities, most notably the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. Perhaps one of the most dangerous means of displacement is the policy of demolishing homes, which has expanded significantly and dangerously today, as it is no longer limited to demolishing scattered homes and facilities as was the case in the past, but has begun to target entire neighborhoods and entire towns, as is happening in Silwan and the Al-Bustan neighborhood, where there are more than 7,000 demolition orders in Silwan alone, in addition to a decision to demolish the village of Al-Nu’man southwest of the city of Jerusalem and confiscate its lands.

In addition, they stressed that the Israeli occupation authorities have recently been adopting an unprecedented policy of collective punishment against the Palestinians, represented by increasing the number of military checkpoints to 300, a number that had not been recorded in previous periods, as most Palestinian towns have become surrounded by checkpoints, which has prevented citizens from moving freely between cities and villages, which they described as a "war crime" aimed at strangling Palestinian society.

Seizing 87% of Jerusalem's area

Settlement expert Khalil Al-Tafakji confirmed that the establishment of settlement outposts within Palestinian neighborhoods comes within a completely clear strategy aimed at strengthening Israeli control.

He explained that after 87% of the area of Jerusalem was seized, only 13% remained for the Palestinians.

He added that the Israeli security vision requires the establishment of settlement outposts to facilitate the processes of expulsion and replacement, i.e. the expulsion of the Palestinian population and the replacement of Israelis in their place.

Al-Tafkji pointed out that this Israeli policy began in 1973, with the formation of the "Arnon Givni" Committee, which was established by Golda Meir. At that time, it was granted all the powers and laws necessary to implement the policy of transforming the Palestinian majority into an Arab minority in exchange for a Jewish majority.

House demolitions aim to reduce the number of Jerusalemites

He also explained that the demolition of homes in Jerusalem comes within a clear strategy aimed at reducing the number of Palestinians, whose number has increased from 70,000 to 345,000 Palestinians within the municipal borders.

He pointed out that Palestinians today constitute 40% of the total population of the city in both its eastern and western parts, which prompted Israel to take steps to limit this increase, including revoking ID cards and building the racist separation wall that isolated about 150,000 Palestinians from the city, including residents of Kafr Aqab, Shuafat camp, and the areas of Al-Eizariya and Bir Onah.

Al-Tafakji stressed that the house demolition projects come in light of international support for Israel, especially after Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the annexation of the Golan Heights.

Establishing the "E1" settlement and promoting the "Greater Jerusalem" plan

He added that what is currently happening in Jerusalem is the establishment of a new settlement known as "E1", which includes the construction of 3,500 housing units and 4,000 hotel rooms on 12,000 dunams of land in At-Tur, Anata, Al-Eizariya, and Al-Issawiya.

He explained that this project represents the end of any hope of establishing a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and reinforces the "Greater Jerusalem" plan, whose area is equivalent to 10% of the West Bank.

He also pointed out that Israel is working to establish a comprehensive infrastructure in the E1 area, including the establishment of a police station and the opening of a tunnel at the Zaim checkpoint to connect the southwestern settlements of Jerusalem with the Gilo and Jabal Abu Ghneim settlements via the American Street.

Al-Tafkji pointed out the completion of tunnels in the southwestern region under Beit Jala, and the opening of other tunnels in the Qalandia area, with the approval of the confiscation of 258 dunums of land from Kafr Aqab, Mikhmas, Al-Ram, and Jaba, to connect the settlements northeast of Jerusalem, such as Beit El, with the settlement of Atarot.

He stressed that the Israeli vision is very clear in exploiting international circumstances and American support, in addition to trying to please the Israeli right and left, as both parties agree that Jerusalem is the unified capital of Israel without a Palestinian partner.

Surrounding Palestinian neighborhoods with settlements

Al-Tafakji explained that there are other settlement projects, such as the "Atarot" project, which includes the construction of 9,000 housing units, and the "Khirbet al-Tabalia" or "Givat Hamatos" project, which includes 3,500 housing units. Work is also currently underway to establish infrastructure in the Beit Safafa area.

He pointed out that these projects aim to surround Palestinian neighborhoods with settlements and penetrate them with settlement outposts, as is happening in Beit Safafa and Sheikh Jarrah. In addition, work is being done to integrate Palestinian neighborhoods into Israeli neighborhoods to achieve a process of "merging and dissolving" between East and West Jerusalem, with the aim of emphasizing that Jerusalem is a unified capital of the State of Israel that cannot be divided.

The policy of house demolitions has not stopped throughout the history of the occupation.

Dr. Hassan Khater, Director of the International Jerusalem Center, said that Jerusalem has been at the center of the ambitions of this project since the beginning of the Zionist project and the establishment of the occupation state, as dozens of plans were drawn up to displace the people of Jerusalem and control the holy city and its sanctities, most notably the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. Perhaps one of the most dangerous means of displacement was the policy of demolishing homes, which has not stopped throughout the history of the occupation.

Khater explained that this policy has expanded significantly and dangerously today, as it is no longer limited to demolishing scattered houses and facilities as was the case in the past, but has begun to target entire neighborhoods and entire towns.

He pointed out that what is happening in Silwan and the Al-Bustan neighborhood is a clear example of this, as there are more than 7,000 demolition orders in Silwan alone, in addition to a decision to demolish the village of Al-Nu'man, southwest of the city of Jerusalem, and confiscate its lands, even though its houses were built before the establishment of the occupation state in 1948.

He also pointed out that the demolitions are ongoing in all the suburbs of the Holy City, making the future more difficult for the people of Jerusalem.

Changing the geography, demographic and urban composition of Jerusalem

Khater added that settlements and settlement outposts within Palestinian towns and neighborhoods in the eastern part of Jerusalem are among the most dangerous means used by the occupation to displace Jerusalemites and turn their lives into hell.

He stressed that these settlement outposts are expanding day after day, especially in Silwan and inside the Old City of Jerusalem, under various titles and pretexts.

Regarding major settlement projects, Khater pointed out that the occupation recently announced the construction of thousands of settlement units in the Qalandia area north of Jerusalem, in the southwestern part, in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, and other areas.

He considered that these projects would change the geography of Jerusalem and its demographic and urban structure, as the city would be completely isolated from its Palestinian surroundings, which would prevent the possibility of Jerusalem being the capital of any future Palestinian entity.

He also spoke about the "E1" project, which is considered one of the most dangerous settlement projects, as it targets a vast geographical area extending from East Jerusalem to the outskirts of Jericho and the Dead Sea.

He explained that this project includes evacuating small Bedouin communities and villages in that area, with the aim of implementing a broad annexation plan for large parts of the West Bank, led by Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich.

Khater stressed that this reality puts the Palestinian Authority at a dangerous turning point, either towards completing the construction of the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, or slipping towards what the occupation seeks to do by transforming it into a civil administration for the affairs of Palestinian cities, far from any political entity.

He called for urgent action at all levels and by all means to stop these plans, save the Holy City from this dangerous fate, and protect the remaining lands of the West Bank before they are swallowed up by settlements.

Dr. Khater also stressed the need to confront these projects in light of the international policy complicit with the occupation, which was clearly evident in the crimes committed against the Palestinians, the most recent of which was in the Gaza Strip.

Increase the number of military checkpoints to 300

Jerusalemite lawyer Medhat Diba confirmed that the Israeli occupation authorities have recently been adopting an unprecedented policy of collective punishment against the Palestinians, represented by increasing the number of military checkpoints to 300, a number that had not been recorded in previous periods, including during the first and second intifadas.

Dibeh explained that these measures bring to mind the policy of “economic subjugation” devised by Shimon Peres, but they have surpassed all previous ones in their severity and impact on the daily lives of Palestinians. He pointed out that most Palestinian towns have become surrounded by checkpoints, preventing residents from moving freely between cities and villages, which he described as a “war crime” aimed at strangling Palestinian society.

Diba called for directing the Palestinian street to resist these policies through all legally available means, including strikes and civil disobedience, based on the provisions of international humanitarian law that apply to the occupied territories.

He added that going to Israeli courts to file lawsuits against the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Finance is an important legal tool to confront these policies, especially since these two bodies bear direct responsibility for issuing orders that serve the goals of the settlement groups.

Diba pointed out that the closure policy is part of the plan to annex the West Bank, where checkpoints are used to isolate Palestinians from their farms and lands in areas targeted by settlement ambitions. He explained that these measures make it easier for settler groups to seize land by placing signs, security points, or fences in preparation for establishing new settlement outposts.

Dibeh concluded his statement to “I” by stressing that these racist policies constitute a flagrant violation of international law, and require Palestinian and international action to stop them and hold those responsible accountable.

House demolitions to reduce Palestinian presence in Jerusalem

Israeli affairs analyst Ismail Musalmani said that East Jerusalem faces major challenges due to the policy of house demolitions pursued by the Israeli authorities. He explained that this policy aims to reduce the Palestinian presence in the city and increase Israeli control.

Muslimani stressed that the demolitions include homes built without building permits, which are difficult to obtain due to the severe restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities.

He pointed out that in 2019, East Jerusalem recorded the highest rate of demolitions, with 63 homes demolished in one month.

Muslimani addressed the establishment of settlement outposts, explaining that they are settlement blocs established without official approval from the Israeli government, but they receive unofficial support from the occupation authorities.

He said that these outposts are usually built on private Palestinian land and are used to expand existing settlements or to establish new ones. He added that the Israeli government provides support to these outposts by providing security protection and infrastructure, even though they are considered illegal under international law.

Muslimani pointed out that the newspaper "Haaretz" reported that Israel has drawn up plans to build a series of settlement outposts in East Jerusalem, including the construction of 9,000 housing units in the Atarot area near the separation wall and near the Palestinian village of Kafr Aqab. The plans also propose the establishment of a neighborhood of 1,100 housing units for settlers near the Palestinian village of Sharafat.

Regarding attempts to obtain Trump’s approval to confiscate the E1 area, Musalmani said: “The E1 area is a strategic area located between Jerusalem and the Ma’ale Adumim settlement, and Israel seeks to annex this area to expand the settlements and cut off the geographical connection between the northern and southern West Bank. During Donald Trump’s presidency, the Israeli government tried to obtain his approval to implement this plan, but it faced international pressure that prevented it.”

He pointed out that the Israeli occupation forces in Jerusalem forced the owners of four homes and two shops to demolish them, which resulted in the displacement of about 40 Jerusalemites from four families, with additional demolition notices being issued in the town of Silwan.

Muslimani addressed the strike in the Kafr Aqab neighborhood, saying: The residents of the Kafr Aqab neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem declared a general strike in protest against the Israeli measures that hinder their daily lives. This strike comes in response to the policy of closures and arbitrary measures imposed by the Israeli authorities at the checkpoints, which increases the suffering of the residents.

He added that the strike was held under the slogan "Enough with the daily humiliation", in rejection of the military closure of the main roads by the occupation forces and the obstruction of citizens' movement, stressing that the people of Kafr Aqab are demanding an end to the state of closure and restriction of residents' movement through the surrounding checkpoints, as the occupation has been imposing strict measures that have caused stifling crises for a week.

Muslimani confirmed that Israel has placed approximately 900 checkpoints in the West Bank and Jerusalem, including 82 checkpoints in the city, and that these closures, according to Haaretz, will be linked to the prisoner exchange deal, with each stage lasting 42 days, or approximately four months. These measures come in the context of the ongoing aggression on the Jenin camp.

He said: Observers wonder whether these closures are an indication of separation, destruction and preparation to strike every city, village and camp, as practices on the ground confirm that we are facing a very dangerous stage.

Muslimani pointed out that the Israeli "cabinet" has placed the West Bank among the war targets, which means that we are facing a great possibility of a bomb exploding that will lead to a third intifada.

The occupation government sees Trump's presence as a protective cover

For his part, lawyer Muhammad Alian, who specializes in land issues in Jerusalem, confirmed that the right-wing occupation government sees Trump’s entry into the White House as a protective cover or a defensive system that supports all the operations that were waiting to be implemented.

“Since Trump entered the White House, we have witnessed a significant increase in home demolitions, as the US administration has given legitimacy to these operations,” Alian said.

Lawyer Alian added that the demolitions have escalated significantly since Trump came to power, without any international or domestic oversight, and with complete disregard for all international norms and laws that guarantee the right to housing and living in dignity.

He pointed out that the right-wing parties in the Israeli government exploited Trump's term in office to implement the ideas that were put forward during the previous White House government, as these parties intend to impose Israeli law on the West Bank, and intensify the policy of demolishing homes in the West Bank and the city of Jerusalem, taking advantage of Trump's adoption of the idea of the "Deal of the Century."

Alian explained that the Israeli government believes that implementing the "Deal of the Century" requires intensifying home demolitions during this period, considering these measures a practical step to implement Trump's vision on the ground.

Regarding the recent strike in the town of Kafr Aqab, Alian described it as a pressure tool on Israeli society, but unfortunately it does not affect the Israeli government, which is busy applying its racist laws and implementing Trump’s vision, without caring about the extent of the damage inflicted on Palestinian and Jerusalemite society.

Alian concluded by saying that the Israeli government announces today that implementing the “Deal of the Century” requires the demolition of more homes, claiming that it is in line with American policy that grants international legitimacy to these actions.

White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt announced in her first press conference that the Trump administration has frozen $50 million in federal funds for "condoms in Gaza."

The Office of Management and Budget and the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency “found that there was approximately $50 million of taxpayer money spent to fund condoms in Gaza, and that this is a ridiculous waste of taxpayer money,” Levat told reporters. “That’s what this stop is about: being good stewards of tax dollars.”

Levitt did not provide further details and the account could not immediately be independently verified.

Condoms generally cost less than $1 each in the United States and much less wholesale. More than two million people live in Gaza, almost all of which was damaged by the Israeli war of extermination that destroyed almost the entire Gaza Strip.

But Andrew Miller, a former US deputy assistant secretary of state for Israeli-Palestinian affairs, denied this. “The Biden administration did not spend $50 million on condoms for Gaza,” he wrote on his X account.

"Either the White House can't read a simple spending schedule, or it's lying," he added.

US President Donald Trump has ordered a broad freeze on foreign aid and local grant programs in what the White House said was an effort to align federal spending with the administration's agenda under the Department of Local Government and the Office of Management and Budget.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that travelers to “Israel, including the West Bank and Gaza” bring “latex condoms” with them “to prevent illness or injury.” (The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services webpage was last updated on August 5, 2024.)

Israel claims that in 2020, Hamas used helium-filled condoms to send firebombs into Israel.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered a halt to nearly all US foreign aid on Friday, except for funding to Israel and Egypt, according to an internal memo.

The memorandum excludes emergency food aid.

Levitt also said the United States was on the verge of disbursing $37 million to the WHO before Trump announced his withdrawal from the UN body.

For his part, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his concern about the freeze on aid by the United States, which has long been the world's largest provider of development aid in absolute dollar terms.

“Heroism is not always in attacking, but it may also be in patience and steadfastness. Courage is not always in fighting the apparent enemy only, but it is also - and especially - fighting the inner enemy, that is, that a person fights within himself despair, lethargy, and the love of comfort,” as the late nationalist thinker Michel Aflaq said.

With the fire of the holocaust extinguished, or with its flicker remaining dim under the ashes of the brazier, the greater jihad begins, which is the greatest challenge for those competing to impose sovereignty over the ruins, in the south and in the north, and in every place in the dismembered sector, riddled with wounds, and burdened with sorrows.

People return with the eagerness of lovers to the destroyed houses and the half-hanging houses, searching among the rubble for memories and the remains of loved ones who died in their beds while in their nightclothes, hoping to hear the echo of their voices and their last supplications and cries for help before they breathed their last.

The displaced return, light and heavy, walking and riding, carrying their pain and sorrow, their dreams, their joys and their sorrows, reliving their fear and terror that will never leave their memory.

The returnees rejoice, and our hearts rejoice with them, but their joy soon turns into sighs after a few moments, in the midst of the search for the house that has become a thing of the past.

It is the greater jihad in which souls overcome their desires, hearts mend what has happened between them, and resolve their matter, after the enemy is in front of us, the sea is behind us, and Trump threatens us after our prayers against him “May your home be destroyed” have turned against us with a counterstrike to destroy our homes and scatter our gathering, after he quarrelled with us and promised to entertain us; by sending us temporarily away from our land, until he finishes rebuilding our homes that he destroyed over our heads, so the real estate man and father of deals strikes again.

Fasten your seatbelts...

The Ministry of Health announced this morning, Wednesday, the death of the young man Osama Omar Abu Al-Haija (25 years old) as a result of the occupation’s bombing of the Cinema Roundabout area in Jenin last night.

Al-Quds correspondent in Jenin reported that the body of a young man was found dead in Jenin. He had been injured last night and the occupation announced his arrest, but it turned out that he had been left to bleed until he died.

The Israeli occupation continues its aggression on the city of Jenin and its camp for the ninth consecutive day, leaving 16 martyrs, dozens of injuries, and arrests, amidst widespread destruction of property and infrastructure.

The burning, demolition and bulldozing of citizens' homes and properties in the camp's alleys and neighborhoods continues.

The occupation forces demolished Hamza Mosque on Mahyoub Street in Jenin, while a drone bombed a site on the Cinema Roundabout, which resulted in the injury of a young man. The occupation forces prevented the ambulance from reaching him and arrested him, while they detained an ambulance in the industrial zone in the city, and obstructed the work of the ambulance crews on the main roundabout in the center of Jenin.

Two citizens were also injured after the occupation forces assaulted them near the Jalameh checkpoint, north of Jenin. A young man - whose identity is not yet known - was arrested at dawn today from the Al-Bayader neighborhood in Jenin.

Military reinforcements continue from the Jalameh military checkpoint to the city of Jenin and the surroundings of its camp, while the occupation yesterday, Tuesday, deployed small-sized equipment and bulldozers, in order to facilitate their entry into the narrow alleys of the camp, and to use them in road-paving operations and facilitating them.

The occupation bulldozers also opened roads deep inside the camp after demolishing citizens’ homes, bulldozing them, and widening the streets in the camp, while the occupation forces forcibly evacuated citizens from their homes in the eastern area of the camp, known as the Horse Roundabout.

The occupation destroyed the infrastructure and streets surrounding Al-Zahraa School, the camp square, Mahyoub Street, and the Al-Aloub and Al-Damj neighborhoods, causing widespread destruction and devastation.

Clashes took place at the Cinema Roundabout in the center of Jenin and in the Hisbah area, and the occupation forces severely beat a group of young men, while their vehicles were deployed in several areas of the city, such as the industrial area, Post Street, the main roundabout, and Yahya Ayyash roundabout.

The ongoing aggression on the city of Jenin and its camp has so far left 16 martyrs, dozens of injuries, arrests, and forced evictions of families, in addition to the destruction of more than 100 homes and their burning inside the camp, in light of the continued systematic destruction of the infrastructure, and preventing ambulance and civil defense crews from entering it.

Dr. Wissam Subaihat said in a statement that the Jenin Health Directorate will work today, Wednesday, to receive patients and visitors to general clinics, diabetes clinics, and children’s vaccinations, but they can arrive without risk.

This morning, Wednesday, the Israeli occupation forces began extensive demolition and notification operations in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem.

In Tulkarm, the occupation forces demolished tonight the house of the martyr Tamer Raafat Fuqaha, in the Shuwaika suburb, north of Tulkarm city.

According to local sources, a large number of occupation military vehicles, accompanied by a heavy bulldozer of the type "D10", stormed the suburb and headed towards the house of the martyr Faqha, and deployed snipers in the surrounding houses, before proceeding to demolish it.

In November 2024, the family of the martyr Tamer Fuqaha received a notice from the Israeli occupation army to demolish their one-story home, which had been evacuated earlier, and they were given 72 hours to object.

Faqha was martyred on May 4 of last year 2024, after the occupation forces surrounded the Badran family home in the town of Deir al-Ghusun, north of the governorate. The occupation accuses him of carrying out a shooting operation in November 2023 at the entrance to the town of Beit Lid, east of Tulkarm, which led to the killing of a soldier.

In the northern Jordan Valley, the occupation forces notified the citizen Shamekh Mustafa Daraghmeh to evacuate his home under the pretext of military training.

The occupation gave Draghmeh a week to evacuate, under the pretext of military training in the area.

In Hebron, the occupation forces demolished four houses without prior warning, along with all their furniture and contents, belonging to citizen Muhammad Aqtil, in “Khallet Taha” near the town of Deir Samet, with an area of 100 square meters, under the pretext of building within areas classified as “C.”

The occupation forces forced his son's family of 9 to forcibly evacuate him since the aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, and prevented them from returning to him, forcing them to reside in a family home in the village of Kharsa.

In Jericho, the Israeli occupation authorities demolished five inhabited homes and several walls in the village of Al-Duyuk Al-Tahta, northwest of the city of Jericho, today, Wednesday. The owners were identified as: Ali Kaabneh and Saad Khawaja.

In Bethlehem, the occupation forces demolished a restaurant in the Al-Makhrour area in Beit Jala, which was built five years ago on an area of 3 dunams and belongs to the Jerusalemite citizen Mahmoud Ali Musa Sari, under the pretext of not having a license, while bulldozing the land, uprooting dozens of old olive trees, and demolishing stone chains estimated to be more than 100 years old.

In Salfit, the occupation forces demolished a house that had been inhabited for 5 years in the town of Deir Ballut, west of Salfit, owned by citizen Jawad Yaqoub Hadrous, and its area was approximately 150 square meters.

In occupied Jerusalem, the occupation municipality crews demolished the "Al-Taqwa Prayer Hall" in the village of Sur Baher, south of the city of Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Governorate report monitored that during the year 2024, the number of demolitions and bulldozing operations in the Jerusalem Governorate reached (380) demolitions and bulldozing operations, including: (92 forced self-demolition operations) and (259 demolitions carried out by the occupation’s mechanisms), in addition to 29 bulldozing operations.

According to data from the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, the occupation authorities issued 903 demolition notices against Palestinian facilities last year under the pretext of lack of permits, distributed in the governorates of Hebron with 180 notices, Jericho and the Jordan Valley with 140 notices, then Bethlehem with 126 notices, during which 20 notices were issued targeting the eastern Bethlehem wilderness.

During the past year, the occupation authorities carried out a total of 684 demolitions, during which they demolished 903 facilities in the West Bank, including the city of Jerusalem, and 4,332 people were affected as a result, including 2,320 children.

The demolitions were concentrated in the following governorates: Jerusalem with 190 demolitions, Hebron with 172 demolitions, and Bethlehem with 68 demolitions.

A young man died of his wounds after being shot by Israeli occupation forces on Tuesday evening, while they were besieging a house in the Artah suburb, south of Tulkarm, amid heavy gunfire.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society stated that its crews received the body of a martyr who had been injured in the Artah suburb and detained by the occupation forces, and he was transferred to the hospital.

According to local sources, special forces from the occupation army stormed the suburb and surrounded a residential building at its entrance, before being followed by reinforcements from the occupation military vehicles.

The sources added that the occupation forces surrounded the building, which includes a number of residential apartments, amid heavy gunfire, which led to the injury of a young man at the scene, where the occupation forces detained him until he died as a martyr from his injuries.

She added that the occupation soldiers demanded that the owners of one of the houses come out via loudspeakers, and they also demanded that a young man surrender himself.

The sources indicated that the occupation forces arrested the young man Mahmoud Amin Abu Hamdeh, a resident of Nour Shams camp, while he was in the Artah suburb.

The occupation continues its aggression on the city and camp of Tulkarm, amidst a large deployment of infantry patrols in various neighborhoods of the city and camp, and its transformation of a number of houses into military barracks and places for its snipers, who fire randomly at everything that moves.

British Minister of State for Development Annalise Dodds announced a £17 million aid package from her country to the Gaza Strip to support basic services and the health sector.

This came in a briefing she gave to the British Parliament on Tuesday, regarding the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and her country's aid to the Strip.

She explained that "despite the fragility of the ceasefire agreement, it is a source of hope for Palestinians and Israelis."

She said she saw aid trucks waiting on the Gaza border when she visited the area last December, adding that the trucks began entering the Strip after the agreement.

She pointed out that her country, through local partners in the region, distributed more than 200,000 food parcels in 130 points in the sector.

She announced a new British aid package for the Gaza Strip worth 17 million pounds, which will be distributed through UN organizations and partner health organizations.

She said the aid would ensure healthcare, food and shelter for civilians.

She pointed out that with the new aid package, British aid to the occupied Palestinian territories this year will exceed 129 million pounds.

On January 19, a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect. Its first phase will last for 42 days, during which negotiations will begin to begin a second and then a third phase, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States.

A leader in the Palestinian Hamas movement revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the visit of the movement’s largest delegation to Cairo since the Gaza war on Tuesday included a meeting with the director of Egyptian intelligence, Major General Hassan Rashad, during which arrangements for negotiations on the second phase of the “truce” agreement with Israel were discussed, the first of whose three phases began on January 19, in addition to the future of the administration of the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas delegation, headed by Mohammed Darwish, head of the movement’s leadership council and head of the movement’s Shura Council, included the leadership council and the movement’s negotiating delegation, namely (Khaled Meshaal, Khalil al-Hayya, Zaher Jabarin, Nizar Awadallah, Mohammed Nasr, and Ghazi Hamad), according to a press statement by the movement on Monday, following the delegation’s arrival in Cairo.

The Hamas delegation's visit to Cairo coincides with statements by Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari on Tuesday at a press conference that mediators are continuing to prepare the atmosphere for the start of the second phase of negotiations, the day after the official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that Israel and Hamas had begun, through mediators, preliminary talks on the framework for the upcoming negotiations and that a meeting could be held in Qatar next week.

Taher al-Nunu, a leader in the movement and its advisor, told Asharq Al-Awsat, “The visit has several objectives, including discussing the implementation of the ceasefire and the exchange of prisoners, receiving the released prisoners on Saturday, and listening to their demands.”

Al-Nunu added that the delegation met with the Director of Intelligence, Major General Hassan Rashad, and during the meeting, they thanked the Egyptian leadership for its role in the negotiations and the entry of aid, and appreciated its position rejecting displacement. He pointed out that during the meeting, they discussed the future of the Gaza administration, and the movement stressed the importance of seeking to form a national consensus government or implementing the Egyptian proposal to form an independent community support committee. He continued, saying: “Hamas accepted the formation of the committee, while Fatah refused. We prefer the presence of a government, but if it is difficult, we can agree to form the committee,” denying that the visit was linked to any internal affairs of the movement.

However, Palestinian political analyst Dr. Ayman Al-Raqab said in statements to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the presence of the political bureau with this weight for the first time since the war in Cairo has a special significance, linked to the possibility of discussing the election of a head for the bureau after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, which is expected to take place before the end of the year.”

Other than this internal file, Al-Raqab believes that “the Gaza administration file and the negotiations arrangements for the second phase took up an important space on the negotiating table.”

Discussing the arrangements for the second phase of negotiations is necessary to complete any agreements related to the Palestinian issue, according to the assessment of the Palestinian political analyst specializing in Hamas affairs, Ibrahim al-Madhoun, to Asharq Al-Awsat. In addition, “the large delegation from Hamas will discuss the arrangements for the conditions of the released prisoners (and their next destination).”

"The movement's meeting in Egypt, specifically in Cairo, carries great symbolism and reflects Hamas's awareness of the importance of the Egyptian role, not only in the past stage, but also in managing the current and upcoming stage, as it represents the cornerstone in fortifying the Palestinian position," according to Al-Madhoun.

Regarding the future of the discussions on the management of the Gaza Strip that were sponsored by Cairo between Hamas and Fatah over the months of October, November and December without reaching solutions, Al-Madhoun said that “Hamas trusts the Egyptian role and is working to arrange any future details with Egypt, and agreed to the Egyptian initiative, which included the formation of a community support committee in which the movement does not participate, but the Fatah movement rejected this offer.”

In Al-Madhoun’s opinion, “Hamas is interested in the participation of everyone in any future Palestinian arrangements in Gaza. The factions must participate, most notably Fatah, Hamas, the Popular Front, the Democratic Front, the Reformist Movement, and others. There must also be a unified Palestinian position.”

He added: "Hamas is also interested in arranging and coordinating with the Arab depth, headed by Cairo. Perhaps the talk now in Cairo is important in this direction... Hamas is open and hopes that there will be a serious dialogue with the Arab countries, and that it will be invited to the Arab League to discuss these issues openly with the Arab depth."

According to a statement by Hamas on Tuesday, the delegation discussed in Cairo “the mechanisms for implementing the agreement (truce), the violations that occurred, and the necessity for the occupation to abide by everything that was agreed upon without procrastination or disruption.”

The efforts made in the context of arranging the Palestinian house and the options presented were also reviewed, especially forming a national consensus government or moving towards forming a community support committee.

In parallel with Hamas' visit, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced a meeting on Wednesday between Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aati and Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization Hussein al-Sheikh and the Palestinian President's Advisor for Diplomatic Affairs Majdi al-Khalidi in Cairo.

The meeting is scheduled to discuss developments in the Palestinian territories, coinciding with the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

This evening, Tuesday, two young men were injured by live bullets during clashes with the Israeli occupation forces in Al-Fawar camp, and others suffocated during clashes following the occupation forces’ storming of the town of Dura.

According to security sources, the occupation forces stormed Al-Fawar camp, and clashes took place with citizens during which live bullets and smoke bombs were fired, which led to two young men being injured by live bullets in their feet, and they were transferred to a hospital for treatment.

The sources indicated that a number of citizens in the town of Dura suffered from suffocation, after the occupation forces stormed the town and fired tear gas bombs.

The occupation forces continue their provocative raids on the city of Hebron, its towns and camps, and are tightening their measures and closing the entrances to these towns, in the context of tightening the noose on the citizens.

This evening, Tuesday, Israeli occupation aircraft bombed the vicinity of the Cinema Roundabout in the center of Jenin.

According to local sources, the occupation forces stormed the vicinity of the bombing site and prevented ambulances from reaching the site.

Earlier, the occupation forces detained an ambulance crew in the industrial area of the city.

The Israeli Army Radio announced that the Israeli Air Force carried out a raid on the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon.

Al-Hadath TV channel announced that an Israeli airstrike targeted Nabatieh.

The Ministry of Health announced that the Israeli raid this evening on Nabatieh resulted in the initial toll of seven people being injured.

It is noteworthy that the White House announced, on Sunday, the extension of the existing agreement between Lebanon and Israel until February 18, 2025, after Israel did not adhere to the deadline set for withdrawing its forces from the south.

The US statement explained that "the understanding supervised by the United States will remain in effect until the aforementioned date," without addressing additional details about the ceasefire, or referring to the role of France, which was a partner in the negotiations under the auspices of former US President Joe Biden.

For his part, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati confirmed Lebanon's commitment to continue working under the ceasefire understanding until February 18.

Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf and his US counterpart Marco Rubio expressed, on Tuesday, their countries' commitment to continuing coordination in the Security Council to consolidate the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and ensure its sustainability.

This came during a phone call between them, according to a statement by the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to the statement, "Ataf received a phone call today (Tuesday) from Rubio, during which he renewed his congratulations to him on his appointment to this position."

According to the statement, the two ministers discussed "developments in the Middle East" and expressed "their commitment to continuing inter-coordination within the UN Security Council in order to consolidate the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and ensure its sustainability."

On January 19, a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect. Its first phase will last for 42 days, during which negotiations will begin to begin a second and then a third phase, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States.

The agreement consists of 3 stages, each lasting 42 days, during which negotiations will take place to start a second and third stage under the auspices of Qatar, Egypt and the United States.

The two parties also "committed to accompanying the brothers in Syria and Lebanon towards achieving security and stability and preserving their sovereignty and national unity," according to the same source.

In Lebanon, a ceasefire began on November 27, 2024, ending an exchange of shelling between the Israeli army and Hezbollah that began on October 8, 2023, and turned into a full-scale war on September 23.

In Syria, on December 8, 2024, Syrian factions took control of the capital, Damascus, days after taking control of other cities, thus ending 61 years of bloody Baath Party rule and 53 years of Assad family control.

On another note, Attaf and Rubio praised, during the call, the "positive momentum witnessed in Algerian-American relations."

The two ministers agreed to "join their efforts to consolidate bilateral cooperation in priority areas such as defense, energy, agriculture, science and technology," according to the Algerian statement.

Algeria currently holds the position of a non-permanent member of the Security Council, and its term of membership will end on December 31.

Algeria, as a non-permanent member, also assumed the rotating presidency of the Security Council during the current month of January.

The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said that the full implementation of the Israeli Knesset legislation on the agency would be “catastrophic,” warning that reducing UNRWA’s operations outside a political process, and at a time when trust in the international community is extremely low, would undermine the ceasefire in Gaza.

Briefing the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue, on Tuesday, Lazzarini stressed that “the Agency is essential to support the devastated population and to achieve a ceasefire. However, in two days, our operations in the occupied Palestinian territory will be disrupted, as legislation passed by the Israeli Knesset enters into force.”

He warned that the fate of millions of Palestinians, the ceasefire and the prospects for a political solution that would bring lasting peace and security are at stake.

He explained that "undermining UNRWA operations in Gaza would jeopardize the international humanitarian response. It would also degrade the capacity of the United Nations at a time when humanitarian assistance should be significantly increased. This would exacerbate the already catastrophic living conditions of millions of Palestinians."

He pointed out that the Israeli government claims that UNRWA services can be transferred to other entities, stressing that the agency's mandate to provide public services to an entire population is a unique mandate.

He also addressed the Israeli government's claim that UNRWA plays a negligible role in providing humanitarian aid in Gaza, explaining that UNRWA constitutes half of the emergency response, while all other entities provide the other half.

Palestinians know and trust UNRWA, Lazzarini said. For them, UNRWA is the doctors and nurses who provide health care; the workers who distribute food; and the mechanics and engineers who build and repair wells to provide clean drinking water.

Deprivation of education and health care

The UNRWA Commissioner-General said that ending the agency's operations in the occupied West Bank "would deprive Palestinian refugees of education and health care."

He added that in occupied East Jerusalem, the Israeli government ordered UNRWA to evacuate its buildings and cease operations by Thursday, "which would affect approximately 70,000 patients and more than 1,000 students."

He warned that "the ongoing attack on UNRWA harms the lives and future of Palestinians throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, and erodes their trust in the international community, thus jeopardizing any prospect of peace and security."

He pointed out that the legislation passed by the Knesset defies the resolutions of the UN Security Council and General Assembly, ignores the rulings of the International Court of Justice, and ignores the fact that UNRWA is the mechanism established by the General Assembly to provide assistance to Palestinian refugees, pending a political response to the Palestine issue.

“The implementation of this legislation makes a mockery of international law and imposes enormous restrictions on UNRWA’s operations,” Lazzarini said. “We are determined to remain and provide services until it becomes impossible to do so, without endangering our Palestinian colleagues, who face an exceptionally hostile working environment fueled in part by a vicious disinformation campaign.”

"The absurdity of anti-UNRWA propaganda"

“The Israeli government invests significant resources in portraying the agency as a terrorist organization, and its staff as terrorists or terrorist sympathizers,” the UN official noted. “The absurdity of the anti-UNRWA propaganda does not diminish the threat it poses to our staff, particularly those in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, where 273 of our colleagues have been killed,” he said.

He added that the campaign sets a precedent for governments to accuse a UN entity of terrorism as a pretext to suppress human rights.

He warned that "the political attacks on the agency are motivated by a desire to strip the Palestinians of their refugee status, and thus change the long-established parameters of a political solution. The goal is to deny the Palestinian refugees the right to self-determination and erase their history and identity."

He explained that the ceasefire in Gaza must be followed by a political transition that includes an orderly end to UNRWA's mandate and the handover of its public services to capable and willing Palestinian institutions.

The UNRWA Commissioner-General said they had a clear choice: either allow UNRWA to collapse due to Knesset legislation and the suspension of funding by major donors, “or we can instead allow the agency to gradually end its mandate within the framework of a political process.”

Lazzarini took the opportunity to stress the agency's long-standing commitment to impartiality, adding: "We will also continue to take all necessary steps to investigate credible allegations against the agency and its staff."

The Security Council called on the Knesset to resist the implementation of the Israeli Knesset legislation, to insist on a real political path forward that defines UNRWA’s role as a provider of education and health care, and to ensure that the financial crisis does not abruptly end UNRWA’s life-saving work.

A message from a young Palestinian

The UN official concluded his briefing by reading a letter he received from a young man from Gaza, who said: “I am writing to you from the ruins of a home that was once a place of warmth and life. Now, I spend my days searching for basic necessities, like flour to feed my family. What truly breaks me is my helplessness in front of the children. Their innocent eyes search for the safety that I cannot provide, and the answers that I do not have. Here I die a thousand times every day thinking about everything I cannot do for them.”

Unlike the author of that letter, “we are in a position to do something,” Lazzarini told the Security Council members. “It only requires your decisive action and your leadership.”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aati confirmed on Tuesday that his country rejects all attempts at displacement and "uprooting peoples from their lands," noting that his country hosts more than 10 million refugees.

This came during his speech at the Universal Periodic Review session on human rights in Egypt, at the International Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, the text of which was published by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Facebook.

Egypt has previously participated in all review rounds held since the establishment and activation of this mechanism, in 2010, 2014, and 2019, according to the same source.

Regarding the human rights file, Badr Abdel-Ati said: “During its last review session in 2019, Egypt received 372 recommendations, of which 301 were accepted.”

He added: "The state institutions have intensified their efforts over the past 5 years to implement the recommendations they accepted, and the Egyptian delegation will review in detail during the session the tireless efforts made in this regard."

Regarding the refugee file, Abdel-Ati said: “The Egyptian state institutions have spared no effort in ensuring that foreigners residing on its territory enjoy their rights, and have borne great responsibility on behalf of the international community for many years by hosting huge numbers of (irregular) immigrants and refugees.”

He explained that his country "is currently hosting 10 million and 700 thousand foreigners (refugees and irregular migrants) from 62 nationalities (he did not specify them)."

He added: "Egypt is keen to ensure that they enjoy all basic services and integrate them into Egyptian society, and not force them to remain in refugee camps or centres."

Abdel-Ati continued: "I say it frankly: Our ability to absorb and continue to endure is at stake, especially in light of the weakness of international support that is not commensurate with the amount of pressures placed on us."

In this context, he stressed Egypt's adherence to "its firm position rejecting all attempts at displacement, or encouraging the transfer or uprooting of peoples from their lands, whether temporarily or long-term," considering that this "threatens stability and undermines the chances of peace and coexistence among peoples."

Abdel-Ati did not mention a specific category of those concerned with the displacement efforts, but his statements come after US President Donald Trump called on Saturday for the transfer of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to neighboring countries such as Egypt and Jordan, citing the “lack of suitable places to live in the Gaza Strip” as a result of the Israeli genocide that has lasted for more than 15 months.

On Sunday, Egypt confirmed, in a statement by the Foreign Ministry, its rejection of "any infringement on the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, whether through settlement or annexation of land, or by evacuating that land of its owners through displacement or encouraging the transfer or uprooting of Palestinians from their land, whether temporarily or long-term."

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi also stressed in a press conference on Sunday that "Jordan's rejection of displacement is constant and unchangeable and is necessary to achieve the stability and peace that we all want."