It is easy to predict the direction of the war in Gaza. It is a recurring war at different times and circumstances. Because of the repetition, Hamas learned from Israel, just as Israel learned from Hamas. Both sides learned war lessons, in all its dimensions, from strategic to tactical, through to practical. The only difference is that Israel knows who its primary, sustainable and historical ally is, unlike Hamas, which has changed its alliances a lot until it reached this stage.

This stage is the stage of existence or non-existence for Hamas. Has it reached its maximum military maturity after its success in the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation? Did you expect this success? Will this impressive military success be overlooked by a player outside the state?

The best military plans do not last the first minutes after the first shot. The war plan is revealed when the battle begins, so that there are no surprises. Accordingly, there is a constant and persistent effort by the combatants to adapt to reality. Hamas cannot deny its success, even if it was not expected. Success is a responsibility in itself, which requires preserving it and benefiting from it, because it erodes over time. How will Hamas maintain military victory? Where will it be translated?

The actual theater of war between Israel and Hamas is in the Gaza Strip and its immediate surroundings (the Gaza envelope). Whenever one team exceeds the limits of the tacitly agreed upon rules of engagement, the other team responds with everything it has in order to redraw the old borders, but with new rules of engagement.

Operation Al-Aqsa Flood

The Al-Aqsa Flood operation changed all the lines drawn in advance, and struck all imaginable rules of engagement. Therefore, the Israeli response must be parallel (Proportional) with the Hamas operation. Let us imagine the regional and international repercussions of the results of the Hamas operation in order to know the extent of the damage that the movement has inflicted on the concepts of Israeli national security.

Retaliation restrictions

There are many factors restricting the Israeli retaliation. In addition to the presence of hostages in the main theater of war, there is the difficulty of war in cities, as it requires great effort and great sacrifices, in equipment, and a long period necessary to carry out the mission and succeed in it, and this is something that is not guaranteed in advance.

In addition to these restrictions, there is the fear of a fire in the region, especially if Hezbollah, on the orders of Iran, opens the southern Lebanon front.

Accordingly, the most important restriction emerges, which is the “Biden Effect” factor. President Joe Biden seeks to engineer a regional security-deterrent system.

It aims to deter those who want to interfere in the Gaza war, and to keep the war within its geographical context, while providing protection for the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip.

Because deterrence requires displaying muscle by demonstrating elements of force, and  American forces have strengthened their forces in the region in an unprecedented manner.

Because deterrence requires that the deterred person be convinced deep down that the deterrent will use its capabilities if deterrence fails, America is working to respond militarily to the attacks on its military bases in the region. But the biggest test for America is when military harassment of its forces rises from proxy to actual.

America does not want a comprehensive and complete military operation on all fronts of the Gaza Strip. Rather, it requests that Israel carry out limited operations, in several places, aimed at striking Hamas' infrastructure, especially its leadership.

The third operation is limited to the sector

 Israel carried out a new ground operation, the third of its kind in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war. What's new in it?

It is the third ground operation. It differs from the first and second operations, in the intensity of the aerial bombardment, and in its conjunction with a naval operation on the shores of the Gaza Strip, and with the cutting off of the Internet and communications, in addition to a complete and comprehensive blackout.

The fact that Israel carried out three limited ground operations in a short period indicates the following:

Time is working against Israel, which was forced to cease fire several times under American pressure, the most important of which was the October 1973 war.

Israel is literally implementing what America asked of it. It is advancing, destroying and assassinating some leaders in Hamas, the latest of which is the commander in charge of the air system, Issam Abu Rukba.

A limited attack on several fronts may mean that Israeli forces want to deceive Hamas about the location and timing of the main attack (there may be no main attack).

Through attacks on several axes, Israel seeks to stabilize and disperse Hamas forces on the large front.

Most of the attacks occurred during the night. Which gives the Israeli forces an advantage, as they are equipped for night fighting.

The limited Israeli incursion aims to test the pulse, collect information about Hamas’ readiness, and also test this readiness to adjust the target bank. In the event of a ground advance, Israeli forces may remain inside the Gaza Strip and resume the attack on the weaker axis of Hamas forces.

Thus, the Israeli forces do not give Hamas the form and characteristics of the war that Hamas prepared for in advance in the streets, buildings and alleys of the Strip, which is urban warfare.

Last but not least, the Israeli attacks center around Gaza City. This indicates that the center of gravity of the Hamas movement is in the city, or in the tunnels under the city. Otherwise, what is the meaning of Israel targeting Al-Shifa Hospital and requesting its evacuation, because Hamas leaders are running the war from the tunnels that are located under this hospital?

Today (Sunday), the Israeli army called on civilians in Gaza to go south, saying that humanitarian efforts in that area of the besieged Strip “will expand.”

The army stated on the “X” platform (formerly Twitter): “Civilians in northern Gaza and in Gaza City must temporarily move to the south of Wadi Gaza, towards a safer area, where they will be able to obtain water, food, and medicine. “And tomorrow (Sunday), humanitarian efforts will expand... led by Egypt and the United States,” according to Agence France-Presse.

The Israeli army has been bombing the Gaza Strip relentlessly since the unprecedented Hamas attack on the territory of the Hebrew state on October 7.

On October 9, Israel tightened its siege on Gaza, cutting off water, electricity, and food supplies, while the Strip, where 2.4 million Palestinians reside, has already been subject to a land, air, and sea blockade since the Hamas movement took power there in 2007.

Since October 21, 84 trucks carrying humanitarian aid have entered Gaza from Egypt, according to the United Nations, while at least 100 trucks are needed daily, according to the United Nations.

The Israeli army has been calling on residents of the northern Gaza Strip, where heavy bombing operations are concentrated, to move south since October 15, but the strikes continue to target the south as well, where hundreds of thousands of civilian residents have moved near the closed border with Egypt. Thousands of Palestinians have returned to the north due to the lack of housing and aid in the south, according to the United Nations.

On the other hand, the network monitoring organization NetBlocks said that Internet service began gradually returning to the Gaza Strip on Sunday after it was cut off on Friday during intense Israeli bombing operations.

NetBlox stated, via the “X” platform, that “real-time network data shows that Internet connectivity is gradually returning” in the Gaza Strip.

Likewise, Paltel, the main communications group operating in the Gaza Strip, and its subsidiary, Jawwal, announced, via Facebook, “the gradual return of communications services (fixed, cellular, and Internet) that were cut off in the Gaza Strip due to the bombing on Friday evening.”

Source: Agencies

Halper: “I presented what we have done as a group about abolishing colonialism, ending Zionism, dismantling the state, and the alternative that will replace all of that (one state), and I presented the comprehensive analysis we concluded for this idea.”

In his book “Decolonizing Israel, Liberating Palestine,” whose Arabic edition was recently published, Jeff Halper of the “One State” campaign believes that what we usually call “the Israeli-Palestinian conflict” is nothing but a struggle against colonialism, a struggle against Zionism and Israel for the liberation of Palestine. It is a crucial difference, as he put it.

He also considered that the conflict arises between two or more "parties", both of which are legitimate, and then the conflict is settled through negotiations and settlement. As for the struggle against colonialism, it cannot be settled without dismantling the colonial system itself, which means, as he says, that neither struggle nor conflict requires a group Different goals, strategies and political tactics, and each leads to a completely different end.

For an oppressed people, conflict resolution, potentially a form of conflict management, can lead to some temporary improvement in an unjust situation because it addresses the power imbalance between the two parties. In contrast, the process of liberation requires the dismantling of the entire colonial system in order to replace it with a more just system; According to Halper's belief.

Halper sees the importance of the need for accurate analysis as it constitutes the basis of the liberation program, and the formulation of an effective strategy to achieve it necessarily ranges between the academic and political fields.

Based on this diagnosis of the nature of the conflict as a struggle against a settler-colonial project that must be completely dismantled and a just system established, Haller believes that this system must also deal with the legacies left by Zionism and its colonial state, which are the demographic and national legacies.

It reflects the first legacy, similar to the reality of whites in South Africa, after the Israeli Jews became such a part of the fabric that it is difficult to imagine their expulsion from the country, which means that they “will always remain.”

The second legacy relates to the transformation of Israeli Jews into a national entity, which means that “in the future, these two ethnic national groups must find an appropriate framework that enables them to coexist and practice their common life in a society free of colonialism, which is the framework of a single state.”

In the arena of practical application, Halper believes that “only Palestinians can define the meaning of liberation for them, which at a minimum includes the Palestinian people restoring their sovereignty and national rights, reuniting them as a people in their historic homeland, and enjoying the collective power that enables them to control their destiny and preserve their national culture.” This means that he must ensure that conditions are created for his liberation in the structure of the post-colonial state, which is completely logical, just as it happened in other liberation movements.”

In this regard, “Arabs 48” interviewed the academic activist, Jeff Haller, about the campaign and the book “Deconstructing the Colonization of Israel, Liberating Palestine, One Civil Democracy.”

“Arab 48”: It is clear that the “One State” campaign and the book are linked to each other, and that the book came to formulate and explain the campaign’s program, goals, and objectives with greater clarity and detail, especially since some consider it a kind of utopia?

Jeff Halper

Halper: It is known that we started the “one state” campaign that includes Palestinians and Israelis more than five years ago, and the first nucleus included a group of Palestinian activists and academics, including Awad Abdel Fattah, Jamil Hilal, and others, and Israelis, including myself, Ilan Pappe, Ronen Ben-Ari, and others as well.

The group included an increasing number of Palestinians from 1948, in particular, and also included Palestinians from other regions alongside the Israelis, all of whom were anti-Zionist, which created common ground, unlike other initiatives that wanted to preserve the status quo, including the control of the Jewish majority.

Since our launch, we have been frank in our common intentions of ending the occupation, dismantling the Jewish state, and replacing it with a more just formula, a formula that, in our opinion, should be “one state,” neither federal nor confederal, but rather one civil democratic state based on one parliament and one judiciary, like any normal democratic state. .

“Arab 48”: The South African model was before you, with what it included of apartheid, dismantling apartheid, and building a democratic state?

Halper: Right, like South Africa along with the return of Palestinian refugees, and the radical shift in our program is to recognize that one state between the sea and the river is a binational state.

We know that this issue raises a wide debate among the Palestinians, but this is our position, and the basic basis of our partnership is citizenship, as we start from the fact that we are all equal citizens. Here there is a problem in that you want a civil state, but what about Palestinian nationalism and what about Israeli-Jewish nationalism?

“Arabs 48”: At that time, when the Palestine Liberation Organization adopted a single, secular, democratic state, it bypassed the issue of nationalism by saying, “In which Muslims, Christians, and Jews live equally”?

Halper: True, but this is somewhat false, and certainly there is a historical factor as well, because in the history before World War I, religious groups, not national ones, actually lived in these countries, before they brought nationalism from Europe.

But today you cannot ignore Palestinian nationalism and say that the Palestinians are a group of Muslims and Christians, just as you cannot ignore the formation of an Israeli-Jewish national group over the 100 years of Zionism and its state.

"Arabs 48": Let's move on to the book. As you know, it was published in English and was later translated into Arabic?

Halper: During the previous years, we developed a “political program” of 10 points, and in fact it would have been preferable for a book to be written by a Palestinian on the subject, explaining what liberation is, what the vision is, what one state is, and other details, but no one wrote this book, note that There is more than one book that addresses the idea of “one state.” Nadim Rouhana, even Saeed Zaidani and Asad Ghanem have written about it, but there is nothing detailed that could constitute a political program.

For my part, I felt this need, but since I am not Palestinian, I cannot represent the group or the Palestinians, but I wrote nonetheless as an academic. I specialize in anthropology, master the use of terminology and analysis, and possess a political vision.

I presented what we did as a group about abolishing colonialism, ending Zionism, and dismantling the state, and the alternative that will replace all of that (one state), and I presented the comprehensive analysis that we reached for this idea, but in the book I also confirm that I am not Palestinian and therefore I present the topic as a general idea.

“Arab 48”: It is as if you want to say that the Palestinians do not lack guardians?

Halper: True, but on the other hand, the presence of an anti-Zionist voice from an Israeli Jew is also important, because the whole project of liberating Palestine does not concern the Palestinians only.

I know that many Palestinians do not expect the Israelis to stay and will not be happy for them to stay, but in reality this is what will happen regardless of whether it is fair or not.

“Arabs 48”: The truth is that this is related to the method of liberation and the method in which Zionism and its state will be dismantled, if that were to happen one day, and in the peaceful method that you propose, is it natural for the majority of Israelis to remain Jews?

Halper: I often accompany groups from outside the country to Tel Aviv, and when I look at the city I become more convinced that it is not a passing phenomenon. Jewish Israelis are a reality, regardless of whether it is just or unjust, as I previously said.

“Arabs 48”: It is too late, as they say, after 75 years, but there are those who also say that the Crusaders left after 100 years, knowing that they did not build a state with the same greatness and did not turn the demographic and geopolitical reality upside down, as Zionism did?

Halper: In fact, our political program tries to be good for everyone. It is not against the people, but rather against Zionism and against settler colonialism.

"Arab 48": I do not remember what happened in this regard in South Africa, and how many whites left after the dismantling of the apartheid state?

Halper: Only 18% of the white population left South Africa, and this happened in light of Nelson Mandela's famous statements, "We are all South Africans," which made whites realize that they were an integral part of the coming South Africa.

This does not mean that the whites accepted the dismantling of apartheid, but when this was forced upon them, they agreed with democracy because they realized that they were part of the future South Africa, and this was one of the reasons for the success of the South African model, and I believe that the matter is similar for us as well.

Perhaps my contribution as an anti-Zionist Israeli Jew is that I can say these things that are difficult for other Palestinians to say.

"Arabs 48": In your book, you presented, explained and analyzed the one-state program?

Halper: Yes, but I also included an Israeli-Jewish voice. It is true that I am anti-Zionist, but I am an Israeli with an Israeli national identity that must be accepted to some extent. I could not write a book like a Palestinian, but a Palestinian also cannot write a book that includes the critical Israeli voice, and therefore I see that My voice is essential to part of an argument or speech.

“Arab 48”: You mean we can “use” you to say things we can’t say yet?

Halper: Or are you afraid to say it, but another word related to the book is that the problem today lies in the absence of a Palestinian program or project, and our program is a return to the previous original vision of the Palestine Liberation Organization before it was changed by the interim program that paved the way for the two-state solution in 1988, meaning that we do not exist. Something new. Rather, we build on the foundations on which the Palestine Liberation Organization was built, namely the dismantling of Zionism and the establishment of a “one state.”

We are aware of the changing circumstances and the necessity of renewing the program, which is evident in the transition to a bi-national civil state instead of secularism, and we also renew the path leading to such a solution.

Jeff Halper: An academic specialist in anthropology who lives in occupied Jerusalem. He is the head of the “Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions” and a member of the “One Democratic State” campaign.

Last night and at dawn on Sunday, the occupation forces arrested at least 35 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, including a woman, in light of the continuation of arrest campaigns and systematic mass revenge operations against the Palestinian people since the battle of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” on the seventh of this October. .

The arrests were concentrated in the governorates of Nablus, Jenin, and Jerusalem, while the rest of the arrests were distributed in the governorates of Hebron, Qalqilya, Tubas, Salfit, and Tulkarm.

The raids and arrests were accompanied by systematic acts of abuse against detainees and their families, in addition to the constant threats, the policy of collective punishment, the sabotage operations that affected Palestinian homes, and the targeting of several members of the same family.

The Prisoners’ Authority and the Prisoners’ Club pointed out that the total number of arrests since October 7, the date of the start of the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle, amounted to more than 1,590 arrests. These data on arrests include those who were arrested from homes, through military checkpoints, and those who were forced to surrender themselves under pressure. and holding members of their families hostage.

Since the war on Gaza, various areas in the West Bank have been subjected to massive incursions by the occupation army, coinciding with “violent” confrontations and armed clashes, especially in the cities of Nablus, Jenin, Tubas, Hebron, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, and Jericho.

At dawn on Sunday, three young Palestinians were martyred and 33 Palestinians were injured, including seriously, during confrontations with the occupation forces in the governorates of Ramallah, Al-Bireh, Tubas, Jenin and Nablus.

The despicable statements made by Israeli officials regarding the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of a draft Arab resolution the day before yesterday calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the entry of aid to citizens, the lifting of the siege on them, and allowing a humanitarian truce to enter this aid, are evidence that the occupying state does not pay any attention to the countries. 120 countries voted in favor of the draft resolution, meaning an overwhelming majority.

The Israeli Foreign Minister described the decision as despicable, that the occupying state rejects a ceasefire, and that the General Assembly’s decision, as Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations described it, is worth nothing to Israel.

This clear, public insult to 120 countries in the world, including some countries that were supportive of the occupying state and voted in favor of the draft resolution, demonstrates the arrogance and arrogance of the occupation, which does not give any weight to the countries of the world. Rather, this arrogance is due to American support. Absolute support for the occupying state and many countries of the colonial West. Indeed, these countries are participating in this criminal aggression that targets our people in the Gaza Strip under the guise of eliminating the Hamas movement and the resistance, while the targets are children, women, and the elderly, in addition to young people.

The countries that voted in favor of the draft resolution must take a firm stance against the occupying state as a result of the insult directed at them, and in the forefront are the Arab countries that sponsored the draft resolution, especially those that maintain peace relations with the occupying state and other countries that establish normalization relations with this country that does not pay any attention to them.

The Arab countries, for example, must respond to this abuse by the occupying state, by closing the embassies of the occupying state, expelling the Israeli ambassadors from their countries, and cutting off diplomatic and normal relations with them. Otherwise, failure to take any such steps means that these countries, i.e. the Arab countries, which are establishing normal relations with it, accepts abuse at the expense of their dignity and the dignity of their peoples, who rejected and reject in the first place any relations of their countries with the occupying state.

The United Nations must respond to this Israeli insult by halting its membership in the United Nations at the very least, in order to preserve this international organization that represents all countries of the world.

The arrogance and abuses of the occupying state must be put to an end, and it must not be treated as if it is above international laws and norms. 

Things are still ambiguous at the beginning of the fourth week of the war on the Gaza Strip, and the situation is becoming more complex, and the suspicious international silence, to the point of complicity, increases the suffering of our people in the Gaza Strip and outside it at all levels. Since yesterday evening, all forms of contact and communication have been cut off, both between our people in the Gaza Strip and between them and their relatives outside the Gaza Strip, which increases human pain and suffering to an extent that the mind cannot imagine.

The Gaza Strip suffers from a shortage of water, a lack of electricity, a lack of food, and a continuous increase in the number of dead and wounded every moment. Cutting off the Internet and stopping telephone communications, whether by regular phones or cell phones, has paralyzed the work of ambulance crews and put people in a state of anxiety, as no one can know anything about his relatives or family, and they are all under insane bombardment, threatened with death and the destruction of their homes above their heads. . This concern is not limited to the citizens of Gaza, but also includes their families and relatives in the West Bank and abroad, who are placed in a state of terrible anxiety because they do not know anything about what is happening to their families in the Gaza Strip.
Israel, which has isolated the Gaza Strip from itself and from the outside, claims that disrupting or cutting off communication between the enemy army is justified in the fighting and part of it. It ignores the fact that by saying this it acknowledges and recognizes that it deals with every person in the Gaza Strip as a Hamas fighter, including those born Under the bombing, children, women, the elderly, the sick and the elderly, who are among the first victims of this war, suffer from these collective punishments that deprive them of a drink of pure water, a morsel of bread, or a pill of medicine, or transport them to receive treatment if they are injured as a result of the indiscriminate Israeli bombing, and even deprive them of transport. And bury them in cemeteries if the roofs of their homes fall on their heads or their bodies are torn by fragments of bombs that the Israeli army randomly rains on every inch of the land and sky of Gaza.

I said that the international silence is suspicious to the point of complicity, because what is happening in the Gaza Strip would not have been silent about by the international community if it was happening against any people other than the Palestinian people. It is clear that the life of the Palestinian person is worth nothing in the eyes of the world, or that there are those who are terrorizing the cowardly world and preventing it from Standing firmly against the crimes against humanity being committed in the Gaza Strip under the pretext that it is a war against Hamas, and everyone knows and realizes that the real victim of this war is the simple, defenseless people who do not play any role in the fighting.

This suspicious international silence, to the point of complicity, is not limited to silence on acts of killing and destruction, but also on the expansionist plans expressed by many Israeli leaders, which they summarized by saying that the goal is to displace the population of the Gaza Strip outside the borders of Gaza in a process of ethnic cleansing to establish Israeli hegemony over the Gaza Strip and expand Its patch of Palestinian land is a continuation of the Nakba of 1948 and has not stopped since then, which the Israeli Prime Minister described in the early seventies when she was asked where Israel’s borders are. She said that Israel’s borders are where the last Israeli soldier stands.

What is strange is that the American administration, which from the beginning took a supportive and biased position towards Israel and described its operations against the Gaza Strip as an exercise of Israel’s legitimate right to self-defense, declares its concern about harming Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip in a blatant contradiction between what it says verbally and what it supports its practice. actually. Even the simplest people who follow the ongoing Israeli military operations against the Gaza Strip know that the matter is not limited to a fight between the Israeli army and Hamas forces, but rather a revenge fight against an entire people, from children born and killed hours after their birth to children killed while holding their toys or searching for safety in... Hugging their mothers to women, men and elderly people who are not part of the ongoing fighting.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is so critical that anyone who remains silent about it is considered an accomplice in the crime committed against civilians in the Strip. What is required now and immediately is to stop these ongoing crimes against civilians in the Gaza Strip and thus stop their repercussions on Israeli civilians. This is an international responsibility that falls primarily on the United States, the main supporter of Israel, which paralyzes the work of the UN Security Council in maintaining international peace and security, which is one of the most important. His duties in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the role of international legitimacy in carrying out its duty is disrupted.

If this bloody war against defenseless civilians stops, the step that must follow immediately and without waiting is the release of the hostage Israeli civilians and the Palestinian prisoners, including children, Palestinian female prisoners, the elderly and the sick, and at the same time intensify the international, Palestinian and Arab efforts to agree on a new formula for managing the sector. After the failure of the current administration of Hamas, its reconstruction and laying the foundations for the start of a long-term political process that restores security, safety and stability to the region, which will only be achieved by achieving justice, security and stability for the Palestinian people and enabling them to exercise their right to self-determination and build their independent state on their national soil. Let this be the last of the wars and the beginning of a process of achieving peace, security and stability for the benefit of the peoples of the region

On Sunday morning, a number of school students suffered from suffocation during the Israeli occupation forces’ storming of the town of Abu Dis, east of occupied Jerusalem.

According to local sources, the occupation forces stormed the school perimeter from the gate of the apartheid wall, and began firing stun grenades and poison gas towards the students heading to their schools, causing a number of them to suffer from suffocation.

The same sources indicated that the invading occupation forces attacked the residents in the center of the town and in the vicinity of Al-Quds University.

Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, announced on Saturday, October 28, 2023, that representatives of the Hamas movement promised to respond to Russia’s request to release eight prisoners held by the resistance in Gaza who hold Russian citizenship.

The Russian RT news website quoted Bogdanov as saying: “During the meeting in Moscow, we presented a list of names of eight people, Russian hostages, and they promised us to respond and help find them and take measures leading to their release.”

For his part, a member of the Hamas Political Bureau, Musa Abu Marzouk, confirmed that the movement views Russia's requests regarding detainees holding its nationality more positively, taking into account the nature of the relationship with Moscow.

Abu Marzouk said, “Inviting the movement’s leadership to visit Moscow is a message to the whole world that Russia considers Hamas a national liberation movement and not a terrorist movement,” noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin “thankfully did justice to the Hamas movement and the struggle of the Palestinian people and protected it politically in the Security Council and the United Nations.” "United."

Representatives of the Palestinian Hamas movement had visited Moscow, where they met with Bogdanov, which angered the occupation, which demanded that Moscow expel them immediately.

Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman, Abu Ubaida, said on Saturday evening, “The large number of enemy prisoners we have is the price of emptying all prisons of all Palestinian prisoners.”

Abu Ubaida indicated in a video speech that “contacts took place regarding the prisoners’ file and there was an opportunity to reach an agreement, but the occupation was stalling.”

For three weeks, Israel has been carrying out a military operation in the Gaza Strip, which it called “Iron Swords,” which destroyed entire neighborhoods and killed 7,326 martyrs, including 3,038 children, 1,726 women, and 414 elderly people, in addition to injuring 18,967 citizens with various injuries.

At dawn on October 7, Hamas carried out Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood,” in which its fighters stormed camps and settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip, killing more than 1,400 Israelis and wounding 5,132, according to the Israeli Ministry of Health. They also captured more than 220 Israelis, including high-ranking military personnel. It wants to exchange them for more than 6,000 Palestinian prisoners, including children and women.

Telephone communications and the Internet were restored to various areas of the Gaza Strip in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The Arab World News Agency said that subscribers can now make calls and receive messages on mobile phones, indicating a weakness in the service.

The NetBlocks website confirmed the return of Internet services in Gaza, and said that Internet connections were returning in the Strip after being disrupted since Friday.

Communications and Internet networks had completely stopped in the Gaza Strip since last Friday evening, when Israel began intensifying its air and artillery strikes and attempting to penetrate land into the Strip.

As the war in Gaza ended its third week, it seemed clear that it would not be an ordinary “round” of recurring rounds of fighting between Palestinians and Israelis. Israel declared it a “long” war, while the Palestinians are straining to catch their breath and stop the war, in the hope that they will emerge with a political outcome that could constitute the incubator for the future of the Strip. This is after it became clear that removing “Hamas” from the equation is a decision that is being implemented, with French President Emmanuel Macron announcing the idea of forming an “international coalition” to fight “Hamas,” similar to the international coalition fighting “ISIS.” From the first day of the outbreak of the war, it was clear that the United States was the one that took charge of the response to the Hamas attack, to which several goals were attributed, including attempts to “turn the tables” on the ongoing negotiations in the region, whether in the issue of normalization with Israel, or The Iranian nuclear file. The attack, which shook Israel's image and stability, revealed weaknesses that were covered by unlimited arrogance with a right-wing government, which has become almost certain that it will not continue with its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in power, even if the right-wing of Israeli society deepens further. What are the issues at stake in this war? What are its effects at the regional and international levels, as well as on the United States, which enters its election year next month?

If all estimates indicate that the current war in the Middle East will be long, then why threaten to invade Gaza, while many American reports confirm that the Biden administration is concerned about Israel’s lack of achievable military goals in Gaza, and that its forces are not yet ready to launch an invasion? Come up with a plan that is guaranteed to succeed? In discussions with Israeli officials since the start of the Hamas attacks on October 7, American officials said that they had not yet seen an achievable plan of action. President Biden even hinted at this publicly, during his speech in Tel Aviv last week, when he warned that Israel would need “clarity about the goals and an honest assessment of whether the path it is taking will achieve those goals.”

According to analysts and former American military personnel, the United States actually sent a “special operations unit” in an attempt to discover the locations of the hostages and rescue them, amid frantic efforts to avoid sacrificing them if they were unable to be released through the ongoing mediations in cooperation with some countries, including Qatar, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan, before any invasion. Broad Israeli. However, according to retired American Colonel Douglas MacGregor, this operation failed after the group suffered serious injuries. This indicates that the American forces may have entered an advanced stage of readiness and readiness, in light of the Pentagon’s (US Department of Defense) assurances that Israel was not asked to postpone the ground operation, and that it is up to it to determine its date. This clarification came from Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder, following what an American newspaper reported that Israel “agreed to postpone the attack until Washington could send missile defenses to protect its forces in the region.” The report added that Israel takes into account the efforts being made to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the diplomatic efforts aimed at releasing hostages held by Hamas.

However, with the possibility of the international climate becoming more complex, Washington fears increasing threats to American forces once the ground attack begins, which has prompted it to accelerate the deployment of about 10 air defense systems, in addition to the naval and air fleet present in the region.

Iran file

As Washington rushed to send its aircraft carriers and forces to the region, and several European countries announced similar steps, multiple messages were sent, especially to Iran, to the effect that the State of Israel was not harmed, and that the management of the conflict files in the region was still under its control. Here, the “other players” remain mere spectators, as evidenced by the extreme weakness in which these powers have appeared, especially Russia and China, which prevented them from playing any effective role, whether to support the Palestinians, or to change the international order (their strategic slogan). What confirms this reality is that the file of “normalization” of relations between Beijing and Washington is proceeding according to the agreed upon program, with the arrival of the Chinese Foreign Minister to the American capital, while the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, meets with the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, in preparation for his upcoming summit with US President Joe Biden.

Some believe here that despite the conviction that Iran will not undertake any suicidal action, outside the scope of the “skirmishes” carried out by its militias in the region, the severity of the American statements towards Tehran indicates its fear of the possibility of an unexpected escalation. In the strongest and direct “deterrent” warning from a senior American official to Iran, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Tuesday at the United Nations that the United States will respond “quickly and decisively” to any attack on American forces by Iran or its agents. Blinken continued: “The United States does not seek a conflict with Iran, and we do not want this war to expand. But beware of the mistake of Iran or its agents attacking American individuals anywhere... because we will defend our people.” This went beyond the previous vague warnings issued by Biden about “do not do this,” to discourage Hezbollah or Iran from getting involved in the war between Hamas and Israel.

This step follows Washington's admission that Iranian militias carried out 13 attacks on American forces in the region during the past week. Which prompted US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, on Monday, to say that Iran “in some cases actively facilitates these attacks, with the aim of maintaining a certain level of deniability here, but we will not allow them to do that.”

While the Biden administration wants to deter a second front against Israel from Iranian proxies in Lebanon and Syria, ignoring the response to Iran’s many attacks, in order to avoid casualties among American forces so far, has become an invitation to Iran to continue testing Washington’s intentions. This may lead to her being drawn into a confrontation that she seeks to avoid. But what if Americans were killed, without Iran paying the price? Then the Biden administration must appreciate that the surest step for stability in the region will be America restoring its role as a “deterrent force.”

On the other hand, the warnings also raise in Iran - after it felt the extent of the weakness of its “international axis” (China and Russia) - deep fears that the “ISIS” of its Shiite militias will be the next step, after the “ISIS” of Hamas. This may make it lose its tools, but it may also lead to the future of the entire system being put on the table for discussion.

Colonel Douglas MacGregor (AP)

Aid in exchange for hostages

Washington has pledged that it will push for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza, in exchange for efforts to release the hostages.

In practice, this establishes the equation of preventing Hamas from exploiting its military “achievement” by achieving political victories, and that the hypothesis of exchanging hostages for prisoners is not under consideration. There is no talk of a ceasefire, at this stage. Indeed, Secretary of State Blinken was forced to talk about truce periods for humanitarian reasons that “must be taken into account,” to allow food, water, and other necessities to reach Gaza, and for civilians to get out of harm’s way. Although he avoided setting any deadline for the truce periods, it is not expected to be a typical ceasefire.

On the other hand, with the increasing number of Palestinian civilian casualties, whose numbers exceeded 22,000 dead and wounded, European Union leaders in Brussels requested a “humanitarian truce” to facilitate the delivery of aid and create safer conditions for the hoped-for release of the hostages, limiting the matter to this aspect only. But US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the administration supports “pause periods” in the conflict to allow humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza. But he rejected the growing calls for a ceasefire, arguing that such a step now would only benefit Hamas. Kirby added: “We will continue to ensure that Israel has the tools and capabilities it needs to defend itself.” While stressing that Washington had not discussed any “red lines” with Israel, he continued: “We will continue trying to bring in this humanitarian aid, and trying to remove hostages and people from Gaza appropriately,” which indicates that there is a long way to go, in light of the expected results of this war. , on the future of the entire region.

Will the war stop?

American and Israeli officials reject calls for a ceasefire in order to give the Israeli army enough time to eliminate Hamas. But calls for an end to the fighting are growing. This was summed up by the words of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, in his speech before the Security Council. Guterres said that “it is important to acknowledge that the (Hamas) attacks did not occur in a vacuum” and that “the Palestinians have been subjected to 56 years of stifling occupation.” But he added, "The grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the horrific attacks launched by (Hamas), just as these horrific attacks cannot justify collective punishment of the Palestinian people." However, the exchange of veto power in the Security Council between the United States, Russia and China, as happened in recent days, is still in its early stages, which in previous wars witnessed similar votes, which ultimately led to the expulsion of the “PLO” forces from Lebanon in 1982. This is what some believe may be the fate of Hamas forces in the coming period.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that the Court of First Instance in Qatar issued a ruling on Thursday against eight Indian nationals who were working in the country, without clarifying the circumstances of this ruling.

The Financial Times newspaper reported that the judiciary in Qatar had sentenced to death 8 former officers in the Indian Navy after convicting them of spying for Israel regarding the Qatari submarine program.

The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi expressed its shock at this ruling, saying on its website, “We are deeply shocked by the death penalty ruling and await the detailed ruling.”

She added: “We are in contact with family members and the legal team, and are exploring all legal options,” continuing: “We attach great importance to this case, and are following it closely. We will continue to provide all consular and legal assistance. We will also discuss the ruling with the Qatari authorities.”

The Financial Times quoted a source it described as familiar with the case, saying that the eight Indians are accused of spying for Israel, and that they can appeal the sentences issued against them.

The newspaper reported that the Indian government's statement confirmed that the eight convicts were arrested in Qatar in August last year, highlighting that it had contacted Israel but did not respond to a request for comment.

On Saturday, Israel announced the recall of its diplomatic staff from Turkey after statements made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that included sharp criticism of its military campaign in Gaza.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said in a post on the “X” platform: “In view of the dangerous statements coming from Turkey, I ordered the return of the diplomatic representatives present there in order to conduct a re-evaluation of relations between Israel and Turkey.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a sharp attack on Israel, earlier today, at a rally in support of the Palestinians in Istanbul.

Erdogan said that he would reveal to the world the truth about Israel as a “war criminal.” He also described the West, which supports Israel, as the main accused in the “massacre” taking place in Gaza, according to the Arab World News Agency.

Also earlier on Saturday, Erdogan said that Israel must put an end to the state of “madness” and stop its attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Source: Al-Sharq Al-awsat

The Israeli B'Tselem Center for Human Rights issued a statement on Friday in which it believed that the bombing operations carried out by Israel since the beginning of the war on Gaza "constitute a war crime against humanity that must be stopped immediately."

B’Tselem’s statement said: “The massive destruction in the Gaza Strip is unprecedented. Entire residential neighborhoods were destroyed after Israel dropped thousands of shells on the Strip. Since the start of the war, Israel has dropped thousands of missiles on the Gaza Strip. The residents of the Strip, which is closed in all respects, have no way to take shelter. There are no safe rooms, shelters, or protected areas in the Strip.”

He added: “Residents are waiting with horror and fear, hoping to survive. More than a million people abandoned their homes in an attempt to search for safe places. Some of them were killed on their way to escape, and others were killed in the locations where they took refuge. The center stressed that “Israel, like Hamas, and all countries of the world are obligated to act in accordance with the provisions of international humanitarian law.”

Two Palestinian women walk near a building destroyed by the Israeli bombing on Rafah in the Gaza Strip on Saturday (AFP)

The Israeli Center for Human Rights said: “It was not human rights organizations or pro-Palestinian bodies that developed the provisions of this law, but rather it was adopted by the consensus of all countries, including Israel, based on the understanding that during the war there should also be rules that would reduce, To a minimum, it reduces the suffering caused to civilians, and ensures that they are kept outside the circles of combat, as much as possible.

It explained: “There are two basic principles that were approved to achieve these goals: The first is the principle of distinction, which determines which targets can be attacked (...), and the second is the principle of proportionality, which determines the method of carrying out the attack... The bombing operations carried out by Israel since the beginning of the war are conducted in a manner completely contradictory to these two principles, and constitute a war crime. The massive destruction in the Gaza Strip is unprecedented. Entire residential neighborhoods were destroyed, and according to the authorities in Gaza, at least 16,000 housing units were completely demolished and at least another 11,000 were no longer habitable. The horrific death toll, which increases daily, is unfathomable to the mind: according to the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, more than 7,000 people have been killed so far. Among the dead were nearly 3,000 children and minors, more than 1,700 women, and dozens of families who were completely killed and whose homes were destroyed. More than 17,000 people were injured, and about 2,000 are still missing under the rubble.”

B'Tselem pointed out that "it is not possible to reconcile these facts with the provisions of the law mentioned above: neither with the requirement that each of the thousands of targets that were bombed have an 'effective contribution' to Hamas' operations, and that their destruction gives Israel ' A clear military gain.” Nor with the requirement that even if thousands of targets meet these conditions, the harm to the lives and property of thousands of residents is proportional. He added: “Such an interpretation would not only be wrong from a legal standpoint, but also intolerable from a moral standpoint.”

The center said: “Israel claims that (Hamas) is exclusively responsible for these data. This is because it uses the population as human shields, hides weapons in their homes, and fires from among the civilian population on civilian targets inside Israel. Therefore, Israel has no other choice but to harm civilians as well as part of its war against Hamas. But the meaning of placing all responsibility on Hamas is that any action taken by Israel, no matter how terrible and terrifying its results are, will be considered legitimate. This claim has no basis in truth: in international humanitarian law, as in any other law, the principle of reciprocity does not apply: the fact that one party violates the law does not give the other party the right to violate it, too.

The center continued: “On October 7, Hamas carried out horrific war crimes. Hundreds of its activists and other residents of the Gaza Strip entered Israeli territory, shooting in all directions. They entered towns and homes of residents, shot and killed entire families and party participants, burned homes and committed atrocities. More than 1,300 people were killed, thousands more were injured, and many are still missing. More than two hundred people - including children, boys, women and the elderly - were kidnapped to the Gaza Strip and are still being held hostage there. There is, and cannot be, any way to justify these crimes, and any attempt to do so must be rejected and condemned. But these crimes cannot justify the destruction and death that Israel is now imposing on more than two million people, residents of the Gaza Strip. This intentional harm to civilians, their property, and civilian infrastructure is prohibited, and Israel must stop doing so immediately. It is clear that Israel, like any other country, has a duty to defend its citizens. But it is also clear that Israel, like any other state, has a duty to comply with the restrictions set by international humanitarian law.”

It is noteworthy that “B’Tselem” is the Israeli information center for human rights in the occupied territories, which works to end the occupation. The name “B’Tselem” comes from the verse in the Torah that states, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him” (Genesis 1:27), and it expresses the universal and Jewish obligation to respect the human rights of all human beings. Since its establishment in 1989, it has been documenting, investigating and publishing information, testimonies, photographic documentation, position papers and reports about Israel’s human rights violations in the occupied territories.

American actor Matthew Perry, who was famous in the Arab region for starring in the series “Friends,” died at the age of 54.

American media outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, said that the California State Police received a report that a man had been found dead in a bathtub, but it was later discovered that he was Perry, without identifying the cause of death.

The newspaper confirmed that the police did not find traces of narcotic substances within the area of the death site.

Perry was famous for playing the role of Chandler Bing, one of the main characters in the famous series Friends, which gained wide fame throughout the world during the nineties of the last century and was shown in the Arab region on several channels.

Last year, the actor admitted in memoirs that he published in a book that he suffered from alcohol addiction, which nearly took his life more than once.

On the 23rd day of the war on Gaza, Israel bombed several areas by air, sea and land, and its raids caused dozens of martyrs and injuries in the south and center of the besieged Strip, bringing the toll to more than 8,000 martyrs - including about 3,200 children - in addition to nearly 20,000 wounded, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

The death toll in Gaza exceeds 8,000

Press sources quoted the Ministry of Health in Gaza as saying that the number of martyrs as a result of the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza exceeded 8,000.

A previous toll reported that more than 7,700 Palestinians were martyred - most of them children and women - and nearly 20,000 were injured, in addition to at least 1,650 missing people.

9 martyrs, including 3 children, in an Israeli bombing in Khan Yunis

A medical source said that the death toll from the Israeli bombing that targeted a house in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, on Sunday morning, rose to 9 martyrs, including 3 children.

Today, Saturday, the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization held a meeting headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, who opened the meeting by reciting Al-Fatiha for the souls of the martyrs, noting the seriousness of what our national cause is going through, and reviewing the intensive contacts at the regional and international levels in order to stop the aggression and war crimes against our people.

The Executive Committee welcomed the united stance of our people in the face of aggression, and the Arab and international solidarity campaigns with our people, and called for expanding them and preserving the national unity of our people.

The Executive Committee affirmed that the essence of the conflict that the occupying state and its partners seek to deepen is occupation, settlement, expansion and siege, and the closing of all prospects for peace by the occupying governments, and that the basis for achieving security and peace is the implementation of the relevant United Nations resolutions and the realization of the rights of the Palestinian people to freedom and independence.

The Executive Committee reviewed the occupation’s war of genocide, daily massacres and destruction affecting all our people in the Gaza Strip and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and the continued escalation and continuation of the war of genocide and destruction against our people, which has so far resulted in the death of more than seven thousand five hundred martyrs. More than eighteen thousand wounded, the destruction of homes, institutions and towers, and the targeting of mosques, churches and hospitals, as happened in the massacre carried out by the occupation by bombing the National Baptist Hospital, with more than five hundred martyrs and thousands of wounded rising, coinciding with the escalation of the occupation and gangs and herds of settlers in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and the rise of a large number of the martyrs who were directly targeted by the occupation army, which confirms the efforts made, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, to immediately stop the war of extermination and escalating aggression.

The Executive Committee stressed the President's call to hold an emergency Arab summit in order to intensify all communications and efforts at the regional and international levels to stop the aggression.

The Executive Committee also affirmed its firm rejection of the forced displacement of our people, whether in the Gaza Strip or outside it, or the West Bank and Jerusalem, as this displacement that the occupation is trying to promote aims to create a new catastrophe for our people. Therefore, our people will remain steadfast on their land. They have the right to resist and struggle for their freedom and independence.

The Executive Committee warned against the ongoing attempts to talk about partial solutions or to undermine political representation, stressing that the Palestine Liberation Organization will remain the sole legitimate representative of our people, the leader of our people’s struggle for freedom and independence and to obtain the remaining rights to return, self-determination, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty, with Jerusalem as its capital.

The Executive Committee also affirmed its appreciation for all the positions of the peoples of the world who are now coming out to demand an end to the aggression and the war of extermination, in light of the partnership of the American administration and some of the capitals that orbit it and support the occupation and cover up its crimes and aggression.

I saluted the countries that voted to stop the aggression and bring in medical, food, water and basic materials.

At its meeting, the Executive Committee emphasized the priority of:

A ceasefire and aggression, under international and regional sponsorship, in agreement with the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Lifting the siege and opening paths for the entry of food and medical supplies, electricity, water, fuel and all life necessities.

Stop the policy of forced displacement of our people inside and outside Gaza.

The organization considered that it bears responsibility for our people, and will work to rebuild Gaza and provide the means of free and decent living for our people.

The Executive Committee affirmed its commitment to achieving these goals in parallel with the movement at the international, regional and Arab levels, to end the occupation and save the two-state solution on the basis of the relevant international legitimacy resolutions through an international peace conference under the auspices of the United Nations, and to enable our people to exercise their right to self-determination, and establish their independent state on the fourth borders. Since June 1967, its capital is Jerusalem.

The meeting expressed the importance of consolidating all efforts to embody Palestinian national unity in the face of the war of extermination and in light of the unity of our people on the ground in all the occupied Palestinian territories, refugee camps and diaspora, and in all their places of presence, in order to protect our people, represent them, and their rights and principles, with the importance of preserving the umbrella and our representative. The only legitimate one, the Palestine Liberation Organization, is the leader of our struggle and resistance to achieve freedom and independence.

The Executive Committee stressed the importance of continuing mass and popular activities with the participation of all components of our people, emphasizing that our main contradiction is with the occupation, far from all secondary contradictions, and resolute adherence to rejecting any attempts to distort the compass and create strife and division, and the importance of addressing all of this with a unified national position in order to confront the occupation. And its settlers.

The Executive Committee also heard the Prime Minister’s report on the government’s readiness and follow-up at all levels, and providing all capabilities to our people in the Gaza Strip, in light of the catastrophic conditions they are going through as a result of the war of extermination that the occupation is continuing in order to achieve its goals aimed at eliminating the national project and the rights of our people. Based on international legitimacy resolutions, international law, and attempts to impose facts on the ground.

In conclusion, the Executive Committee paid all tribute to the steadfastness and resistance of our people in the face of aggression, and to our heroic prisoners and detainees, whose number increases on a daily basis in the context of the daily raids, mass arrests, abuse and punishment to which our prisoners are subjected in the cells, in addition to the arrests and prosecution of our workers from the Gaza Strip who are in prison. The West Bank, and all of this is taking place within the framework of imposing collective punishment and an attempt to break the will of our people and their steadfast prisoners behind the bars of the occupation’s cells.

I also saluted the Arab and friendly peoples for their stances in support of the struggle of our people, and their condemnation of the occupation and its aggression against our people.

On Saturday evening, clashes broke out between young men and the Israeli occupation forces that stormed the Shuafat refugee camp, north of occupied Jerusalem.

According to local sources, the occupation soldiers fired bullets, gas bombs, and incendiary bombs at citizens, during confrontations that broke out on the outskirts of the Shuafat refugee camp, north of occupied Jerusalem.

The occupation forces also stormed the town of Issawiya, north of occupied Jerusalem, accompanied by its intelligence, and the Wadi Hilweh neighborhood in the town of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Arab students were subjected to physical and verbal assault, this Saturday evening, by a group of extremist Jews after they stormed their place of residence in the city of Netanya in the occupied interior.

Following the attack, the Joint Authority of Student Blocs announced the arrangement and coordination for the evacuation of the Arab students attacked in the student residences in Netanya.

In detail, a group of extremist Jews attacked the Arab students verbally and physically and chanted “Death to the Arabs,” while the housing administration asked the students to go upstairs until the Israeli police arrived.

The attack was on the Arab students under the pretext that they “did not respect the start of the Sabbath,” while skirmishes and provocations continued in the place despite the arrival of police officers.

The students were detained inside the residence after the storming, and they were unable to leave the place due to the presence of dozens of extremist Jews.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged on Saturday that the war against the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip will be “long and difficult.”

He said in a press conference held in Tel Aviv, “The war in the Gaza Strip will be long and difficult, and we are ready for it,” adding that the army “will destroy the enemy on and under the ground.”

He added that defeating Hamas is an “existential challenge” for Israel, claiming that 90 percent of the movement’s military budget comes from Iran.

He confirmed that the Al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas) use hospitals in Gaza as command centers, according to what was broadcast by Reuters.

He stressed that Israel will consider “all options” to ensure the release of more than 220 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.

A child and a young man were injured by live bullets, this Saturday evening, during confrontations that broke out with the Israeli occupation forces in the Arroub camp, north of Hebron.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that its crews dealt with the injury of a 13-year-old child and a young man who was shot in the thigh by live bullets from the occupation forces, during confrontations that broke out in the Arroub camp, and he was transferred to the hospital.

According to local sources, the occupation forces fired bullets, stun grenades and toxic tear gas towards citizens during confrontations that broke out at the entrance to the camp, which led to a child being killed by live bullets.

The head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, announced today, Saturday, that the movement is ready for an exchange deal with Israel.

Al-Sinwar said in a statement: “We are ready immediately to conclude an exchange deal that includes the release of all prisoners in the occupation prisons in exchange for the release of all prisoners held by the resistance.”

It is noteworthy that the occupation authorities continue to detain about 4,900 male and female prisoners, including 31 women and 160 children under the age of 18, in addition to more than 1,000 administrative detainees, according to figures from official and independent Palestinian prisoner institutions.

A number of citizens suffered from suffocation, this Saturday evening, during confrontations that broke out with the Israeli occupation forces in the village of Husan, west of Bethlehem.

According to local sources, the confrontations centered in the Al-Muteena area at the eastern entrance, then extended to the center of the village, during which the occupation forces fired bullets, stun grenades, and toxic tear gas, which led to a number of citizens suffocating as a result of inhaling toxic gas. They were treated in the field.

The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, confirmed that patients, health workers and civilians spent last night in darkness and fear as a result of the intense Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip.

Ghebreyesus explained, in a statement published on his official account via the “X” platform, that there is a complete outage of communications and electricity in the Gaza Strip, and that the number of wounded is constantly increasing, which hinders the efforts of ambulances to reach them due to the current circumstances.

The World Health Organization renewed its calls for a ceasefire on both sides in order to allow the provision of humanitarian aid. The organization indicated that civilians, including health workers and patients, must be protected in accordance with international laws. The global organization also stressed that it is impossible to evacuate patients without endangering their lives.

For its part, yesterday, Friday, the United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip. The decision was supported by the majority of member states.

The World Health Organization confirmed that it is impossible to evacuate patients without endangering their lives (French)

The draft resolution, which was submitted by nearly 50 countries, including Turkey, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, was approved by a majority of 120 votes in favor and 14 against, with 45 countries abstaining from voting.

On Friday night, Gaza witnessed the most violent bombardment from several axes since the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, causing the complete destruction of hundreds of buildings. It coincided with a limited ground incursion for the third day in a row, and a complete cut off of communications and the Internet from the Strip to isolate it from the world. External.

For the 22nd day, the Israeli occupation army continues its war on Gaza, and the number of martyrs rose to 7,703, including 3,195 children, and the number of injured to about 19,450, in addition to 1,650 missing people, according to data from the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Washington threatened Tel Aviv to suspend a deal to supply Israel with assault rifles, in light of the anger that formed in the White House over the political exploitation by the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, of the campaign to arm Israelis and form civilian militias.

The campaign to arm Israeli civilians and settlers launched by the Israeli authorities and led by the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, angered officials in the administration of US President Joe Biden.

This came according to what The Marker newspaper reported on Saturday, and referred to a “political and security crisis” that Ben Gvir almost caused, following American “threats” to suspend a deal to supply Israel with assault rifles.

The newspaper reported that Ben Gvir turned the “photographed and documented campaign” to distribute weapons to civilians and settlers and form more “alert teams” (civilian militias operating in Israeli towns) into a “political and security event.”

The report claimed that Ben Gvir's political exploitation of the arms campaign "ironized" the White House, and referred to American threats to "stop arms shipments from the United States."

The newspaper pointed out the posts that Ben Gvir was keen to share on social networks, which show him distributing machine guns, including M16 rifles, to civilians.

The newspaper reported that these pictures, which came in a festive atmosphere with "political and civil" dimensions, "incited the anger of the Americans."

According to the newspaper, Washington threatened Tel Aviv “not to supply weapons to Israel as long as they will be used to arm civilians,” and as long as the distribution of weapons is being exploited politically.

The Marker said that the US administration threatened to suspend a deal concluded by the Israeli Ministry of National Security with American suppliers to purchase about 20,000 machine guns.

The report stated that the American “threat” “surprised” the Israeli security establishment, which required the Israeli side to make political and legal efforts to “resolve the crisis.”

At the end of lengthy deliberations conducted secretly between Israel and the United States, a “solution” was reached that allowed Israel to obtain weapons, especially in light of the “clear shortage” of rifles and machine guns in Israel.

The newspaper reported that Israel had made a formal commitment to the United States that weapons would be distributed through the Israeli police or army, even if political parties were present at weapons distribution events.

Israel also sought to convince the United States that “alert teams” are defined in Israel as “an auxiliary force for the Israeli police and border guards, and that any use of weapons by members of these teams will be done in a manner subject to the control of the security forces.”

Following the "American anger", the Israeli Prime Minister asked the Ministry of National Security to "ensure that civilian symbols are neutralized in documenting weapons distribution operations" to Israeli citizens.

Members of the "ready teams" were also asked to wear operational vests to distinguish them, and to work to reduce any other civilian appearances in "security incidents."

According to data issued by the Israeli Ministry of National Security, assault rifles were distributed to civilian militias in more than 32 cities.

The data also indicates the formation of about 700 “standby teams” throughout the country, including 40 “standby teams” formed by the “Border Guard” forces in regional councils in different regions.

According to estimates, about 5,000 long weapons have been distributed so far, most of them Israeli-made, namely MZ-4 assault rifles produced by the “Amtan” factory in Karmiel.

US President Joe Biden's administration has asked Congress to fund "the potential needs of Gazans fleeing to neighboring countries," as part of a $105 billion request submitted last week that also includes money for Israel and Ukraine.

Some believe that the Biden administration's desire to obtain funds for the potential needs of Gazans fleeing to neighboring countries "is considered a green light for ethnic cleansing and a new nakba."

In a letter dated October 20, the Office of Budget and Management said the current crisis “could lead to cross-border displacement and increased regional humanitarian needs and funding could be used to meet evolving programming requirements outside Gaza.”

For some, this is normal contingency planning, but for others, in light of the US pressure earlier this month on Egypt to open a humanitarian corridor and the reluctance of US officials to call on Israel for restraint, it suggests that the White House supports mass displacement. For Palestinians from Gaza.

It is noteworthy that US President Biden, his Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, and all administration officials and spokesmen, followed a clear speech reiterating “Israel’s right to self-defense,” and provided a huge amount of military, political, and diplomatic aid. They declared on a daily basis that there are no red lines in “Israel’s right to defense.” "about itself", including the situation of the Palestinians after the end of the war.

According to press sources, the details of the administration’s request are contained in one paragraph on page 40 of the Office of Budget and Management’s letter, while Al-Quds learned that the amount requested is $3.5 billion.

The funding also provides “life-saving humanitarian assistance in Israel, and in areas affected by the situation in Israel. These resources would support displaced and conflict-affected civilians, including Palestinian refugees in Gaza and the West Bank, and meet the potential needs of Gazans fleeing to neighboring countries, as well as "It will include food and non-food items, health care, emergency shelter support, water and sanitation assistance, and emergency protection. This will also include potentially critical humanitarian infrastructure costs needed for refugees to provide access to essential life-sustaining support."

Experts believe this crisis will lead to cross-border displacement and increased regional humanitarian needs, and funding could be used to meet evolving programming requirements outside Gaza.

It was not immediately clear from the wording whether items such as humanitarian infrastructure, water and sanitation would be designated for Palestinians inside or outside Gaza.

Doctors Without Borders confirmed today, Saturday, that “some surgical operations are performed in the Gaza Strip without general anesthesia for patients due to the lack of anesthetic drugs,” as the Israeli aggression on the Strip continues since the seventh of this month, which has resulted in the death of about 7,500 citizens. About 21,000 have been infected so far, the majority of whom are children, women and the elderly.

"We lack anesthesia drugs, we lack sedatives, we perform a lot of operations with half doses of anesthesia, which is terrible," said Leo Kans, head of the Doctors Without Borders mission in Jerusalem.

He explained in press statements: “The person is not completely anesthetized as he should be. Sometimes, operations are performed without anesthesia.”

Kanz spoke about an operation performed this week on a 10-year-old boy, saying: “We had to amputate half of his left foot under partial anesthesia, on the hospital floor in the corridor because all the operating rooms were full.”

He added, "His mother and sister were present. They watched the operation (...) on the ground," referring to "painful pictures and videos of patients" sent by MSF teams.

He also pointed out that “a 12-year-old boy was burned 60% of his body (...) and his bandages had to be changed... The doctors did this only under the influence of paracetamol.”

He pointed out that it is difficult for the medical staff to determine priorities according to the severity of the injuries.

He stressed that "it is terrible when it comes to managing pain and suffering," calling for an urgent end to the ongoing Israeli bombing and the introduction of medical supplies into Gaza.

He added that among the victims, "we receive a very large number of children and women, which leads us to say that there was indiscriminate bombing."

The head of the Doctors Without Borders mission in the Palestinian territories explained that he has limited communications with the organization’s teams in Gaza thanks to two satellite phones. "It is almost impossible to coordinate our activities after the complete cut off of communications in the Gaza Strip," he said.

On Friday evening, Israeli occupation aircraft bombed the last two international connection points with Gaza, which led to a complete interruption of communications and the Internet, as the Strip became isolated from the world.

Leo Kanz stressed that the Israeli occupation army's call on the residents of northern Gaza to migrate to the south of the Strip is tantamount to "asking caregivers to abandon their patients."

He continued, saying, "In any case, there is no place where we can be safe," stressing that the bombing is also intense in the south.

Médecins Sans Frontières employs approximately 230 employees in the Gaza Strip.

Kanz explained that "many have lost their homes" and "spend a large part of the day searching for water and food," and raised "the alarm about the suitability of water for drinking."

The Gaza Strip has been subjected to a stifling siege since 2007, but the Israeli occupation government has tightened the siege on the Strip since the start of the aggression 22 days ago, to include cutting off electricity and water, and preventing the entry of basic materials, medical supplies, and fuel.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Friday that “without fundamental change, the people of Gaza will suffer an unprecedented barrage of humanitarian tragedies.”

"Everyone must shoulder their responsibilities. This is the moment of truth, and history will judge us," Guterres said in a statement read by his spokesman, stressing that "the humanitarian system in Gaza faces complete collapse, with unimaginable consequences for more than two million civilians."

He added: "Given the desperate and tragic situation, the United Nations will not be able to continue providing aid inside Gaza without an immediate and fundamental change in the way aid flows."

He pointed out that before the start of the current war on the seventh of this month, "about 500 trucks were crossing into Gaza daily."

Guterres confirmed that "an average of 12 trucks have entered daily in recent days" through the Rafah crossing, at a time when Gaza is suffering from a state of siege, and "the needs are much greater than ever before."

This Saturday evening, at the presidential headquarters in the city of Ramallah, President Mahmoud Abbas chaired a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

President Abbas said in his speech at the beginning of the meeting:

Our cause today is going through extremely delicate and difficult circumstances, as our people in the Gaza Strip are exposed to a genocidal war and massacres committed by the Israeli occupation forces, in full view of the entire world.

From the first moment, we made all our efforts, and made extensive contacts with many world leaders, in order to stop this aggression. We went to the Cairo summit, held dozens of meetings, and called on the UN Security Council to stop the aggression, bring in humanitarian aid, prevent displacement abroad, and stop attacks. Settlers and the occupation forces in Jerusalem and the West Bank, and seeking a political solution based on international legitimacy to end the occupation. Despite the issuance of a resolution by the General Assembly by an overwhelming majority, the Israeli occupation forces responded with a ground invasion and an unprecedented intensification of bombing, destruction and killing.

The number of Palestinian victims so far has reached about 7,500 Palestinians, the majority of whom are children and women, and the number of wounded has reached about 20,000, in addition to those still under the rubble.

I say to everyone who listens to me, how can we remain silent about the killing of more than 3,000 Palestinian children? How can we remain silent about the bombing of hospitals? How can we remain silent about this brutal destruction and collective punishment of civilians?

I call on the countries of the world to put pressure on Israel to stop the waterfall of Palestinian blood, and I call on our people in these moments to unite, support each other, and stand firm on our land, in the face of this criminal war waged by the war machine of the Israeli occupation forces against our people in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem.

We must confront deportation, displacement, and to repeat the Nakba.

In these critical moments, I say to our people that we will rebuild everything that the occupation destroyed in the Gaza Strip, and Gaza will remain an integral part of the Palestinian state alongside the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and a thorn in the side of the aggressors, and Jerusalem will remain our eternal capital, with its Islamic and Christian sanctities.

We also cannot forget in these moments our righteous martyrs, our heroic prisoners and our brave wounded. I salute our people clutching embers in Palestine, in exile, in the diaspora, and in the camps, for their heroic stand alongside the free people of the world, to whom we sincerely appreciate their stand in solidarity with the national and legitimate rights of our people.

I call on the brothers and sisters, the leaders of the Arab countries, to hold an emergency Arab summit to stop this brutal aggression against our Palestinian people and our cause, to confront regional and international challenges, and to do everything that will enable our people to remain in their land, and to end the occupation of the land of our state, with Jerusalem as its capital.

The Executive Committee remains in an emergency and open meeting to follow up on developments, communications and ongoing developments.

The Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip witnessed a dangerous turning point yesterday, when Israel intensified raids and bombing on the Strip, and cut off communications in preparation for ground operations on the ground, which made the world stand on its toes, including the families of Israeli prisoners.

On Saturday, the Israeli families of detainees in the Gaza Strip expressed their concern about the fate and lives of their relatives after the occupation army escalated its raids last night on the Gaza Strip, which is witnessing intense bombardment for the 22nd day in a row.

A statement issued by representatives of the detainees’ families regarding the unprecedented escalation in the Gaza Strip last Friday night stated, “It was a long night, the most horrific of all, during which we experienced great anxiety and uncertainty about the fate of the kidnapped persons detained there, who were also subjected to violent bombardment.” According to what was reported by Israeli media.

The Israeli army spokesman, Daniel Hagari, announced the start of a ground incursion into Gaza, saying, “We are advancing in the stages of the war and our forces have entered northern Gaza and expanded the scope of their operations,” indicating that military operations will continue until the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) is eliminated. and return detainees.

Hagari explained - in a press conference yesterday, Friday - that they informed the families of 229 Israelis that they were kidnapped in Gaza, noting that the number changes and is constantly being updated, stressing that they will continue what he called the utmost efforts to return the prisoners as a top priority, stressing, “So far the families of 310 soldiers have been informed that their sons are dead.” ".

Representatives of these families demanded an “immediate” meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and other members of the mini-ministerial council for security and political affairs (cabinet), to discuss their concerns, which are accompanied by debates in the Israeli street regarding the chances of the return of prisoners from the grip of factions. The resistance, in light of the escalation in Gaza, amid sharp criticism of Netanyahu’s performance in dealing with this issue, threatening escalation if they do not meet with the mini-ministerial council, according to Israeli Channel 12.

Family members of Israelis detained in Gaza demonstrated in front of the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Kesaria, south of Haifa.

The families of the detainees described last night as being exceptionally difficult for them, and Israeli Army Radio reported that Defense Minister Yoav Galant will meet tomorrow, for the first time, with representatives of the families of detainees in the Gaza Strip.

What was described as neglect angered the families of the detainees, as the mother of the prisoner, “Rumi,” said in an interview broadcast on the Israeli “Kan” channel account on the (X) platform, “We demand to meet Gallant today, not tomorrow. We will not wait another day. My daughter has been there for 21 days, wounded and bleeding.” "And God knows what else." We should not wait any longer."

These statements sparked angry reactions on social media. One user commented on the Israeli Channel 12 account, which broadcast residents’ demonstrations in front of Netanyahu’s house on the X platform, saying, “A scandal I have never seen before. A government does not communicate with families who are going through a nightmare.” Tragic, shame shame shame.”

Al-Qassam announced that it captured between 200 and 250 Israelis, and others of other nationalities. (Getty Images)

While one user challenged Netanyahu, saying, “If all the kidnapped people are returned, I will personally kiss Benjamin Netanyahu’s feet. From that moment on, I will call Queen Sarah of Israel and give her a 3-minute speech of praise in a row. On any platform. I will commit not to say a bad word about them for a year and a half.”

Abu Ubaida, spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Hamas movement - had previously announced last Thursday that about 50 prisoners held by them had been killed as a result of the ongoing Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip. Al-Qassam had previously announced that it had captured between 200 and 250 Israelis, and others of other nationalities.

This is accompanied by an unprecedented Israeli bombing of Gaza last night, as part of continuous raids for the 22nd day, leaving thousands of martyrs and wounded, and massive destruction to residential buildings and vital facilities, with the continuation of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation launched by the Palestinian resistance factions at dawn on October 7. Current, in response to the attacks of the Israeli occupation and settlers against the Palestinian people and their sanctities.

On Saturday evening, Israeli occupation forces bombed the town of Aita al-Shaab, south of Lebanon.

The representative of the Lebanese National News Agency reported that the Israeli occupation forces bombed the town of Aita al-Shaab in the Bint Jbeil district, and that a shell fell near a house, and no casualties were recorded.

On Saturday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the “unprecedented escalation” in the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip, renewing his call for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire.”

Guterres said during a visit to Doha, "Unfortunately, instead of a truce, I was surprised by an unprecedented escalation in bombing and its devastating results, which undermines humanitarian goals."

He expressed his concern about the communications outage in the Gaza Strip, as well as his concern about the United Nations employees who are in Gaza to provide humanitarian aid.

“I reiterate my strong call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and to provide humanitarian relief at a level that matches the urgent needs of the people in Gaza, where a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding before our eyes,” Guterres said.

The Gaza Strip has turned into pieces of flame since last night due to the complete disruption of the communications and Internet networks, causing a complete paralysis in the capabilities of the health system and the movement of ambulances and medical teams.

The Gaza Strip has been subjected to a stifling siege since 2007, but the Israeli occupation government has tightened the siege on the Strip since the start of the aggression 22 days ago, to include cutting off electricity and water, and preventing the entry of basic materials and fuel.

The occupation warplanes have continued to launch raids on the Gaza Strip since October 7, resulting in the death of 7,650 citizens, including 3,195 children and 1,863 women, in addition to wounding about 20,000, according to an infinite statistic.

Medical sources said that the occupation forces had committed 53 massacres in the Gaza Strip since last night and Saturday dawn, in the most violent and severe bombardment since the start of the aggression 22 days ago.