Two workers at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), and 5 students from the Gaza Strip, were killed as a result of the continued Israeli aggression, coinciding with the escalation of displacement to shelter centers in the Strip.

UNRWA confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that two of its employees were killed, in addition to five students from its schools.

It pointed out that four displaced people were injured when they were taking shelter in an UNRWA school in Gaza City, explaining that a number of displaced people in the rehabilitation center for the visually impaired were injured due to occupation raids on nearby buildings.

Today, Tuesday, the Israeli occupation forces continued to tighten their military measures in the West Bank governorates, for the fourth day in a row, by closing checkpoints and entrances to cities, towns and villages, and obstructing the movement of Palestinian citizens.

In Ramallah, the occupation forces continue to close the northern entrance to Al-Bireh in both directions, and the entrances to the villages and towns of: Kharbatha Bani Harith, Al-Nabi Saleh, Aboud, Umm Safa, and Atara in both directions, the Ofra checkpoint near Silwad, and the eastern entrances to Al-Mughayir and Burqa.

Meanwhile, these forces set up two checkpoints at the entrances to the village of Al-Mughair Al-Gharbi and Burqa Al-Rais, and impeded the movement of citizens there.

In Salfit, the occupation forces closed the iron gate at the entrance to the town of Kafr al-Dik to the west. They intensified their arbitrary measures against citizens, and impeded the movement of people leaving and entering the town, by closing the iron gate at the main entrance to the town.

At the Tayasir checkpoint, east of Tubas, the occupation forces tightened their military measures and allowed only citizens who live in the Jordan Valley to cross, causing a stifling traffic jam towards the Jordan Valley.

In Qalqilya, the occupation forces set up a military checkpoint at the entrance to the village of Kafr Laqif to the east, stopped vehicles, checked citizens’ cards, and interrogated them, which led to the obstruction of movement to and from the village.

The Prisoner's Club warned, in a statement on Tuesday, against the occupation's intention to single out detainee Kayed Al-Fafsous, who has been on a hunger strike for 69 days, and assassinate him, especially in light of the double isolation imposed on the detainees.

The club added that, in light of the collective retaliatory measures initiated by the prison administration, and the continued and multiplied aggression against detainees, there are very great and multiplied fears, especially with the cessation of visits by lawyers, and the extreme difficulties that institutions face in following up on the conditions of detainees.

The Prisoners' Club confirmed that according to the last visit he had on the fourth of this month, the detainee Fasfous was suffering from very serious health conditions, and despite all the attempts that preceded this stage to transfer him from the "Ramla Prison Clinic" to a civil hospital, the occupation insisted on detaining him. He was isolated in Ramla, the prison where the martyr Sheikh Khader Adnan was martyred, and where he remained detained until the last moments of his martyrdom.

He called on the International Red Cross and international human rights institutions to play their necessary role that is commensurate with the requirements of this stage and the state of war, and the great and multiplying risks to the fate of the detainee Fasfous, and all detainees in Israeli occupation prisons.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen confirmed on Tuesday that democracy has flourished on the island despite the increasing pressure exerted by Beijing, pledging that her people will remain “free” for generations to come.

“The Taiwanese people will remain a democratic and free people for generations,” Tsai said in her National Day speech.

Tsai, who was speaking in front of the Taiwanese presidential headquarters, stressed that it was her duty to "protect our national sovereignty and the democratic and free way of life" of Taiwan's 23 million people.

Taiwan is witnessing military and political pressure from China, which considers it an integral part of its territory and pledges to return it by force if necessary.

China has increased the number of warplanes carrying out sorties around the island and also penetrating its airspace.

"In the face of enormous internal and external pressure, democracy in Taiwan has grown and flourished... and we have emerged stronger," Tsai said. She added, "Protecting democracy in Taiwan means protecting the universal value of democracy."

Peace is "the only solution"

On the other hand, Tsai seemed to adopt a conciliatory tone with Beijing, as she stressed that Taiwan wants “peaceful coexistence, with free and unrestricted interactions between the two peoples on both sides of the strait.”

"We are willing to take the general consensus in Taiwan as a basis... through a process of democratic dialogue and focus on maintaining the status quo to develop with the Beijing authorities a basis that is mutually acceptable for interaction, and a path toward peaceful coexistence," she said.

Likewise, the President of Taiwan reiterated that peace “is the only option across the Strait.”

She considered that "preserving the status quo, which constitutes the greatest common denominator for all parties, is the primary key to ensuring peace."

Beijing has intensified its threats and political and economic pressure on Taiwan since Tsai came to power in 2016, which refuses to yield to any Chinese demands regarding the island.

Last year, China organized massive military exercises around the island, simulating a siege, which raised concerns in Taipei and among its main allies, including the United States.

Tsai Ing-wen, who is in her final year in office, will not be able to run again due to the two-term limit.

National elections are scheduled for next January, and Tsai's deputy, Lai Qingli, is the most likely candidate at the moment. Lai had previously described himself as a "pragmatic Taiwanese independenceist."

His rivals, Hu Yue of the Kuomintang, traditionally known for championing a rapprochement with Beijing, and Ko Wen-ji of the smaller Taiwan People's Party, are seeking to foster closer ties with Beijing.

The Commission for Ex-Prisoners' Affairs said on Tuesday that the widespread arrest campaign launched by the Israeli occupation army in cities, villages and camps in the West Bank comes within the context of collective punishment against the Palestinian people.

The Commission explained that last night and at dawn today, the occupation carried out dozens of raids, which were accompanied by sabotage and tampering with homes, and arrested approximately 50 Palestinians, the majority of whom were freed prisoners.

The Commission confirmed that these practices demonstrate the extent of the confusion and disorientation experienced by the occupation system, and that it is trying to escape from its abject security failure through these practices, which confirm that the policy of collective punishment is one of the foundations of the work of the occupying state, and its permanent refuge that exposes its fascism and decadence.

The Commission stressed that this Zionist extremism, the criminality of the occupation army, and its implementation of daily killings and arrests will not deter the Palestinian people, nor dissuade them from continuing their struggle, until their freedom is achieved.

Today, Tuesday, settlers stormed the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, under heavy protection from the Israeli occupation police.

According to local sources, dozens of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa from the direction of the Mughariba Gate, and carried out provocative rounds in its courtyards.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees (UNRWA) announced today, Tuesday, that more than 187,518 people in the Gaza Strip have been displaced from their homes, as a result of the occupation’s aggression that has continued for four days, and the number is likely to rise.

According to UNRWA's latest report on the situation in the Gaza Strip, 137,500 displaced people reside in 83 UNRWA schools in all areas of the Gaza Strip, while about 3,000 Palestinians in Gaza are still displaced in the wake of the previous escalation.

The report indicated an increasing number of displaced people seeking shelter in UNRWA schools, with the continuation of intense Israeli air strikes.

It pointed out the difficult conditions in some shelters that suffer from overcrowding and the limited availability of potable water, noting that all schools are not designated as emergency shelters, and therefore they are not prepared to receive internally displaced people.

UNRWA confirmed that every effort is being made to provide basic services to the internally displaced, and that, in coordination with the World Food Program, it distributed bread to the displaced in shelters.

It explained that 18 UNRWA facilities have been damaged since October 7, in addition to the fact that the UNRWA office in the Gaza region, where local and international employees are located, was exposed to collateral damage as a result of air strikes in the Al-Rimal area in central Gaza City.

It pointed out that UNRWA schools throughout the Gaza Strip remain closed.

On Tuesday, Addameer Foundation reported that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant signed a decision on October 8th of this month that considers Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip “unlawful combatants.”

The organization explained that Gallant took this decision based on the “Unlawful Combatant Law” issued in 2002, where Order 3 (A-B) stipulated that detainees from the Gaza Strip be held in a camp called Sdet Yaman, which is an army camp near Beersheba, and this applies. The order is valid for 10 weeks from its date.

This is in contravention of international humanitarian law, which stipulates that detained fighters are prisoners of war.

A team of experts from the Phanagoria archaeological expedition has unveiled the remains of one of the world’s oldest synagogues within the historical boundaries of the ancient Greek city of Phanagoria, situated on Russia’s Taman Peninsula.

Phanagoria, founded by Greek settlers on the Taman Gulf’s shores in the 6th century BCE, encapsulates an expansive settlement and necropolis encompassing 900 hectares and boasting more than 700 mounds.

This city played a pivotal role as a thriving trade hub, connecting the coastal regions of the Maeotian marshes to territories south of the Caucasus mountains.

The archaeological excavation, conducted under the auspices of the Oleg Deripaska Volnoe Delo Foundation, has uncovered remarkable remnants of the synagogue’s foundations, walls, and a treasure trove of artifacts, including exquisite marble menorahs, liturgy tables, and fragments of ornate marble steles.

The synagogue’s origins trace back to the Second Temple Period (597 BCE to CE 70), a time of historical and religious significance, standing resolutely on the shores of the Black Sea for approximately five centuries. The synagogue’s existence was marred by the city’s eventual sacking and devastation at the hands of invading Huns.

Nevertheless, Phanagoria’s spirit endured, rebounding in the 7th century as the capital of Old Great Bulgaria and embracing a Byzantine affiliation.

Architecturally, the synagogue is an awe-inspiring rectangular structure measuring 21 meters in length and 6 meters in width, housing two chambers exceeding 60 square meters each. The interior, as deduced from architectural remnants, is believed to have showcased opulent marble columns, walls adorned with captivating paintings and tiles, and resplendent ornamental marble menorahs.

One of the crucial aspects of this discovery lies in the inscriptions found within the synagogue’s precincts. A stele fragment from the 5th century CE bears the Greek inscription “synagogue,” while other marble tablets, dating to 16 and 51 CE, bear inscriptions referring to a “house of prayer” and “synagogue,” respectively.

These artifacts stand as pivotal evidence, placing the Phanagoria synagogue among the world’s oldest, with its roots dating back to at least the early 1st century CE.

Historical records and depictions from the era accentuate the vibrant Jewish community’s presence within the city during the 1st century CE. Notably, amphorae and tombstones adorned with menorahs corroborate this assertion.

Furthermore, medieval historical accounts resonate with the notion that Jews formed a substantial segment of Phanagoria’s populace. Theophanes, an 8th-century Byzantine chronicler, and Ibn-Hordadbeha, a 9th-century Arabian geographer, both refer to Phanagoria as a “Jewish city.”

The expedition, led by the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, has been systematically excavating Phanagoria since 2004, with support from the Oleg Deripaska Volnoe Delo Foundation. Comprising a team of 250 archaeologists, students, and volunteers, these excavations have spanned an impressive 7,000 square meters, unearthing the remnants of this ancient Greek city.

The city’s historical significance remains preserved in treasures exhibited in esteemed institutions like the Hermitage, and the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, as well as museums in the UK and Germany.

The expedition’s findings have resonated globally, with presentations at international scientific gatherings across multiple countries.

The newly revealed synagogue stands as an emblem of the intricate interplay of history, culture, and religion. This discovery offers insights into the religious and cultural dynamics that once flourished in the region.

Maduro said in a statement on television, “The Secretary-General of the United Nations issued a statement, which we read carefully, as a warning and cautionary statement against the genocide that began against the Palestinian people in Gaza.”

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused Israel of committing "genocide" against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, upon which Israel decided to impose an "absolute siege," prompting United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to express his "deep concern" about the repercussions of such a step.

Maduro said in a statement on television, “The Secretary-General of the United Nations issued a statement, which we read carefully, as a warning and cautionary statement against the genocide that began against the Palestinian people in Gaza.”

In his statement, Guterres acknowledged Israel's "legitimate concerns about its security," expressing at the same time his "deep concern" about Israel's decision to impose an "absolute siege" on the Gaza Strip.

The Venezuelan president added, "We have previously witnessed massacres, brutal massacres, against the Palestinian people in the past," considering that the Palestinians are subjected to a "new apartheid" regime.

Maduro continued, "We demand a ceasefire, we demand respect for United Nations resolutions, we demand respect for the rights of peoples, and we demand the immediate start of peace negotiations so that the Palestinian people regain their legitimate rights to independence, land, and peace."

He added, "I defend the Palestinian people and defend peace."

In 2009, his predecessor, the late President Hugo Chavez, accused Israel of carrying out "genocide" in Gaza after an Israeli attack targeting the Strip at the end of 2008.

From "Arabs 48" website

Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hussein Al-Sheikh, said on Tuesday, that the Palestinian leadership headed by President Mahmoud Abbas continues to hold intensive contacts with world leaders to stop the devastating war on the Gaza Strip.

He pointed out that the leadership demanded the entry of urgent food and medical supplies into the Gaza Strip.

Today, Tuesday, settlers forced farmers to leave their lands in the village of Kafr Ni’ma, west of Ramallah.

According to local sources, a number of settlers attacked farmers and olive pickers in the Wadi Hamad area of the village, and forced them to leave their lands.

It is reported that settlers attacked the youth village in Kafr Ni'ma, and opened fire randomly.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said on Tuesday that Israel is committing the crime of cutting off basic needs from the Gaza Strip under the cover of international parties.

In a statement, the Ministry condemned the decision of the occupation authorities to cut off the basic needs of Palestinian citizens in the Gaza Strip and prevent access to them, including water, electricity, food, medical supplies, and fuel, in flagrant violation of international and humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, and the obligations of the occupying state.

The Ministry called on the UN Security Council, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and all parties to assume their responsibilities in stopping this aggression against our people immediately, lifting all forms of collective punishment, and ensuring that basic needs reach our people in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

It also condemned the boasting of a number of Israeli ministers with these racist positions, including the statements of the Minister of the Occupying Army, which express a state of loss of balance, in blatant disregard for the principles of human rights, with unlimited cover from a number of countries, which the occupying state exploits to commit brutal massacres against civilian citizens. Isolated people, including children, women, patients, journalists, and medical and ambulance crews.

Today, Tuesday, Israeli occupation forces arrested five citizens from the town of Abu Dis, east of occupied Jerusalem.

According to local sources in the town, the occupation forces arrested: Issa Qurei, Imran and Rad Halabiya, and his two sons, Islam and Maan, after raiding and searching their homes.

About 19 million children in Sudan are still out of school as the country's military conflict approaches its sixth month, according to UNICEF and Save the Children in a joint statement issued on Monday.

The two organizations said in the statement that of this number, about 6.5 million children lost access to school due to increasing violence and insecurity in their areas, as about 10,400 schools in conflict-affected areas closed their doors.

Meanwhile, more than 5.5 million children residing in areas less affected by the war are waiting for local authorities to confirm whether classrooms can reopen.

There are 23 million children in Sudan, nearly half of the country's total population. Even before the conflict broke out on April 15, nearly 7 million children were out of school.

The two organizations warned that children in Sudan will not be able to return to school in the coming months if the war continues, which will expose them to immediate and long-term risks, including displacement, recruitment by armed groups, and sexual violence.

The two agencies explained in the statement that spending on social services has witnessed a sharp decline, as teachers in almost all states have lost their salaries since the start of the armed conflict. There is a shortage of educational supplies, and educational facilities are not maintained. Although efforts are underway in a few areas to ensure that education systems in Sudan remain effective, there are significant limitations, and needs are quickly outpacing resources, according to the statement.

UNICEF and Save the Children called on the Sudanese authorities to reopen schools in safe areas, while supporting alternative learning methods in communities where it is no longer possible to open schools due to safety and security concerns.

The two organizations also called on the international community to stand in solidarity with Sudanese children and provide resources and support to ensure that millions of Sudanese children return to school, and to ensure that children affected by the conflict have the opportunity to access learning and psychosocial support in safe places.

On Tuesday, the Hamas movement called for declaring next Friday, “Friday of the Al-Aqsa Flood,” a day of general mobilization in the Arab and Islamic world and free people of the world, in solidarity with the Palestinian people and their resistance, a day to mobilize support, support and participation, and a day to expose the crimes of the occupation, isolate it, and thwart all its aggressive plans.

In a statement, Hamas also called on the rebellious youth in the West Bank and Jerusalem to go out in roaring crowds and attack the occupation forces and settlers and clash with them everywhere, emphasizing the unity of destiny and path.

A call was sent to the people of the occupied interior to mobilize and gather at Al-Aqsa and prevent settlers from storming it.

It called on the Arab and Islamic masses, and the Palestinians of the diaspora, to march towards the borders of Palestine in huge crowds to declare solidarity with Palestine, Jerusalem, and Al-Aqsa, calling on the free people of the world to mobilize and show solidarity.

Netanyahu is wrong if he believes that through his devastating bombing of the Gaza Strip, which primarily targets Palestinian civilians, and by cutting off water, electricity, fuel, and preventing food, that this and other things will make our people submit, raise the white flag, deny the resistance, and beg the occupation to lift the siege and return everything that it cut off and withholds from the Gaza Strip.

The war of annihilation carried out by the occupation army at the behest of Netanyahu and his government will only lead to an increase in the state of hostility between the Palestinian and Israeli parties, which will keep the conflict ongoing, and if it stops for periods of time, it will explode again with greater strength and determination than it is now. The continuation of the conflict will not only harm the Palestinian side, but it will also inflict heavy losses on the Israeli side, as we see now in the Al-Aqsa deluge War. Rather, the continuation of the conflict will increase these losses, and the occupying state will also pay the price as a result of its continued occupation, orgy, violations, and crimes committed against our people, their land, their holy sites, and all his property.
The continuation of the conflict also means that our people will not give up their established national rights to return, self-determination, and establishing their independent state on their national soil, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

If the occupation believes that it will liquidate the Palestinian resistance, led by the Hamas movement, this means that it has not benefited from the experiences of history, whether the history of our people’s continuous struggle for more than a century, or against the Balfour Declaration, or against the British Mandate, or against the Jewish colonial migration to Palestine, the land of its fathers and grandfathers. At every stage of the Palestinian national struggle, there were brigades, groups and organizations emerging from among the ranks of the Palestinian people leading the struggle to achieve Palestinian national rights. Things will not be restored except with the departure of the occupation, which the more it continues to occupy, the greater and more severe its losses will be, and in the end it will be defeated, along with all its supporters and backers, from America to the colonial West.

The experiences of the peoples have proven that the peoples are victorious in the end, no matter how long or short the time may be. Instead of the end of the occupation being defeat, it would be better for it to recognize the national rights of our people and leave irrevocably from our land and our sanctities, for the country is our country and our people will not retreat from it one iota.

Our people, who have made great sacrifices on the altar of their national cause, will not be intimidated by the massacres carried out by the occupation army in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem. These massacres, which are war crimes, shame humanity, and the fate of their perpetrators is the same as the fate of everyone who committed war crimes against humanity, and history will hold their perpetrators accountable.

Anyone looking at what happened on October 7, 2023, in the Gaza Strip, is shocked by the “invasion” into the territories occupied in 1948, attacking the settlements, and the “thickening” operation that took place by the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement. The Israeli deaths and injuries number in the hundreds. The subsequent or accompanying taking of dozens of Israeli prisoners or detainees.

In the event of war and the hour of confrontation, they do not exchange blame, and pretend to be united, and this applies to the Israeli opposition, led by Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz. But once the initial hours of confrontation pass, the exchange of blame and the revelation of facts begin. In practice, what happened can be understood through a sequence that illustrates the Israeli failure, both security and politically, and explains how the government of religious Zionist extremists dragged their entity into a series of mistakes. How this government's "imaginations" revealed the reality into which Israel has been drawn, and that Israeli parties warned of the danger of this government. The sequence of events, such as what happened in the Ashkelon area, north of Gaza, can be described in several stages.

The first was that the six prisoners escaped from Gilboa prison, in September 2021, and then the surprise was how the prisoners were able to defeat the technology, cameras, and prison plans described as the most complex. It became clear that the prisoners were able to access, or dismantle, the building plans and draw an escape plan, which was a blow to the saying The invincible army, and a blow to Israeli technology.

The second station was built on the escape of prisoners. The formation of the Jenin Battalion began to support the prisoners during their escape, but their recapture led to the battalion turning to be a kind of resistance, so the phenomenon expanded, forming battalions and groups, which later began to occupy the Israeli army and receive a security focus. Israel, at the expense of the Gaza Strip.

The third stage: the Israeli governments adopt a plan based on dividing the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and helping the two authorities to keep each in its place. The authority of the Hamas movement in Gaza and the authority of the Fatah movement in the West Bank, provided that the two authorities remain weak. Israel allowed money from abroad to enter Gaza, eased the siege, allowed thousands of workers to enter from the Strip to work in Israeli projects, and encouraged and coordinated with Hamas through intermediaries for companies in the Strip to work for Israeli factories.

Israel believed that these “arrangements” were sufficient to convince Hamas to calm down. What Israel did not notice is that the suffering of civilians in Gaza does not include the armed wing. The leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, threatened at the end of May 2021, “We will burn everything green and dry” if the problem in the Strip was not solved. He revealed, at the time, that the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades’ financial, expertise, and intelligence resources were separate from the rest of Hamas’ components in Gaza, and relied on parties including Iran and Hezbollah. But Israel bet that the priority in Gaza was the continuation of Hamas’s authority, even with its state of weakness. It did not take the threat of burning land and land seriously, and did not take into account the consequences of the presence of resources at the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and its armed wings separate from the rest of “Gaza’s finances.” This contributed to the Israeli army relaxing and focusing on the armed groups in the West Bank. Indeed, those targeted by Israel in Gaza were leaders of the Islamic Jihad and Hamas movements who were believed to play a role in mobilizing the West Bank. An example of this is the assassinations committed by Israel last May, and its continued threat to target the leader of the Hamas movement residing abroad, Saleh Al-Arouri, as he is responsible for armed action in the West Bank.

The fourth stop to reach October 7, the Israeli elections, November 2022, which resulted in a government that restructured security and defense in Israel, in a very strange way.

  For example, the Israeli Ministry of Defense has two ministers, one of whom is from the Likud Party, Yoav Gallant, and the second has certain powers within the ministry, Bezalel Smotrich, who came from the religious Zionist movement and has no security experience. Itamar Ben Gvir was appointed Minister of National Security, with the powers to create new forces separate from the army. Not only does Ben Gvir have security or military experience, but his recruitment into the army was previously rejected due to the nature of his behavior and positions. He has a kind of vendetta with the army leaders. Israeli opposition officials, led by former Army Minister Benny Gantz, have warned of the danger of what is happening. On November 26, 2022, he wrote on his Twitter account, “National security - or dismantling security into parts of the forces and establishing an army.” Special for Ghafir milk?” He said that what is happening is the dismantling of government powers into “fragments of ministries,” and that what is happening is “a disgrace that will lead to a security risk.” Former Chief of Staff Guy Eisenkot said that Ben Gvir's assignment of the National Security portfolio was a "sad joke." Indeed, disagreements began within the army and among the ministers in charge of security. Israeli security now has multiple conflicting heads.

The fifth station is the subject of the legal amendments that the Netanyahu government wanted to implement, which would reduce the powers of the judiciary to monitor the government and hold politicians accountable, and increase the authority of ministers in deciding whether to develop settlements and govern the West Bank and the settlements. This led to unprecedented protests in Israel, which included army officers entering the protests and many of them abstaining from serving. In fact, the Minister of Defense, Yoav Galant, was dismissed from his position last March due to his position on the protests, before he was returned to his position after about Two weeks after his dismissal, amid confusion in the Israeli security services.

The sixth station took place on June 3, which may be considered a mini-rehearsal for October 7. That day, an Egyptian policeman entered the Palestinian territories, killed three Israeli soldiers, and spent hours without the Israeli army noticing the death of its soldiers or the presence of an attacker, in a scandalous indication of sagging in this army.

In this sense, the Israelis thought, before October 7, that they had neutralized Gaza, and their government underestimated the possibilities of a Palestinian reaction to the Al-Aqsa incursions and settlement activity. At the same time, the process of leading and managing Israeli security was going through a crisis. Many soldiers were deployed in the West Bank, at the expense of the southern region. While the leadership of the military wing of the Hamas movement works silently, and conducts maneuvers that everyone thinks are close to fantasy, as the training of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades included storming settlements, but everyone considered them a show only. While this was going on, the morale of the Israeli army was declining, due to the political division, the exhaustion of its forces protecting settler “gangs” and their violence in the West Bank, in addition to the lack of consensus between the security leadership.

From "The New Arab"

The initiative of Hamas and the resistance movement to launch the “Al-Aqsa Deluge” attack stunned and confused the Israeli government, army and security services. October 7 was, as Nahum Barnea, the famous Israeli journalist, says, “the worst day in the history of the military wars that Israel fought,” and Hamas aimed to, As Ben Caspit wrote, to Get A Victory Image came back with a full album.  In order to understand the dimensions of what happened and the reasons for the shameful defeat, we must know the great impact of the deep internal crisis that Israel is experiencing under the most extremist Israeli government, and its efforts to change Israel into a dictatorial state even for the Jews, and we must know what Israeli leaders, experts and journalists wrote that it is a political and intelligence failure. A formidable military force, it indicates a fragility that was unimaginable in one of the strongest and best armies in the world. It indicates the arrogance of power, and reflects complete recklessness that reached the point of complete blindness, to the point of not stopping at the military maneuvers conducted by the Al-Qassam Brigades, which mimicked what happened before a while ago of the Al-Aqsa Deluge.

  It also indicates the competence, courage and progress of the Palestinian fighter, and a leadership ability that demonstrated abilities in planning, leadership, command and control, camouflage and confusion, as well as strategic and intelligence deception.

  When we compare the Al-Aqsa Deluge to the battles, military rounds, and resistance operations that took place from the year 2005 until now, it appears that Israel lost about 400 people over the course of 18 years, while on October 7 alone, according to the admission of Israeli sources as of writing these lines, more than 700 people died, amid estimates. That the number will reach 1,500 dead, and the number is likely to increase; where the dead are recognized in installments to avoid causing a horrific shock to the Israelis, who are living in astonishment, frustration, and a mass funeral, with more than 2,000 wounded, hundreds of whom are in serious condition, and between 100-150 male and female prisoners have been captured, including female soldiers, soldiers, officers, and commanders, and hundreds are still missing.

 For comparison, there were 650 Israeli deaths in the June 1967 war fought by three Arab countries, the same number in the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, and more than 1,000 deaths in the operations to liberate southern Lebanon over the course of 18 years. As for the Al-Aqsa Intifada, about 1,100 Israelis were killed over the course of four years.  A resounding fall of the Israeli theory of deterrence.

The massive amount of losses in one day is unparalleled, and led to the resounding collapse of the Israeli theory of deterrence, as it was based first on retaining the initiative in war and aggression, while the resistance brigades took the initiative this time. Secondly, the battle was confined to the enemy’s internal front, while the main battlefield during the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Deluge was on the Israeli internal front. Thirdly, controlling the end of the war, and we have not achieved this, as the war is still in its beginnings. Fourth, resolve the war as quickly as possible; because a long war is causing serious damage to Israel, its economy and its prestige. Fifthly, achieving the goals sought from the war, and this has not and will not be achieved regardless of the course of the war and its results. Because what happened on its first day, the massive losses and the indescribable humiliation, will remain a clear sign of the defeat of the “Invincible Army,” whatever its results, and an inspiring embodiment of the victory of the resistance.

Why the Al-Aqsa Deluge, and at this particular time?

The first reason: assuming a government in Israel that is the most extreme in the history of Israel, which claimed to be able to resolve and achieve what previous governments had not achieved by resolving the conflict with the Palestinians once and for all, and refused to even negotiate with the Palestinians, and maintained the relationship with the Authority despite its cooperation with the occupation. Within an economic security framework, it adopted a program of annexation, displacement, Judaization, military aggression in all its forms, and racism in all its forms, and proceeded with murder, destruction of homes, arrests and assassinations, and changing the status of Al-Aqsa by imposing temporal division, and getting close to achieving spatial division in preparation for demolishing it and erecting the alleged temple in its place.

The second reason: continuing to tighten the siege on the Gaza Strip, keeping it between death and life and the largest and longest prison in history, imposing a equation of calm in exchange for economic facilities, constantly violating the understandings aimed at easing the siege, and not recognizing the Hamas movement and manipulating it by easing the siege with a dropper, and withdrawing it whenever the government wants. Occupation; which led to the deterioration of the situation in the Gaza Strip to the point that it was on the verge of collapse, rebellion against the de facto authority, or explosion in the face of the racist colonial occupation entity, and the explosion did not happen in the end.

The third reason: the increase in the number of detainees and prisoners at large rates, the enactment of racist laws and the intensification of repression and punishments against them at the hands of the fascist Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, until the number of administrative detainees reached more than 1,200 detainees, and many of them spend long and very long periods, under the evasion of the Israeli governments throughout Nine years (since 2014) without completing a new prisoner exchange deal.  In order to understand the importance of this reason, we must remember that a large number of the current Hamas leaders who influence the decision are among those who were released in the recent prisoner exchange deal, and they pledged and committed themselves to liberating the prisoners, and this put them in a very embarrassing situation. We all listened to the speech of the Prisoners' Leadership Committee, which was delivered on the anniversary of the launch of the Hamas movement in December 2022, which included major, sharp, and direct criticism of the Hamas leadership for not fulfilling its pledge to release the prisoners.  

The fourth reason: News about the progress of the Saudi-Israeli talks, under American sponsorship, to reach a normalization deal that ignores the Palestinian issue, by dealing with it as a humanitarian issue, and to realize the dimensions and implications of this step and what it will lead to in encouraging the Kahanist government to launch a larger and comprehensive attack in order to make the plan a success. Liquidating the Palestinian issue in all its dimensions, and certainly one of the most important goals of this plan after Saudi normalization will be to target the resistance in the Gaza Strip and elsewhere. 

Past experience has proven that every Arab normalization leads to Israeli military aggression against the Palestinians, so what the resistance said about information it has about the existence of an Israeli plan to launch a major military aggression against the Gaza Strip immediately after the end of the holiday celebrations cannot be excluded among the reasons.

 In order to understand the impact of this reason, we must place it in the context of the competition and struggle for leadership of the new world, which is becoming more intense in light of the counterattack launched by the Biden administration to stop its decline and maintain American unilateral control over the world. Perhaps the announcement of the Indian economic corridor is an indication of the danger of normalization. Work is underway to achieve it, as it harms the Chinese Belt and Road project, facilitates the way to liquidate the Palestinian issue, and harms Russia, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt.

 Possible scenarios

There is no doubt that the Al-Aqsa Deluge will change the rules of conflict that governed Palestinian-Israeli relations throughout the next twenty years, completely or at least to a large extent, and will have major regional and international repercussions. Israeli governments have invested in the Palestinian division, which is still like a hen that lays golden eggs for the occupation. This included realistic recognition of the continuation of Hamas' rule in the Gaza Strip, within an equation of calm in exchange for facilities, while being keen to launch military aggression after aggression to strike the resistance and its infrastructure, and prevent it from posing a serious threat to the occupation.

What happened in the Al-Aqsa Deluge is a clear indication of the failure of this policy. The resistance has accumulated its strength and was able to provide an inspiring model in terms of planning, training, camouflage, misleading and disrupting surveillance and monitoring devices. This will push the Israeli government to take terrible revenge on the scale of the shock and terror that Israel experienced, and I repeat the advice. Presented by Dr. Walid Abdel-Hay, the resistance should not disclose the numbers of prisoners, but rather a portion of them, which is sufficient to whiten the prisons, in order to achieve other goals, and in anticipation of the re-arrest of those released after their release, as Israeli governments have done more than once.

The first scenario: a devastating Israeli response that eliminates the resistance  This scenario is based on Benjamin Netanyahu’s government implementing its threats to eliminate the resistance and the rule of “Hamas,” and responding to the advice, calls, and demands presented by its very extremist audience, and by right-wing ideologues such as Dan Shiftan, who advised to destroy Gaza, and not to restrict the hand of the Israeli army due to the presence of a large number of prisoners. In the hands of the Al-Qassam Brigades and the Al-Quds Brigades, otherwise what happened will be repeated among Palestinians and Arabs. This scenario could lead to the reoccupation of the Gaza Strip.

This scenario is possible, but there are several reasons that limit its possibility, including:

 First: Achieving the set goals requires a long ground battle, and reoccupying the Gaza Strip. Even if that happens, it will not eliminate the resistance. The evidence is that the occupation forces did not succeed in eliminating the resistance in the Jenin camp despite the repeated attacks, so how will they eliminate it in the Gaza Strip, which It witnesses a huge network of tunnels and tens of thousands of missiles, as well as trained and prepared fighters. In addition, the ground attack will inflict great losses on the Israeli forces and in Israel, both human and moral, and in its economy in particular, which cannot tolerate a long war. In one day, Israel loses billions of dollars. Perhaps the decline in the price of the shekel, the stock market losses, and the suspension of flights to and from Lod Airport are just examples and evidence of this.

 Second: The war reaching an extent that touches the destruction of the Gaza Strip and the overthrow of Hamas’ rule opens the doors for Hezbollah to enter the war. It is inconceivable for the Palestinian resistance to Deluge Al-Aqsa without at least agreeing with Hezbollah to open the northern front, and the early warning message represented by the firing of shells by Hezbollah on the second day at Israeli targets in the Shebaa Farms indicates a serious possibility of Hezbollah’s involvement if Israel goes further in its war on the Gaza Strip.

 Third: The American administration, along with Western countries and NATO, do not want a regional war to erupt while the Ukrainian war is still raging. Any new war will be in the interest of Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin. Perhaps Biden’s warnings, military build-ups, and sending warships and aircraft carriers are an attempt to prevent the outbreak of a regional war. What's more is her calling.

 Fourth: Destroying the Gaza Strip and seeking to eliminate the resistance and overthrow the rule of Hamas will lead to a long war, the escalation of resistance in the West Bank, the increasing possibility of the collapse of the Authority, and the Fatah movement’s alignment with the resistance, thus opening the option of Palestinian unity and turning the page on the black division on a national and participatory basis. . If this happens, the entire plan for building the Greater Middle East will fail.

 Fifth: The occupation of the Gaza Strip, if it occurs, will not eliminate the resistance after it gained great popularity during the Deluge of Al-Aqsa, in light of the absence of a strong and legitimate Palestinian party that would accept to replace the authority of Hamas.

 Second scenario: An Israeli response does not change the rules of the conflict

This scenario is based on the Israeli government launching a strong response and retaliation without changing the rules of the conflict completely and once, and seeking to achieve the Israeli goals in stages and batches. We may witness in this scenario more than others, special operations inside the Gaza Strip, and assassinations inside and outside the Gaza Strip to obtain an image of victory.

 This scenario is reinforced by the fact that large numbers of prisoners fall into the hands of the resistance, and continuing the war of destruction leads to the killing of many of them, and the need for Israel to study the causes of the shortcomings and address them, which it has shown to be weaker than spider webs.

The third scenario: standing between the first and second scenarios  This scenario is based on the occupation forces launching a strong response, and standing on the brink of completely changing the rules of the conflict without actually doing so. This is a dangerous game, but it cannot be completely ruled out.

The goal of ending the occupation is achievable.

It is too early to decide and favor a specific scenario, as the war is at its beginning and its secrets have not been deciphered. The resistance announced that it carried out the Al-Aqsa Deluge; because it has information that the occupation army was preparing to carry out an aggression against it shortly after the end of the Jewish holidays, and the resistance did not specify its goals for the war. Is it merely a pre-emptive defensive step, or does it aim to liberate the prisoners, lift the siege, and prevent the threat to Al-Aqsa and the holy sites, or is there a major goal behind it, such as ending the occupation? The occupied territories in 1967, and thus the Al-Aqsa Deluge will continue in the hope that the West Bank and the Palestinian interior will revolt, and Arab and international solidarity movements with the Palestinian cause will be launched.

I demand the establishment of this goal (ending the occupation), which can be achieved over several years, all at once, or in batches, if it is not set at all. Because the Al-Aqsa Deluge has strongly proven the possibility of achieving it, and without a major goal such as ending the occupation, the Al-Aqsa Deluge - despite its historical importance - becomes just a new page of glory in Palestinian travel, and this is very important, but it is not enough.  Does what is happening open a political horizon?

The question being asked by some seniors interested in what is happening is: Can the experience of the October War that led to the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty be repeated?

The initial response is that the circumstances are different, and the goals of the players are different. Sadat fought the war with a settlement in mind, so he called it a war of movement and not a war of liberation.

A settlement cannot be achieved, even if it is dysfunctional, due to the lack of an Israeli partner for any settlement, even if a unity government is formed in Israel. However, liquidation can be achieved if the resistance is defeated and Israeli goals are achieved. Then there will be a surrender solution, and this has become more difficult now, if not impossible, and then the normalization train will resume its course, as will the plan to establish a new Middle East, and the authority will be the representative of the Palestinian side.

However, these are pipe dreams, as what happened in the Al-Aqsa Deluge and its implications once again prove the overwhelming popularity of the resistance option, and the impossibility of jumping on the Palestinian people and their rights, as it is the difficult number, whether whoever wants it or whoever refuses it.

A senior Hamas official said the group is open to discussions over a possible truce with Israel, having "achieved its targets."

Moussa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera in a phone interview that Hamas was open to "something of that sort" and "all political dialogues" when asked whether the Islamist group is willing to discuss a possible ceasefire.

The European Union backtracked in disarray on Monday on an announcement that aid to Palestinians had been suspended in response to the attack on Israel by Hamas after EU countries complained the bloc's executive had overstepped the mark.

The confusion began after Oliver Varhelyi, the top official for relations with the EU's neighbors, said the European Commission was putting all its development aid for Palestinians, worth 691 million euros ($729 million), under review.

In a post on social media site X, Varhelyi - a Hungarian who is European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement - also said all payments were "immediately suspended".

Varhelyi was nominated for his post by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a staunch ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The announcement prompted consternation among multiple governments, who had warned against cutting off aid to the detriment of Palestinian civilians and questioned whether the Commission had the authority to take such a decision.

The move also came as a surprise as officials had said earlier in the day that aid to Palestinians would be discussed at an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers on Tuesday.

Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg and Ireland publicly voiced alarm while other countries did so behind the scenes, diplomats said.

"Our understanding is that there is no legal basis for a unilateral decision of this kind by an individual Commissioner and we do not support a suspension of aid," a spokesperson for Ireland's foreign ministry said.

More than five hours after Varhelyi's social media post, the Commission issued a statement confirming it had started an urgent aid review but also declaring that "as there were no payments foreseen, there will be no suspension of payments".

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell then sowed further confusion when he said the EU would not suspend "due payments" - right after the Commission had said no payments were foreseen.

The Commission declined to explain the discrepancy. But it clarified that humanitarian aid - which is separate to funds for development - would continue.

It said it was carrying out the review to "ensure that no EU funding indirectly enables any terrorist organization to carry out attacks against Israel".

Hamas militants killed some 900 Israelis and abducted dozens in the deadliest such incursion since the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago, prompting Israel to retaliate with its heaviest ever bombardment of Gaza, which has killed more than 680 people.

LONGSTANDING DIVISIONS

The EU's disarray reflected longstanding divisions within the 27-strong bloc over the Israel-Palestinian conflict, even as its members united to condemn Saturday's attack.

Germany and Austria said earlier on Monday they were suspending their development aid to Palestinians, while others such as Italy said suspending their aid was not up for discussion.

Europe is one of the main sources of aid to the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories where the United Nations estimates that around 2.1 million people need humanitarian assistance, among them 1 million children.

Total EU assistance earmarked for the Palestinian people under the 2022 budget allocation was 296 million euros.

Neither the EU Commission, Germany or Austria differentiated between Gaza, the Palestinian enclave ruled by Hamas, and the much larger West Bank run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Fatah movement is a rival to Hamas.

In Germany, Development Minister Svenja Schulze of the Social Democrats said no payments were currently being made for bilateral aid projects as Berlin re-examined its engagement with the Palestinian territories.

"This is also an expression of our unbreakable solidarity with Israel," she told a news conference.

Germany's development ministry has earmarked 250 million euros in development funds for bilateral projects in the Palestinian territories for this and next year. It did not say how much of that it had already disbursed this year.

German politicians have in recent days emphasized their country's duty towards Israel and its security given the historic responsibility for the Holocaust. The Israeli flag was projected on Saturday night onto Berlin's landmark Brandenburg Gate.

Still, some politicians have pushed back against the decision to suspend aid, saying Hamas but not all Palestinians were responsible for the attack.

Moreover a spokesperson for the Greens-run foreign ministry said it would continue to disburse the 73 million euros it had earmarked for Palestinians - which were separate to the development ministry funds, and most of which had already been spent.

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said the country was suspending development aid totalling around 19 million euros ($20 million) for a handful of projects.

Neutral Austria's ruling conservatives have adopted one of the most pro-Israel stances in the European Union in recent years. The Israeli flag has been hoisted above the chancellor's office and the Foreign Ministry after the shock Hamas assault.

On Tuesday, the Israeli occupation forces launched a massive arrest campaign among citizens.

According to prisoner institutions, these forces arrested more than 32 citizens.

From the town of Sa'ir in Hebron, 9 citizens were arrested, the majority of whom were from the Al-Faroukh family.

Meanwhile, 7 citizens were arrested from Bethlehem, the majority of whom were from Dheisheh camp.

7 citizens were arrested from Jenin, 8 citizens from Nablus, and a citizen from Qalqilya.

Two citizens were arrested from Ramallah, one from Kobar, and the other from Ibwein.

The Israeli army claimed, on Tuesday morning, that its forces succeeded in controlling the border with the Gaza Strip, and that no new infiltration attempts were recorded during the past 24 hours.

Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hageri said that his forces are currently busy with what he described as “cleansing” the cover settlements of militants, noting that clashes took place in Kfar Saad and Kissufim last night and the militants who were hiding there were liquidated.

He stated that his forces worked to fill the gaps in the wall, restore the infrastructure, including cameras and sensors, deploy ground forces, and place mines in some areas.

He pointed out that his forces are still continuing their widespread attacks in Gaza, noting that this comes within the framework of preparations for a ground operation.

He pointed out that his forces are following what is happening in other arenas, such as the West Bank, the northern front, and even Iranian agents in Yemen and Iraq. like he said.

Last night, the young Palestinian, Muhammad Majed Hammad (20 years old), died as a result of critical wounds he sustained by bullets from the Israeli occupation forces in the Al-Arroub camp, north of Hebron.

According to the Ministry of Health, the martyr Hammad was shot in the chest.

This brings the number of martyrs in the West Bank since last Saturday to 18 martyrs, including three children.

Where were the Israeli Defense Forces, in those long hours as Hamas militants roamed at will around communities near Gaza, some are asking.

"The army completely failed as a quick-reaction force," one Israeli said, pointing to how some of the communities that came under attack had to rely on their own civilian protection forces while they waited for the military to arrive.

The full answer of why this happened will take some time to emerge. But it seems as if surprise, scale and speed overwhelmed defenses which were patchy and unprepared for what they faced.

Surprise was crucial in Hamas's assault.

Israeli intelligence failed to get inside the planning by Hamas for the attack. The group seems to have undertaken a long-term program of deception to give the impression it was incapable or unwilling to launch an ambitious attack.

It also practiced good operational security, probably keeping off electronic communications.

Hamas then relied on the unprecedented scale and speed of what came next.

Thousands of rockets fired from Gaza hit areas across Israel, including the city of Tel Aviv

Thousands of rockets were launched as cover. But there were also drone strikes on the monitoring equipment that Israel uses on the border fence to watch what is happening. Heavy explosives and vehicles then created as many as 80 breaches in the security fence.

Motorized hang-gliders and motorbikes were also involved, as between 800 and 1,000 armed men flooded out of Gaza to attack multiple sites.

These swarming tactics seem to have succeeded in overwhelming Israel's defenses - at least for a while.

Such a range of activity would have led to chaos within Israel's command and control centers, already quiet on a Saturday morning which was also a religious holiday.

Some of the Hamas fighters targeted civilian communities while others targeted military outposts. There has been shock that these outposts were so lightly-defended that they could be overrun, with images posted of Israeli tanks in Hamas hands.

And the holes in the border remained open for long enough to allow hostages to be taken into Gaza before tanks were eventually used to close them up.

Israel is now amassing tanks and men on the border with Gaza after calling up hundreds of thousands of reservists

Defenses seem to have been patchy - Israeli security and defense forces had in recent months been more focused on the West Bank rather than Gaza, potentially leaving gaps. And Hamas may have counted on the divisions in Israeli society over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's policies to further distract the security establishment.

Israel's military and intelligence capability has long been rated as the best in the Middle East and one of the best in the world. But they may also have underestimated the abilities of their opponents.

The attacks have been compared to those of 9/11 in the US, when no-one had predicted that planes could be used as weapons. That was often called a "failure of imagination".

And a similar failure of imagination may also be one of the issues for Israel, leaving it unprepared for something so ambitious from its enemy.

Those concerns will certainly be part of the long-term inquiries that will likely take place. In the short term though, the focus will be on working out what to do next rather than looking back.

Israeli intelligence failed to know the details of Hamas' plans to carry out the attack. The movement appears to have carried out a long-term deception program to give the impression that it is unable or unwilling to launch an ambitious attack.

Two journalists were martyred, at dawn on Tuesday, as a result of Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip.

According to Al-Quds.com's correspondent in Gaza, journalists Saeed Al-Taweel and Muhammad Sobh were martyred, while journalist Hisham Al-Nawajah was seriously injured.

He pointed out that a group of journalists were bombed while covering the occupation bombing of the Hajji residential building in Gaza City.

Thus, the number of journalist martyrs since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza rises to 5.

The government media office and press institutions in the Gaza Strip condemned the targeting of journalists and their institutions by the occupation, considering that this comes within the framework of the occupation’s attempts to prevent journalists from revealing its crimes against citizens.

For the fourth day in a row, the Israeli occupation forces continue their aggression against the Gaza Strip, using a “scorched earth” policy by destroying various targets.

According to the latest statistics, the number of martyrs rose to 687 martyrs, and 3,726 citizens were injured with varying injuries.

According to the Ministry of Health, among the martyrs were 140 children and 105 women, while 10% of the casualties were children.

The occupation's crimes resulted in massacres against 13 families, and these massacres led to the martyrdom of 105 of their relatives, a large number of whom are still under the rubble.

Israeli warplanes bombed several homes and residential buildings in different areas of the Gaza Strip.

These attacks throughout the night left many martyrs and wounded, and caused great destruction.

While the resistance continued its bombardment of the occupation settlements and cities adjacent to the Gaza Strip with dozens of missiles.

Behind all this lies Israeli arrogance; the idea that we can do whatever we like, that we’ll never pay the price and be punished for it. We’ll carry on undisturbed.

We’ll arrest, kill, harass, dispossess and protect the settlers busy with their pogroms. We'll visit Joseph’s Tomb, Othniel’s Tomb and Joshua’s Altar in the Palestinian territories, and of course the Temple Mount – over 5,000 Jews on Sukkot alone.

The Gaza Palestinians are willing to pay any price for a moment of freedom. Will Israel learn its lesson? No.

We thought we’d continue to go down to Gaza, scatter a few crumbs in the form of tens of thousands of Israeli work permits – always contingent on good behavior – and still keep them in prison. We’ll make peace with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and the Palestinians will be forgotten until they’re erased, as quite a few Israelis would like.

We’ll keep holding thousands of Palestinian prisoners, sometimes without trial, most of them political prisoners. And we won’t agree to discuss their release even after they've been in prison for decades.

We’ll tell them that only by force will their prisoners see freedom. We thought we would arrogantly keep rejecting any attempt at a diplomatic solution, only because we don’t want to deal with all that, and everything would continue that way forever.

Just as the smoky old Palestinian bulldozer tore through the world’s smartest barrier Saturday, it tore away at Israel’s arrogance and complacency. And that’s also how it tore away at the idea that it’s enough to occasionally attack Gaza with suicide drones – and sell them to half the world – to maintain security.

On Saturday, Israel saw pictures it has never seen before. Palestinian vehicles patrolling its cities, bike riders entering through the Gaza gates. These pictures tear away at that arrogance. The Gaza Palestinians have decided they’re willing to pay any price for a moment of freedom. Is there any hope in that? No. Will Israel learn its lesson? No.

On Saturday they were already talking about wiping out entire neighborhoods in Gaza, about occupying the Strip and punishing Gaza “as it has never been punished before.” But Israel hasn’t stopped punishing Gaza since 1948, not for a moment.

After 75 years of abuse, the worse possible scenario awaits it once again. The threats of “flattening Gaza” prove only one thing: We haven’t learned a thing. The arrogance is here to stay, even though Israel is paying a high price once again.

Gaza, most of whose residents are refugees created by Israel. Gaza, which has never known a single day of freedom.

At least 91 Palestinian children have been killed in the Gaza Strip as the Israeli military launched an offensive over the weekend, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Defense Children International "DCIP" has confirmed the killing of at least 50 Palestinian children in direct Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip between October 7 and 9.  DCIP continues to document and confirm Palestinian child fatalities in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip as hostilities continue as Israeli forces unleashed a massive military offensive on the Gaza Strip on Saturday after Palestinian armed groups fired rockets toward Israel and breached the Israeli perimeter fence surrounding Gaza early on October 7, launching attacks inside Israel. Israeli forces initiated a large-scale military operation dubbed Operation Iron Swords. 

Two Palestinian journalists were killed early Tuesday in an airstrike by Israeli warplanes on the Gaza Strip. 

Saeed Al-Taweel and Mohammad Sobh were killed while filming the targeting of a residential building by Israeli warplanes in Rimal district in western Gaza, according to information obtained by Anadolu from hospital sources.

Other journalists were reportedly injured in the same area during the bombing.

Israeli warplanes are bombing various areas of Gaza throughout the night.  In areas where the material damage is severe, there have been no official statements yet on the number of casualties and injuries.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul