This morning, Thursday, the Israeli occupation forces launched an arrest campaign in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem.

In Qalqilya, the occupation forces stormed Azzun from its northern entrance, amidst the firing of sound bombs and toxic gas, and arrested the two brothers: Muhammad and Othman Abdul Hadi, and assaulted the young man Omar Nasser Salama, after raiding and searching their homes.

The occupation forces also raided several homes in the areas of Al-Maqbara, Khallet Al-Darba, Al-Muthallath, Jisr Al-Khalayel, and Al-Mansoura. The owners were identified as: Mufid, Tamer, Naji, Kazem, Rashid Radwan, Abdul Hadi Al-Badran, Mustafa Adwan, Nasser Salama, and Aboud Yousef Salama. They searched them and ransacked their contents, causing havoc.

The occupation forces also detonated an explosive device in the home of citizen Abdul Hadi Badran, after forcing the family to evacuate their home and stay for hours in the bitter cold. The explosion also resulted in partial destruction of the contents of the home, and partial damage to citizen Badran’s vehicle.

In Bethlehem, the following were arrested: Muhammad Wael Daajneh (22 years old), Muhammad Salah Al-Masaeed (22 years old), Bassam Abdul Rahman Abu Aker (62 years old), and the Secretary of the Fatah Movement in Aida Camp north of Bethlehem, Marwan Mahmoud Fararjah (37 years old), who are both released detainees, after raiding and searching their families’ homes in the camp.

The occupation forces also arrested the two young men, Muhammad Mustafa Sabatin and Ahmad Mahmoud Hamamra, both 19 years old, from the village of Husan to the west, after raiding and searching their parents’ homes.

From the town of Al-Khader to the south, these forces arrested citizen Masid Suleiman Salah (48 years old), after raiding his house and tampering with its contents.

In Al-Bireh, they arrested the young man Abdullah Al-Aref from the Umm Al-Sharait neighborhood, after raiding and searching his house.

In occupied Jerusalem, the occupation forces arrested the young man, Islam Zayed, after storming his house in Qalandia camp and searching it.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced that at least 74 children were killed in the first seven days of 2025, due to the ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip, including attacks on a unilaterally designated safe zone.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a post on the X platform that eight infants and newborns have died since December 26 due to hypothermia, while more than a million Gazan children live in temporary tents unable to withstand low temperatures.

“We have long warned that inadequate shelter, lack of access to nutrition and healthcare, dire health conditions and now winter weather are putting the lives of all children in Gaza at risk, with newborns and children with underlying health conditions particularly at risk,” she added.

The future of the Palestinian cause and the path and outcome of any future settlement will be affected by Trump’s return to the White House

Trump's policy will revolve around major issues that are primarily related to restoring America's position in the world.

Trump wants stability that preserves American interests in the region and is based on continued, unwavering support for Israel.

Trump gives Saudi Arabia a special status due to its wealth and religious status that qualifies it to lead the Arab and Islamic worlds

For Trump, the Palestinian issue is nothing more than a factor of unrest and an obstacle to regional stability.

Trump's settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will not necessarily be consistent with the vision of the right-wing-religious Netanyahu government

Away from slogans, Israel was able to undermine the capabilities of the "Axis of Resistance", dismantle the "unity of the arenas" and weaken Iran's position.

Israel provided the appropriate ground for imposing the stability that Trump wants in the region even before he took office

The Palestinian issue has become a heavy burden and a source of annoyance that many ruling regimes want to get rid of and remove from their shoulders.

A set of data that have currently gathered on the external and internal Palestinian levels indicate that the next stage, specifically during Trump's second term, will have repercussions that will have a major impact on the Palestinian cause, and perhaps decisive in terms of the long-standing attempts to end it and close the file related to addressing the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people. What makes this stage fraught with risks, which the Palestinians are expected to face, is that it comes with the convergence of a group of external factors, American, regional and Israeli, putting intense pressure towards resolving the Arab/Palestinian-Israeli conflict, on the one hand, at a time when the internal Palestinian situation has reached a state of extreme weakness, resulting from the loss of self-immunity, which greatly reduces the Palestinian ability to be able to confront incoming pressures with the required effectiveness, on the other hand. What is very worrying with this situation is the high possibility of passing the "minimum settlement" on the Palestinians, and being forced to accept it, if the Palestinians do not take rapid and effective action to address the deterioration of the internal situation, and restore at least the minimum level of lost immunity.

To understand the impact of external factors on the future of the Palestinian cause, it is necessary to investigate the starting points and objectives, and clarify the impact of the intersection of interests of the main external actors in this file. These actors can be divided into three levels: international, regional, and Israeli.

International level: Although the unipolar international system is witnessing transformations, albeit slow, towards multipolarity, the United States of America still monopolizes, currently and for the foreseeable future, the most important position and the broadest international influence in the Middle East region, and the absolute control over the Palestinian-Israeli conflict settlement file. This monopolization continues not only because of the expansion of the scope and depth of the penetration of American interests in the region, and the resulting ties in various fields with many ruling regimes in it, especially the organic relationship that links it to Israel, but also because China does not give priority to this region as it consolidates its rise and strengthens its competition with America, on the one hand, and because of the shrinking Russian influence in it, in favor of expanding penetration in other regions, especially in Africa, on the other hand, not to mention the European subordination to America in general. on the third hand. On this basis, the future of the Palestinian cause, and the path and outcome of any future settlement that may be proposed for it, will be greatly affected over the next four years by Donald Trump’s return to the White House, his outlook and basic priorities towards the world, the position of the Middle East region on the map of these priorities, and the determinants of his vision for how to address the Palestinian issue.

Addressing domestic issues to revive American supremacy

Given the foundations that governed Trump's vision and actions during his previous presidency, and his frequent statements currently, his policy during his upcoming presidency will revolve around major issues. For him, these issues are primarily related to restoring America's position in the world. Under the slogan "America First," Trump will give full attention to addressing domestic issues that he considers a priority and necessary to revive American superiority, foremost among which are strengthening the economic situation, establishing internal security, and reducing illegal immigration. Along with this, and with equal importance, comes confronting the external competition that the country is facing, specifically in the field of trade, which aims to weaken it and undermine its position, not only from China, but also from other countries that are traditionally considered allies and friends. In his endeavors at the domestic and foreign levels, Trump does not want to be distracted from achieving victory by continuing to be involved in military wars and being preoccupied with side conflicts. The wars he is preparing to wage are of a different nature, such as the one over tariffs, and require a regrouping of resources, not a dissipation of them in areas and on issues he does not consider to be in the American interest. This interest, for him, is very clear, specific and focused, and cannot tolerate continued distraction by immersion in matters he considers not essential to rebuilding America’s future and restoring its unique position in the international system.

The Middle East is not at the top of Trump's priorities

Although the Middle East remains important to Trump, it does not rise to the level of a central issue in his view, nor does it fall within his top priorities. Therefore, what he wants is to achieve stability in it, with the aim of removing it from his agenda, which is crowded with pursuing more important goals. To this end, he threatened that he would not hesitate to confront any party in the region that seeks to obstruct the achievement of this stability. As for the basis of stability that preserves American interests in the region, it is based on the continuation of steadfast and absolute support for Israel, an ally with an organic (supra-strategic) relationship with America, and empowering it as a dominant regional power. This is achieved through two things: completing the normalization of Israel’s relations with the Arab countries, the gateway to which is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and weakening Iran, reducing its regional influence, and ending its efforts to develop nuclear weapons.

Since he does not want to be preoccupied with war, it is expected, and there are indications that point to this, that Trump will achieve the goal with Iran by concluding a favorable deal that is already being carefully prepared.

As for the Arab countries that are still standing and have not yet disintegrated, they generally do not enjoy a high degree of appreciation from him, and he does not take them into account much, as he considers them obedient and guaranteed to be subservient and loyal, and their political systems perform the functional roles required of them regularly. Within this framework, Trump gives Saudi Arabia a special status, not only for its wealth and its strategic relationship with America that has spanned nearly a century, but also for its religious status that qualifies it to lead the Arab and Islamic worlds. This makes it a reliable partner to achieve stability in the region, and it can be used to address other issues outside it. As for the normalization of relations between many countries in the region and Israel, the issue was effective, and the outbreak of war following Operation Protective Edge prevented its completion. As a result of the war and its disastrous repercussions on the Gaza Strip, Saudi Arabia demanded that the completion of the stalled normalization agreement include a commitment to resolving the Palestinian issue on the basis of the "two-state solution" and a reliable path to establishing a Palestinian state.

Addressing the Palestinian issue on pragmatic grounds

As for the Palestinian issue, for Trump it is nothing more than a factor of unrest and an obstacle to regional stability. The starting point for dealing with it, for him, is not ideological, but rather he wants to reach a settlement on it based on pragmatic foundations, governed by two things: achieving the American interest in regional stability, on the one hand, and achieving Israel’s interest, on the other hand. Although at first glance it seems that the two interests are similar, in reality they intersect a lot, but they are not completely identical. The Israeli interest is narrower than the complex and intertwined American interest in the region. Therefore, Trump’s settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will not necessarily be completely identical to the vision of the current right-wing-religious Netanyahu government, since regional stability through normalizing Israel’s relations with Arab countries requires a response, even at a minimal level, to the Saudi demand. The “Deal of the Century” that Trump proposed during his first term is the best evidence of this, as his vision in it did not match the Israeli position of preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state. Rather, his plan was based on establishing this state, although in its details it did not go beyond being a “remnant state” consisting of fragments that were disjointed.

"Al-Aqsa Flood" and the Shifts in Regional Power Balances

Regional level: Since October 7, 2023, the region has witnessed, and continues to witness, fundamental shifts in the regional balance of power, which will have profound repercussions on the future of the Palestinian cause, and specifically on the content of the potential political settlement. It is worth noting, first, that the main powers that constitute the effective and influential pillars in the region are the non-Arab countries; Israel, Iran and Turkey, with the decline of the extent of Arab power and influence, and its gathering in some Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia. As for the rest of the Arab countries, they are either preoccupied with addressing their escalating internal problems, or constitute - especially in the Arab Levant - arenas and battlefields for violent international and regional conflicts. It is also worth acknowledging, second, that the state of official Arab solidarity is going through its weakest stages, after the status of the Qatari state has been strengthened over the past decades, and in contrast to it, the actual political influences of Arab nationalism have diminished, which has led to the interests of individual countries, which are often conflicting, being given precedence over the collective interest of the nation and what was called the "Arab world."

Following the "Operation Flood of Al-Aqsa" that surprised Hamas, the war that Israel launched on the Gaza Strip, and then on Lebanon, had negative repercussions on it, covering various fields, and it is still suffering from them to this day. However, this war, which some parties hoped would exhaust Israel and weaken its regional position in a sustainable manner, if not completely destroy it, did not produce what was hoped for. Israel, with massive external support from its Western allies, led by America, was able to absorb, albeit with great difficulty and at a high cost, the totality of the shocks it received, and to carry out violent repercussions through which it changed the regional balance of power in the region. With a violent destructive war on the Gaza Strip, Israel fundamentally weakened Hamas's military capabilities and the possibility of continuing its control over the Strip. And with a quick and intensive war on Lebanon, it was able to disable Hezbollah and effectively remove it from the confrontation with it for a long time to come, if not in a final and sustainable manner. Following an effective strike deep inside Iran, it made an effective contribution to eliminating Assad’s rule in Damascus, thus ending the Iranian presence in Syria, and cutting off Iran’s main supply line to Hezbollah, not to mention expanding its occupation of more Syrian territory.

Regardless of the continuation of the war with slogans, Israel has actually been able to undermine the capabilities of the "Axis of Resistance", dismantle the "unity of the arenas", and weaken Iran's position as a competing power in the region. Thus, Operation "Noah's Flood" and its successive repercussions so far have, in the end, reduced the state of severe and escalating tension and congestion in the region, on the one hand, and reduced, in Israel's favor, the intensity of the state of Israeli-Iranian polarization in it, on the other hand. Thus, the result is that Israel was able, with great suffering that will have negative effects on it in the future, to strengthen its position as a regional power in the region, and at the same time provide the appropriate ground for imposing the stability that Trump wants for it, even before he takes office, and to facilitate his task of completing this imposition after taking office.

Pressure on Palestinians to accept low ceiling settlement

This completion is achieved by Trump's handling of the two remaining files. The first is the Iranian nuclear file, which has increased the possibility that Iran, in light of the changes taking place in the region, has become more open and accepting of concluding a deal with Trump on it, leading to a gradual lifting of the sanctions that have exhausted its economy, and its re-absorption as a more open and positive state in the region. The second is related to completing the normalization "Abraham Accords" between Israel and the rest of the Arab countries, which Saudi Arabia linked to determining a positive path to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict by establishing a Palestinian state. In this context, it is worth noting that many indicators indicate that the Palestinian issue has no longer, in recent decades, especially after the strengthening of the position of the Qatari state, on the one hand, and the increasing problems of the internal Palestinian situation and the burdens "thrown" on these countries because of it, on the other hand, constitute for the ruling regimes in them an issue of a wasted Arab right that must be restored, but rather it has become considered a heavy burden and a source of annoyance that many of these regimes want to get rid of and remove from their shoulders.

From this perspective, the actual support of these regimes for the cause has declined, while the level of apparent and formal support has remained the same, to the point that many of them have become preoccupied with mediation between the Israeli and Palestinian sides. These regimes are now looking for a way out, and are satisfied with a political settlement that does not exceed the level of meeting the minimum requirements, and are exerting various pressures on the Palestinians to lower the ceiling of their demands, and accept the low ceiling settlement, to cover themselves with it and remove the burden and continued embarrassment from their shoulders. They want to close the file and remove the obstacle that prevents them from responding to the American demand for full and public normalization of relations with Israel.

Munther Al-Hayek: Whoever wants to end UNRWA’s work must implement Resolution 194, which returns Palestinian refugees to their homes

Sami Mshasha: What is being planned now is a second educational, health and social catastrophe and systematic impoverishment leading to displacement.

Tawfiq Taama: The establishment of UNRWA came by a decision of the General Assembly, and any attempt to abolish it must be done through a similar international framework.

Dr. Amani Al-Qarm: Halting UNRWA funding will create a lasting catastrophe that will cast a shadow over the security and stability of the entire Middle East

Osama Al-Sharif: Israel and America have two common goals in the next stage: ending the refugee file and closing the camps file

Hazem Al-Qawasmi: The Trump administration seems ready to make decisions that contribute to resolving major issues in favor of Israel, including closing UNRWA

The measures taken by the Israeli occupation state against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the attacks on its headquarters, staff and schools, the accusations levelled against many of its employees of participating in the October 7 attack, and the law passed by the Israeli Knesset to ban its activities in areas under the Israeli occupation state, especially Jerusalem, did not come out of nowhere and were not the result of immediate reactions, but rather preludes to major decisions against this international organization whose existence is linked to the Palestinian refugee issue.

The occupying state would not have dared to carry out such practices or decisions without the American green light and the countries that follow its orbit, which doubles the fears of what the next stage will bring, as Donald Trump re-enters the White House, in light of the decisions associated with his name and his recognition of Jerusalem as the unified capital of Israel, the transfer of the American embassy to it, and the recognition of the annexation of the Syrian Golan, all the way to his plan for an unjust political settlement called the "Deal of the Century". Consequently, there is a real fear that Trump will end the existence of the Relief Agency entirely, in order to cancel the Palestinian refugee issue.

In light of these concerns, question marks arise about what could result from dissolving UNRWA and its consequences for millions of refugees to whom it provides social, health, educational and other services, especially in light of the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip, most of whose inhabitants are refugees, after fifteen months of killing, destruction, starvation, poverty and diseases that are ravaging the refugees and their loss of their homes, schools, hospitals and other educational and service institutions.

Writers and analysts who spoke to Al-Quds considered what is being planned now to be a second catastrophe, educational, health, and social, and systematic impoverishment leading to displacement, stressing that stopping funding for UNRWA will create a lasting catastrophe that will cast its shadow over the security and stability of the entire Middle East. They noted that the Trump administration seems ready to make decisions that will contribute to resolving major issues in Israel’s favor, including closing UNRWA.

UNRWA is the lifeline of Palestinian refugees

The spokesman for the Fatah movement in the Gaza Strip, Munther Al-Hayek, said that UNRWA has been historically linked to the Palestinian refugee since the displacement of the Palestinian people from their land in 1948.

Al-Hayek explained that UNRWA continues to support our Palestinian people, but the Netanyahu government seeks to eliminate the Palestinian state project and the right of return of refugees to their homes, in an attempt to end the Palestinian national project.

Al-Hayek stressed the need for countries that have refrained from supporting UNRWA to return to their commitment to the UN resolution by which this organization was established, which aims to provide support and relief to the Palestinian people.

He pointed out that UNRWA has complete records of the poor in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and refugee camps, and it is the body responsible for providing humanitarian aid to them.

He stressed the Fatah movement's rejection of Netanyahu's government's plans and its confrontation of them, calling on the countries supporting UNRWA to continue providing support, especially financial support, in a strong and sustainable manner.

He added: "Whoever wants to end UNRWA's work must implement UN Resolution 194, which guarantees the right of return of Palestinian refugees to their homes from which they were displaced in 1948. Only then can we say that we do not need UNRWA. However, as long as the Palestinians are displaced and homeless, UNRWA must remain in place in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions."

UNRWA is the body authorized to bring in and distribute aid.

Regarding the UNRWA budget, and what is said about its distribution to humanitarian organizations and civil society, Al-Hayek said that UNRWA is the body authorized to bring in funds and aid and distribute them to the Palestinian people according to the records it has.

He added: "We trust UNRWA and want it to continue doing its work, especially in the relief situation in the Gaza Strip, which has worsened after the insane war waged by the occupation government against our people."

He pointed out that there are accusations and demonization against UNRWA by the Netanyahu government, which claims that UNRWA distributes aid through other humanitarian organizations.

Al-Hayek explained that there are humanitarian organizations that work independently, stressing that the legitimate framework that the Palestinians trust and that is present in the territories occupied in 1967 and in the refugee camps is UNRWA.

UNRWA's financial situation this year will be very difficult

For his part, Sami Mshasha, an expert on international organizations and media affairs, confirmed that UNRWA’s financial situation this year will be very difficult.

He said: For years, UNRWA's financial deficit has been accumulating, which has negatively affected the level of services provided to millions of Palestinian refugees, as UNRWA's regular budget amounts to more than $1.4 billion, and as in previous years, the pledges secured by donor countries did not exceed half of this amount. In fact, we will be below this level.

Mshasha touched on this year's emergency budgets, adding: Given the destruction that befell the camps in Gaza and Lebanon, and the needs of emergency services in Syria and the West Bank, they will be very large.

However, UNRWA will receive crumbs from it, which will greatly limit its ability to respond and assist.

He pointed out that the project budgets allocated to rebuild hundreds of UNRWA facilities that were completely destroyed will be very large, and UNRWA is expected to receive a small portion of them.

The United States will not resume its donations at all.

He stressed that the United States is no longer the largest donor to UNRWA, and will never resume its donations. Like Sweden (the fourth largest donor), it has shifted its support to international and local institutions.

He pointed out that other countries, such as Switzerland, are considering implementing the same approach. Countries such as Norway, Denmark, Spain, Britain, Japan, and France will continue to support UNRWA, but will not increase the level of donations to cover the American and Swedish losses.

Mish'sha' addressed Arab donations, saying: They are irregular and difficult to rely on, because the amounts allocated annually to UNRWA by Arab countries are small, and cover a small percentage of the total of UNRWA's various budgets.

He stressed that UNRWA's mandate is dedicated to serving Palestinian refugees, and that replacing UNRWA with other international institutions, such as the World Food Organization and local civil society organizations with limited budgets, will deprive large sectors of refugees of basic services, especially health and social services dedicated to the poorest of the poor, which will raise levels of extreme poverty and economic exposure to unprecedented levels.

A trend that will destroy the educational process for hundreds of thousands of students

On the educational level, he explained that this approach would destroy the educational process for hundreds of thousands of students in UNRWA schools, noting that alternative institutions to UNRWA have, at best, dozens of employees, while UNRWA in the Gaza Strip alone has 13,000 teachers, doctors, technicians, cleaners, engineers and others, which makes it very difficult to replace them.

Mish'sha' said: What is being planned now is a second catastrophe: an educational, health, and social catastrophe, and systematic impoverishment leading to displacement, leading to a second catastrophe with all its components.

Mshasha touched on the imminent arrival of Trump. He said: There is an impression that Trump's arrival to power will exacerbate UNRWA's existential and financial crisis. This is not accurate, stressing that his arrival will only reinforce the current measures and efforts to weaken and exhaust the agency, which have so far made great strides.

He pointed out that the demonization of UNRWA and the efforts to end it and eliminate the right of return are primarily Israeli efforts.

He added: Their efforts to incite the countries of the world against them aim to ensure the success of their own efforts to expel the agency and prepare international, regional, and local alternatives.

Mish'sha concluded his statement to Al-Quds by emphasizing that the goal is not only to replace the role of UNRWA and its humanitarian services, but also to end the Palestinian refugee file far from an actual translation of the right of return, and to come closer to establishing the concept of settlement, forced and voluntary displacement, and material compensation for refugees.

Israel's actions against UNRWA threaten humanitarian catastrophe

In turn, political analyst Tawfiq Taama said that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is considered one of the most prominent international institutions that plays a vital role in the lives of Palestinian refugees, as it provides them with basic humanitarian services in the areas of health, education, and nutrition.

He pointed out that the establishment of UNRWA in 1949 came by a decision of the United Nations General Assembly, which means that any attempt to abolish it must also be done through a similar international framework.

Taama explained that UNRWA provides its vital services to Palestinian refugees in various areas, including Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Jordan, and Syria.

He pointed out that this institution represents an international witness to the Palestinian Nakba of 1948 and the displacement of Palestinians from their lands.

UNRWA's humanitarian function and political role

He added: UNRWA does not only provide humanitarian aid, but also affirms through its presence the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their lands, which makes it an obstacle to Israeli projects seeking to completely end this right.

Taama touched on the measures taken by Israel against UNRWA, referring to the Israeli Knesset’s decision last October, which prevents the agency from operating in areas controlled by Israel, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

He explained that this decision gives UNRWA only three months to operate before its offices are closed and its activities are completely banned.

He pointed out that this decision includes imposing restrictions on institutions that deal with UNRWA, and threatens sanctions on its employees who continue to work with it. Tohme described these steps as illegal, because they contradict the international resolutions that established UNRWA.

Tohme warned that banning UNRWA would lead to a major humanitarian disaster, as millions of Palestinian refugees depend on its basic services. He pointed out that the agency's budget, which amounts to about $1.4 billion annually, is used to provide services in the fields of education, health, social protection, and nutrition.

He added that the cessation of UNRWA services will leave millions of refugees without education, health care or social support, which will exacerbate the already deteriorating humanitarian conditions, especially in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli motives for canceling UNRWA

Taama considered that Israel is working to end the existence of UNRWA because it represents an obstacle to achieving its political goals.

He explained that UNRWA is a living witness to the Palestinian Nakba and the right of refugees to return to their lands.

He pointed out that Israel believes that the continued work of UNRWA hinders its plans to liquidate the Palestinian issue, as the existence of the agency represents an international guarantee for the rights of Palestinian refugees.

Taama discussed the options available to the international community to confront the Israeli decision, noting that there are fears that humanitarian organizations and civil society organizations (NGOs) will be resorted to as alternatives to UNRWA. However, he stressed that this step could be considered an implicit recognition of the Israeli decision, which is dangerous.

He stressed that these organizations' acceptance of the Israeli decision means approval of the cancellation of UNRWA and the right of return, which will have disastrous repercussions on Palestinian refugees and on the Palestinian cause in general.

He stressed the importance of the Arab and international role in pressuring Israel to reverse its decision, and called for preserving the work of UNRWA as one of the main pillars that support Palestinian refugees and preserve their rights.

Taama concluded his speech by stressing the need for the international community to assume its humanitarian and political responsibilities towards Palestinian refugees, considering that the continuation of UNRWA’s work is an urgent necessity to prevent a new humanitarian catastrophe that would be added to the already existing suffering.

Harming UNRWA will break the backbone of the Palestinian cause

The writer and researcher in American and Israeli affairs, Dr. Amani Al-Qarm, said that the hostility between UNRWA on the one hand and Israel and America/Trump on the other hand is not new, and is not a product of the current war, but rather goes back to the rise of the Zionist right-wing current inside Israel, where new ideas and trends have emerged in the Israeli political mind, the essence of which is to liquidate the Palestinian cause by getting rid of its manifestations and tools, especially those that enjoy international legitimacy.

Al-Qarm pointed out that the refugee issue is one of the constants of the Palestinian cause, and is a living witness to the existence of the Palestinian problem, and that the establishment of UNRWA was linked to the issue of the Palestinian refugee. As long as there are refugees, UNRWA will continue to exist.

She stressed that Israeli policy, despite the oppression, marginalization, and all the settlement projects that were proposed throughout the history of the conflict, whether inside or outside the drawers, and the attempts to resolve it, could not end the refugee issue.

Al-Qarm added: The extremist Israeli thought has turned into an attempt to end the existence of the only legitimate and international organization charged with following up on refugee affairs, by drying up its sources of funding, closing its offices, and taking decisions in the Knesset to stop working with it following the 1967 agreement, and withdrawing all permits and privileges granted to its employees to facilitate its work.

She explained that the attack on UNRWA, by force and imposing a fait accompli, and distorting its role by accusing it of being a stronghold of Hamas, will lead to breaking the backbone of the Palestinian cause and cancelling the status of “refugee” for five million Palestinians who hold this classification and benefit from UNRWA services.

UNRWA is a multifaceted life system

She pointed out that President Trump, in his first term, and motivated by the Israeli right, stopped supporting the agency, believing that the attack on UNRWA would continue in the coming years.

But Crimea strongly doubted the possibility of achieving the Israeli-American goal, stressing that stopping funding for UNRWA would create a lasting catastrophe in the coming years, which would not only affect the refugees, but would cast a shadow over the security and stability of the entire Middle East, and its repercussions might extend beyond the seas.

Al-Qarm pointed out that the problem lies in the fact that UNRWA is not just a relief organization, but rather a multi-faceted and successive life system, similar to a continuous chain for every Palestinian family that has held the status of “refugee” since the emergence of the issue due to the Israeli occupation.

She added: UNRWA, through its various programs, especially in the field of education, played a pivotal role in taming the Palestinian collective thought related to the cause. It also created conditions that represent both a challenge and a hope for the refugee to improve his status within the framework of international legitimacy laws and moderate thought.

Al-Qarm stressed that knowledge has become a primary goal for Palestinians and a way to survive and survive.

She asked: "If UNRWA is stopped, who will fill the void in this entire life system except extremist and radical ideas?", likening it to releasing a genie from a bottle to ignite a fire, as it cannot be returned and the fire cannot be extinguished.

Trump's plan aims to liquidate the Palestinian cause

For his part, political analyst Osama Al-Sharif confirmed that liquidating the Palestinian issue and closing the file once and for all represents the plan of former US President Donald Trump in his second term.

Al-Sharif explained that the repercussions of October 7 created the conditions for implementing this plan and completing Trump’s project related to the so-called “Abraham Accords.”

He pointed out that there are two common goals for both Israel and America during the next stage to achieve this project, the first is to end the refugee file: This is represented by the legal liquidation of the Relief Agency (UNRWA), as happened through the law recently passed by the Israeli Knesset. This procedure requires the naturalization of Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, which practically means dropping the right of return and settling refugees in their places of residence.

He added: The second goal is to close the camps file: Israel seeks to evacuate the camps in the West Bank either through economic siege and terror to push their residents to leave voluntarily, or by destroying the camps’ infrastructure so that they become uninhabitable.

Al-Sharif pointed out that the camps represent a constant concern for Israel, as they are an incubator environment for resistance inside and outside Palestine, and destroying them means depriving the resistance of this supportive environment.

He pointed out that this approach is what Israel recently implemented in Gaza through the systematic destruction of the camps there.

Al-Sharif added: What will remain after that is the imposition of a political solution that does not include the establishment of an independent Palestinian state or the end of the occupation, but rather is based on an old-new project under the title of "self-rule under the spears of occupation."

He stressed that the current geopolitical conditions in the region may contribute to facilitating the implementation of these goals, noting that proceeding with this plan will not face significant political opposition, especially after the decline in the influence of what is known as the "Axis of Resistance."

UNRWA services unlikely to return to normal

In turn, economic advisor Hazem Al-Qawasmi said that the horizon does not seem promising for the return of UNRWA services to what they were, at a time when the afflicted Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip are in dire need of them since the Nakba.

Al-Qawasmi pointed out that the attack on this international relief organization during the past year, in addition to the decision of the US Congress and the White House to continue to stop funding allocated to it until March 2025, as well as the Arab silence, encouraged the fascist government in Israel and its supporters to deepen their attacks on this organization with the aim of liquidating it completely and burying it during the next few months of this year.

Al-Qawasmi added: The expected US administration headed by Donald Trump seems ready to make bold decisions that will contribute to resolving major issues in Israel’s favor, most notably the final closure of UNRWA.

He stressed that this would lead to the liquidation of the issue of refugees and Palestinian camps, regardless of any comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue.

He pointed out that the statements issued by the expected Trump administration regarding the Middle East, most notably the appointment of the new US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, do not bode well for finding a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue, including the rights of Palestinian refugees and the establishment of a Palestinian state on the June 4 borders.

He also pointed out that Trump's first expected decisions may include stopping funding for UNRWA completely and pressuring European countries to follow the same approach, which will lead to accelerating the pace of systematic targeting of Palestinian camps.

Al-Qawasmi stressed that these steps threaten to close the Palestinian refugee file and cancel the role of UNRWA, which portends a worsening of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, at a time when the targeting of camps is increasing as part of the forced displacement plans adopted by the Israeli government.

Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad: Serious threats may indicate the start of implementing a plan to impose sovereignty over parts of the West Bank, carry out massacres, and push towards displacement

Akram Atallah: What is required is not a direct confrontation with the Israeli storm, but rather adherence to the Palestinian presence on the ground as a basic priority

Abdullah Abu Rahma: The occupation may not resort to the public displacement of Palestinians, but it creates harsh conditions that push Palestinians to voluntarily emigrate

Dr. Tamara Haddad: Threats to turn Nablus and Jenin into areas similar to Jabalia reflect Israel’s intention to use a scorched earth policy and displacement

Nihad Abu Ghosh: A comprehensive national response is required to confront threats...and to unite on a comprehensive national emergency program aimed at protecting the Palestinian people

Fayez Abbas: Netanyahu and Smotrich's statements after the hotel operation carry dangerous implications indicating a violent and unprecedented escalation in the West Bank

Israeli threats against Palestinians in the West Bank are escalating, with threatening statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, after the shooting attack in the village of Al-Funduq east of Qalqilya on Monday, calling for the implementation of wide-ranging offensive and defensive policies, and even the destruction of Jenin and Nablus as happened in Jabalia.

In separate interviews with “I”, writers, political analysts and specialists believe that these statements go beyond being reactions to the operation in the West Bank, but rather carry clear indications of the implementation of strategic plans that may include the displacement of Palestinians, and perhaps the implementation of massacres and the expansion of Israeli settlements in an unprecedented manner, indicating that the West Bank may be heading towards a new phase of escalation, which portends dangerous events.

Writers, analysts and specialists confirm that confronting these challenges comes through national unity and developing a comprehensive emergency plan to protect the Palestinian land and existence, as well as abandoning bets on futile international initiatives, and working collectively to restore national rights and confront Israeli plans that aim to change the demographic and geographical reality in favor of the settlement project.

Netanyahu and Smotrich's statements pose great risks

Writer and political analyst Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad warns of the great dangers posed by the statements of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding offensive and defensive plans in the West Bank, in addition to the statements of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who called for turning the cities of Nablus and Jenin into “Jabalia,” in a clear reference to committing massacres against the Palestinians.

Awad points out that these threatening statements mean that the next stage may witness the beginning of the implementation of the plan to impose Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank, especially the areas classified as “C,” in parallel with the massacres and the push towards displacement.

Awad explains that Israel has been paving the way for years by building a legal and political system to strengthen its control over areas classified as “C,” which is considered an explicit political declaration to annex these areas.

Awad asserts that the recent statements may be followed by field measures that include a wider deployment of Israeli forces in the West Bank, and the reinforcement of military checkpoints with advanced defense systems based on artificial intelligence technologies.

Awad warns of the possibility of carrying out large-scale military incursions that are not limited to the northern West Bank, but may extend to include other areas.

Intensifying settlement and more political blackmail of the Authority

Awad points out that these escalations coincide with the intensification of settlement, which practically means the displacement of Palestinians from their lands.

According to Awad, settlements lead to the expulsion of Palestinians, and increasing barriers leads to an exacerbation of poverty and unemployment rates, which pushes Palestinians to forced migration, even individually, to escape living conditions that resemble “hell.”

Awad points out that Israel is systematically seeking to weaken the Palestinian Authority, destroy the two-state solution, and separate the West Bank from the Gaza Strip.

Awad believes that the next stage may witness more political blackmail of the Palestinian Authority, so deepening the internal Palestinian division strengthens Israeli hegemony on the ground.

In the face of these dangers, Dr. Awad stresses that what is required for Palestine is to achieve national reconciliation and restore unity within a unified Palestinian vision, which blocks the path of the Israeli occupation that claims the absence of a Palestinian partner for negotiation, while Awad calls for effective and real Arab action to confront these Israeli plans.

Awad stresses the necessity for the Palestine Liberation Organization to return to the international arena by activating its efforts in the United Nations, the Security Council, and international courts, to expose and expose Israel’s policies towards the West Bank.

Awad believes that the Israeli escalation in the West Bank aims to change the demographic and geographical reality in favor of the settlement project, which requires urgent Palestinian, Arab and international efforts to stop this aggressive policy.

Premeditated projects threaten the future of Palestinians in the West Bank

Writer and political analyst Akram Atallah asserts that the threats made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to the West Bank represent a very dangerous development and reveal premeditated projects that threaten the future of Palestinians in these areas.

Atallah explains that these statements do not come as a reaction to the escalation of the resistance operations in the West Bank only, but rather exploit the current situation to implement strategic projects that Israel has been working on for years, similar to what happened in the Gaza Strip.

Atallah points out that the Israeli government, headed by Netanyahu, has always announced its intentions to annex Palestinian lands in the West Bank, which is a long-standing strategic project, even before Smotrich was in the current government since the “Deal of the Century” that includes annexing large areas of the West Bank in favor of the occupation, but Smotrich’s presence has strengthened these trends.

Risks of mass displacement from the West Bank

Atallah explains that Netanyahu and Smotrich's statements cannot be treated as passing statements or a reaction to recent operations, but rather they must be understood in the context of Israel's exploitation of events to implement its strategic plans.

Atallah stresses that these statements require the utmost seriousness, because the continuation of the situation in this manner may lead to the commission of massacres and mass displacement operations in the West Bank.

Atallah recalls the Israeli experience in the Gaza Strip, where Israel carried out genocide without any real international deterrent, pointing out that Israel may seek to repeat this experience in the West Bank, by targeting camps and committing crimes, especially since it has not been held accountable for its crimes so far in the Gaza Strip, which encourages it to commit crimes in the West Bank.

Atallah warns that there is a real danger of forced or voluntary displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank, especially if Israeli pressure on them continues.

Atallah points out that the historical experience during the Second Intifada indicates that a large number of Palestinians were forced to move to East Jordan, especially since many of them hold Jordanian passports.

Managing the current stage rationally and with extreme caution

In the face of these challenges, Atallah calls on the Palestinians to manage the current stage rationally and with extreme caution.

Atallah says: “What is required is not a direct confrontation with this violent Israeli storm, but rather adherence to the Palestinian presence on the ground as a basic priority.”

Atallah stresses that preserving this presence is the greatest achievement, and any ill-considered adventure could lead to a threat to the Palestinian entity as a whole.

Atallah stresses the importance of working with a cool and calm mind to overcome this sensitive stage, in which the Israeli government seeks to impose a fait accompli through annexation and displacement projects.

Atallah believes that the Palestinians need a cohesive national strategy that aims to strengthen their steadfastness and resist Israeli plans using smart and thoughtful methods that ensure their survival on their land and the protection of their national rights.

Green light to commit more crimes

Abdullah Abu Rahma, Director General of the Popular Action Department in the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, warns of the danger of Netanyahu and Smotrich’s statements regarding offensive and defensive plans in the West Bank, stressing that they represent a green light for the occupation forces and settlers to commit more crimes and violence against the Palestinians.

Abu Rahma explains that these statements come in a political and security context that has disastrous repercussions on the lives of Palestinians, as they contribute to the escalation of raids and attacks in all areas of the West Bank.

Abu Rahma believes that what happened in the areas of Tubas, Tamoun, and Al-Far’a refugee camp after the shooting in the village of Al-Funduq, east of Qalqilya, or the settlers’ attack and the closure of roads and checkpoints, is an example of the extent of the expected escalation.

Abu Rahma points out that the West Bank recorded the highest rates of violations during the year 2024 since the beginning of the occupation, as 16,612 attacks and violations were documented by the army and settlers, including raids and attacks on Palestinian villages and Bedouin communities, all of which took place without deterrence, which means that these attacks are being reinforced.

He points to the statements of the head of the West Bank settlement council, Yossi Dagan, in which he called for the construction of a settlement for every Israeli killed following the shooting in the village of Al-Funduq, east of Qalqilya, as this call embodies an expansionist settlement policy aimed at complete control over the Palestinian territories.

Abu Rahma asserts that Smotrich's statements threatening to turn the cities of Nablus and Jenin into a "new Jabalia" reflect the criminal mentality of the occupation, pointing out that the complete destruction that the Nur Shams and Tulkarm camps recently witnessed is an example of the scenarios that the occupation seeks to repeat in the West Bank, perhaps in a more brutal manner.

Large-scale invasions similar to what happened in 2002

Abu Rahma warns that the Israeli escalation may take the form of large-scale invasions similar to what happened in 2002, noting that the occupation is seeking to find justifications to destroy Palestinian institutions and target the Palestinian presence in the West Bank.

He stresses that the Israeli plans aim to create an environment that repels Palestinians by tightening the noose on them, by closing roads, increasing barriers, and targeting their sources of livelihood.

Abu Rahma points out that the occupation may not resort to the public displacement of Palestinians, but it creates harsh conditions that push Palestinians to voluntarily emigrate.

In light of these challenges, Abu Rahma stresses that the internal Palestinian situation does not rise to the level of danger that threatens the existence of Palestinians in all places where they are located, which requires unifying Palestinian efforts and raising the level of national action to confront the Israeli plans that target the Palestinian existence.

Abu Rahma calls for activating popular protection committees to confront settler attacks, pointing out that settlers have exploited the absence of deterrence and their crimes have escalated in recent years.

Abu Rahma stresses the necessity of developing a comprehensive national plan to confront the occupation’s attacks at all levels, emphasizing the importance of popular action to confront these crimes through demonstrations and activities that raise the voice of the Palestinians before the world.

He stresses the importance of international efforts to hold the leaders of the occupation and settlers accountable for their crimes. He also stresses the need to pressure the international community to implement its decisions, impose deterrent sanctions on the occupation system, and prosecute the Israeli perpetrators of crimes, whether they are soldiers, settlers, or politicians, before international courts.

Abu Rahma points out that the statements of the occupation leaders, such as Netanyahu and Smotrich, contain explicit calls to commit war crimes, and these statements must be part of the condemnation files submitted to international courts.

Abu Rahma points out that the legal prosecutions we have recently witnessed against Israeli soldiers in some countries should be extended to include politicians and settlers responsible for crimes in the Palestinian territories.

Abu Rahma stressed that the next stage requires a comprehensive national mobilization to confront the occupation's policies, pointing out that confronting the Israeli attacks requires unity of the Palestinian ranks and intensification of popular and diplomatic efforts to confront the challenges that threaten the Palestinian existence.

Abu Rahma stressed that the Palestinian people have proven their steadfastness in the face of Israeli plans, and will not allow a repetition of the 1948 Nakba, calling for the activation of popular resistance and the defense of the land and existence by all possible means.

Transcending the security dimension to achieve long-term strategic goals

Writer and political researcher Dr. Tamara Haddad believes that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans, which he referred to as offensive and defensive, go beyond the security dimension to achieve long-term strategic goals.

According to Haddad, Israel seeks to achieve comprehensive control over land and resources in the West Bank, which falls within Israeli plans to strengthen regional hegemony and implement expansionist agendas targeting the Palestinian cause.

Haddad explains that the offensive plans adopted by Israel aim to achieve a long-term strategic advantage, based on controlling land and resources in the West Bank, while the defensive plans carry a propaganda message to the world, in which Israel claims that it is protecting its citizens from what it calls “Palestinian terrorism.”

Haddad points out that Israel uses various military means and strategies to justify preventing any offensive action from the West Bank, exploiting individual Palestinian operations as a pretext for escalation.

Haddad points out that Israel is exploiting the recent individual Palestinian operations, investing them as a pretext to achieve its major goals, the most important of which is complete control over the West Bank.

In this context, Haddad refers to the threats of Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich to turn Nablus and Jenin into areas similar to Jabalia in Gaza, stressing that these threats reflect Israel's intention to use a scorched earth policy, including the destruction of homes and the displacement of Palestinian residents.

Haddad warns that areas such as Nablus and Jenin could witness large-scale internal displacement if Israeli military operations continue there, as these policies could force residents to leave the camps, either under pressure from aerial bombardment, in parallel with strict security measures that include imposing checkpoints and tightening the noose on the daily lives of Palestinians in various areas of the West Bank.

Haddad confirms that there is a plan on the agenda of the right-wing Israeli government that aims to gradually and officially annex Area C in the West Bank, as Israel is waiting for Trump to return to the White House to officially announce the annexation.

However, Haddad points out, Israel is currently working to impose a fait accompli in the West Bank, exploiting individual Palestinian operations to justify its expansionist policies before the international community, and to reinforce its narrative that the West Bank contains terrorist movements that threaten Israeli national security.

She believes that Israel is following a strategy to gradually weaken the Palestinian Authority, either by weakening it in terms of security and economy, or by creating a political vacuum that leads to its collapse.

The ultimate goal, according to Haddad, is to impose direct Israeli military rule over the West Bank, allowing Israel to implement its security and political policies unhindered.

Haddad touched on what she described as the Israeli ideological project, which considers the West Bank a strategic center in the Zionist narrative about controlling the land.

Haddad refers to Smotrich's statements in which he declared that 2025 would be "the year of decision in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," by ending any form of Palestinian resistance in the West Bank, and imposing forced displacement on the Palestinian population.

Intensifying the policy of demolishing houses and preventing the entry of workers

Haddad expects that Israel will intensify its policy of demolishing homes in the West Bank, in parallel with preventing the entry of Palestinian workers into the interior, as part of a comprehensive plan aimed at reducing the Palestinian presence in the region by turning Palestinian life into hell. These measures will lead to an escalation of forced displacement, which threatens a large-scale demographic change in the West Bank.

Haddad calls on the Palestinian Authority to activate its diplomatic tools to confront the annexation plans, stressing the importance of communicating with countries that recognize the State of Palestine and believe in the two-state solution, to pressure Israel to stop its expansionist policies, in addition to the need to exploit relations with countries seeking normalization with Israel to pressure the United States and urge it to prevent the implementation of the annexation plans.

Haddad stresses that international organizations play a pivotal role in confronting Israel's policies, stressing the importance of working to enhance international support for the Palestinian cause and intensifying efforts to mitigate the severity of Israeli policies, whether through political pressure or humanitarian support for the Palestinian population in threatened areas.

Haddad warns of the danger of the next stage, as Israel moves towards strengthening its security and political sovereignty over the West Bank, bypassing Area C. The continuation of military operations and annexation policies will increase the suffering of the Palestinians and threaten to weaken the unified Palestinian position, in light of the absence of a comprehensive strategic vision to confront this existential challenge.

Netanyahu and Smotrich's statements reflect official policy

Writer, political analyst and specialist in Israeli affairs, Nihad Abu Ghosh, confirms that Netanyahu and Smotrich’s statements after the shooting attack in the village of Al-Funduq, east of Qalqilya, although they were made in an emotional context, are completely consistent with the political program that the Israeli government, led by Netanyahu, seeks to implement.

Abu Ghosh believes that these statements calling for the destruction of Nablus and Jenin and the punishment of the entire Palestinian people reflect the official Israeli policy that has been going on for many years, and which witnessed a noticeable escalation during the last war on the Gaza Strip.

Abu Ghosh explains that what is happening is a consistent implementation of the Israeli far-right program that aims to displace the Palestinian people and deprive them of their political, civil and human rights.

Abu Ghosh points out that these policies aim to reduce Palestinian national rights to the mere right to survive, within a limited framework of basic rights.

Abu Ghosh stresses that these statements are not just words uttered to vent anger, but rather they are a bad omen and a prelude to new rounds of violence and escalation against the Palestinian people, aiming to implement the projects of the extreme right to control the Palestinian territories, displace the population, and reduce their national rights.

Abu Ghosh stresses that the occupation is working through an integrated system that includes the army, security services, and settlers to achieve this goal.

Abu Ghosh points out that the entire Palestinian people, including their lands, freedom, movement, and even their institutions, are targeted by these policies.

Abu Ghosh stresses that Smotrich and Netanyahu's threats require a comprehensive national response to confront them, as the occupation does not target a specific faction or segment, but rather seeks to weaken all aspects of the Palestinian presence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Abu Ghosh calls for putting political differences aside and uniting on a comprehensive national emergency program aimed at protecting the Palestinian people in the face of Israeli plans, as this program must have clear addresses in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

He points out that this program in Gaza should focus on relief and protecting the existence of the Palestinian people and the integrity of their lands, while strengthening the unity of Palestinian institutions. As for the West Bank, the main title of this program should be protecting the land and confronting the accelerating settlement and creeping annexation projects, and the necessity of confronting the occupation’s attempts to blackmail the role of the Palestinian Authority.

Abu Ghosh stresses that confronting these challenges requires implementing the decisions previously taken by the Palestinian leadership in the Central Council and the National Council, as well as implementing the outcomes of the national dialogue sessions, especially those held in Beijing, which called for the formation of a unified national leadership body, or what was called the “Committee for Activating and Developing the PLO,” as well as forming a national consensus government that restores respect for Palestinian unity in the face of the occupation and its plans.

Abu Ghosh stresses that the unified national leadership must assume the responsibility of protecting the people, defending the land, and strengthening the Palestinian political and legal position in all international forums, stressing that these efforts require moving away from losing bets on American and European initiatives, or betting on changes in Israel, which have proven their failure over the past three decades.

Abu Ghosh stresses that the unity of the Palestinian position is the only way to strengthen Palestinian national rights and ensure sovereignty over land and destiny, and not an attempt to prove good intentions to convince the Americans and Israelis of Palestinian rights.

Statements that carry meanings that go beyond traditional political discourse

Israeli affairs expert Fayez Abbas confirms that Netanyahu and Smotrich's statements, issued after the shooting in the village of Fonda, east of Qalqilya, carry dangerous implications that point to a violent and unprecedented escalation in the occupied West Bank.

Abbas points out that this operation angered the leaders of the settler right and the occupation government, which prompted Israeli officials to issue statements reflecting their intentions towards the people of the West Bank and its main cities.

Abbas points out that Netanyahu's statements in which he spoke about "defense and attack" carry meanings that go beyond traditional political discourse, as they mean granting the Israeli military and security leadership an open mandate to practice violence against the Palestinians in the West Bank, in a manner that may be the most severe since the beginning of the occupation.

In the same context, Abbas sees Smotrich's statements, in which he called for the destruction of the cities of Nablus and Jenin and turning them into a "new Jabalia," as an expression of an aggressive colonial mentality.

Abbas explains that Smotrich had previously called for burning the entire town of Hawara, and now he is threatening to demolish Nablus and Jenin, forgetting that the conditions in the West Bank are completely different from those in the Gaza Strip.

Abbas explains that Nablus is not "Jabalia" and Jenin is not "Beit Hanoun", referring to the complexity of the situation in the West Bank and the difficulty of the occupation implementing policies of destruction and killing similar to what is happening in Gaza.

Abbas confirms that the Israeli occupation is heading towards a new phase of escalation, especially after the events of October 7.

Abbas believes that the occupation, despite its expected escalation in the West Bank, will not be able to implement the same policies of destruction, demolition and mass killing that it is implementing in Gaza due to the difference in the field and political reality.

Abbas is urging the Palestinian leadership to exploit statements by Israeli officials about the destruction of Nablus and Jenin to file complaints with the International Criminal Court.

He stressed that these statements constitute documented material to convict the occupation leaders before the court, especially in light of the issuance of previous international arrest warrants against Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Minister of War Yoav Galant.

Abbas stresses the importance of the Palestinian leadership moving quickly to collect these statements and present them as evidence to the International Criminal Court, while calling for immediate action against the occupation leaders.

Abbas calls on the Palestinian National Authority to intensify its contacts with the international community and the United Nations, to warn them of the possibility of Israel committing new crimes against humanity in the West Bank, similar to what is happening in the Gaza Strip.

Crime is not measured by the number of people killed, but rather by the ideology that shapes the killer’s thinking and behavior, and his intellectual references, whether he is an individual, a group, or a state that sponsors terrorism and practices genocide as a habit and a form of worship, inspired by the crimes of the founding fathers of the rogue state in 1948, which was established on the ruins of the abandoned villages and the bodies of the victims whose brutality was documented in the “Tantura” documentary, which killed and mutilated them.

A few hours after Netanyahu and Smotrich called for the West Bank to be subjected to what was done to Gaza, a drone arrived “on demand” to cut the opening ribbon of the Gazan version of genocide in the town of Tamoun, killing members of a single family, including two children under the age of ten, who were sitting in the courtyard of their home, while Goebbels’ disciples marketed a weak narrative, which was quickly exposed as a lie, that the target “was a cell planting mines in the targeted area!”

Justice has two pillars: providing justice to the victim and punishing the perpetrator. When these two pillars are not achieved, this will encourage the perpetrator to repeat his crime. The blood of others is permissible for him, and he draws closer to God through it, and God is innocent of it.

The killer did not stop at killing his victims, the children Reda Basharat (9 years old) and Hamza Basharat (10 years old), and the young man Adam Basharat (23 years old), but he also committed the crime of detaining their bodies, despite knowing their identities and ages, which raises suspicions that he stole their organs, and the suspicions will not be removed until a re-autopsy is performed before they are buried.

Stop the genocide now...!

Four citizens were killed and others were injured, Wednesday evening, in an airstrike launched by Israeli occupation aircraft on a house in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

According to local sources, the occupation aircraft bombed the house of the "Al-Dabaji" family near the "UNRWA" clinic west of Deir al-Balah, which resulted in the martyrdom of four citizens and the injury of others.

Earlier, a citizen was killed as a result of the occupation's bombing in the vicinity of Al-Nasr Street, west of Gaza. Five citizens were also killed and others were injured as a result of the occupation's drones targeting a group of citizens inside the municipal park in the center of Gaza City.

Two citizens were killed and others were injured in the bombing of the occupation's drones around Al-Wahda Tower, west of Gaza City.

In the southern Gaza Strip, four citizens were injured when the occupation bombed a house near the Al-Qubba Mosque, west of Khan Yunis.

Medical sources reported that at least 50 citizens were killed in the occupation's raids on the Gaza Strip since dawn on Wednesday, 33 of them in the northern Gaza Strip.

The Israeli occupation continues its aggression on the Gaza Strip, by land, sea and air, since October 7, 2023, which resulted in the death of 45,936 citizens, the majority of whom are women and children, and the injury of 109,274 others, in an incomplete toll, as thousands of victims are still under the rubble and in the streets, and ambulance and rescue crews cannot reach them.

The A3+ group in the UN Security Council expressed its deep concern on Wednesday over the recent Israeli incursions into parts of Syria.

This came in a speech delivered by Algeria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Amar Benjamaa, on behalf of the members of the group during a Security Council meeting devoted to discussing the humanitarian situation in Syria.

The A3 Plus group includes the three African countries that hold non-permanent seats on the Security Council, currently Algeria, Sierra Leone and Mozambique, in addition to the Caribbean country of Guyana, which has historical solidarity ties with the African continent.

In his speech, Bin Jameh said: “We remain deeply concerned about the actions of the Israeli occupation forces in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and their incursions into other parts of Syria.”

He added: "The A3 Plus Group remains committed to its principles of Syria's unity, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity."

In the same context, the Algerian delegate stressed, saying: “We categorically reject any attempts to divide Syria, annex any part of its territory, or violate its sovereignty and territorial integrity in any other way.”

Taking advantage of the Syrian factions’ overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, Israel has recently intensified its air strikes targeting military sites in various parts of the country, in a flagrant violation of its sovereignty.

Israel also announced the collapse of the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria, and the deployment of its army in the demilitarized buffer zone in the Syrian Golan Heights, most of whose area it has occupied since 1967, in a move condemned by the United Nations and Arab countries.

Recent statements by Israeli officials regarding Syria reflect anger at the new administration taking over after the fall of the Assad regime, which media reports and statements by officials indicate that Israel never wanted to see fall and "saw it as a useful player."

During the same Security Council meeting chaired by Algeria on Wednesday, Ben Jamaa considered that Syria "is currently at a pivotal crossroads after its people have suffered for years."

He pointed out that the Syrian people "now aspire to build a future in which a unified Syria flourishes, embracing all its citizens, regardless of their backgrounds."

The Algerian delegate called for the need to maintain steadfast support for a comprehensive political process in Syria "led by the Syrians, and in line with Security Council Resolution 2254."

"After 14 years of devastating conflict, the Syrian people deserve the full support and solidarity of the international community," he said.

Resolution 2254 was issued by the United Nations in 2015, and expresses support for a Syrian-led political process facilitated by the United Nations, which establishes credible, inclusive, non-sectarian governance, and sets a timetable and process for drafting a new constitution.

Ben Jameh, on the other hand, pointed out that the humanitarian situation in Syria "remains catastrophic and requires urgent attention."

He pointed out that the recent developments in Syria "caused the displacement of more than 664,000 people recently," according to him, which requires "strengthening efforts to facilitate their safe and dignified return."

He continued, addressing the Syrians: “It is time to silence the guns and work together for a brighter future for your country.”

It is noteworthy that the administration formed in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime confirms that the country, in its new era, will guarantee the dignity and freedom of its citizens, with fair representation of all spectrums and ethnicities.

But she vowed to bring to justice those involved in killing and torturing thousands of Syrians during the rule of the ousted regime.

Hamas said on Wednesday that Israel is deliberately exacerbating the health situation in the Gaza Strip and preventing fuel and medical supplies from reaching hospitals, which threatens the complete collapse of the health sector in light of the ongoing genocide for more than 15 months.

It explained in a statement: "The occupation is still deliberately preventing fuel from reaching hospitals except in very limited quantities that are not enough for a few hours."

It added: "The occupation is trying to deceive the international community into allowing aid in, while it continues its open war on hospitals and medical centers, targeting them with bombing and destruction, and preventing the entry of fuel and medical supplies necessary to operate them."

It pointed out that "the occupation is deliberately exacerbating the health situation in the Strip, and keeping the hospitals in a state of permanent crisis, in order to complete its plan to destroy the health sector in Gaza, without regard to the lives of patients and the wounded."

Hamas called on the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and the International Committee of the Red Cross to "take immediate action to save the health sector from the risk of complete collapse," calling for providing emergency hospital needs and sending specialized medical delegations to treat the injured and wounded.

In the same context, the Ministry of Health in Gaza appealed to the United Nations and humanitarian organizations to intervene urgently to secure fuel on a regular basis for hospitals.

The ministry said in a statement that "on Wednesday, very limited quantities of fuel were brought in for hospital generators in Gaza, sufficient for today only."

Hospitals in Gaza are facing a shortage of fuel to operate generators due to power outages, in addition to a shortage of medicines and medical supplies due to the lack of sufficient aid.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday, "We are very close to a ceasefire and hostage release agreement," hoping to reach it in the time remaining for President Joe Biden's administration.

“I hope we can get it done in the time we have left, but if we don’t, the plan that President [Joe] Biden has put forward for a ceasefire and hostage release will be handed over to the next administration, and I think when we get that deal — and we will get it — it will be based on the plan that President Biden put forward to the world last May,” Blinken said at a news conference with his French counterpart in Paris, stressing that the Biden administration has spent a significant amount of time pushing an initiative to govern Gaza after the war that includes arrangements for the security, governance and reconstruction of the Strip.

"We are prepared to hand that over to the [Trump] administration so they can work on it and take advantage of it when the opportunity arises," he added.

Blinken also highlighted the work the Biden administration has done to secure a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

“All of this is ready to be implemented if the opportunity arises, with a ceasefire in Gaza, as well as understandings about a path forward for the Palestinians. So there is a tremendous opportunity there,” Blinken said.

Regarding the situation in Lebanon, Blinken confirmed in a press conference on Wednesday on the sidelines of his visit to France that the ceasefire monitoring mechanism in Lebanon is "working well," highlighting that the agreement to end the fighting in this country was achieved through American and French efforts.

He expressed his hope for "sustainable peace" in Lebanon, saying, "Yesterday we saw that more than a third of the Israeli forces withdrew from Lebanon. I believe that the ceasefire can form a bridge towards sustainable peace."

The Israeli occupation army spoke on Wednesday evening about retrieving the body of a prisoner from inside a tunnel in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.

This came in a statement published on the "X" platform.

The army said that its forces and the General Security Service (Shabak) "were able to retrieve the body of Yousef al-Zayadneh from inside a tunnel in the Rafah area on Tuesday."

He added that Al-Zayadneh "was kidnapped on October 7, 2023 and killed while in captivity," without providing any details on how he was killed.

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia expressed its condemnation and rejection of Israel’s false allegations and claims regarding a map published by official accounts affiliated with the occupation, which includes parts of Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

In a statement by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it stressed that such extremist allegations demonstrate the intentions of the occupation authorities to consolidate their occupation, continue blatant attacks on the sovereignty of states, and violate international laws and norms.

Saudi Arabia renewed its call for the international community to play its role in stopping Israeli violations against the countries and peoples of the region, stressing the need to respect the sovereignty of states and their borders, to limit the exacerbation of the region's crises and undermine efforts aimed at achieving a just and comprehensive peace.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi commented on Wednesday on the proposal to send international forces to the Gaza Strip following the ceasefire in the Strip.

Al-Busaidi said during the "Oman and the World" conference organized by the Omani Ministry of Information: "The Sultanate of Oman does not see a need to send foreign forces to the Gaza Strip after the ceasefire and the end of the genocide committed by Israel for 15 months, indicating that the Palestinians are capable of governing themselves."

In response to a journalist's question about the possibility of Gulf states sending forces to the Gaza Strip after a ceasefire and the cessation of the genocide committed by Israel, he replied: "Palestine is for the Palestinians, and they are capable of governing themselves."

Al-Busaidi explained that "Palestine has the necessary competencies and capabilities to manage it without external interference from anyone," adding that other countries must help by financing the Palestinians and continuing diplomatic work to support them.

In recent months, Western media have reported a proposal to send a multinational force that would include some regional countries if the United States supported steps toward establishing a Palestinian state.

In response to a journalist's question about the possibility of Oman hosting a Hamas office in the Sultanate, he said that "Palestine has an embassy in Muscat" and that the latter has an embassy in the city of Ramallah in the West Bank.

In this regard, the Omani Minister called on the Palestinians to unite under one roof, and urged them to unite their national ranks to overcome the current crises.

Regarding the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, he pointed out that many efforts have been made to achieve this, and to stop the ongoing tragedies and crimes committed against the defenceless Palestinian people.

The minister expressed his hope that there would be greater efforts and initiatives to cease fire with the arrival of the next US administration headed by Donald Trump, who will assume office on January 20.

He stressed that a ceasefire would not be enough, emphasizing the need to find a solution to restore the rights of the Palestinian people in accordance with international charters and resolutions and the peace initiative approved by the Arab League at its summit in 2002.

In a related context, he explained that there is a growing support in the international community for the justice of the Palestinian cause, and that there is a near international consensus on "criminalizing Israeli policies and the criminal destruction and human and material losses" caused by Tel Aviv in the Gaza Strip.

Al-Busaidi said, "Neutral countries and even countries that lean towards Israel have begun to talk about the credibility and justice of the Palestinian right."

He stressed that the Middle East region "will not enjoy peace" without addressing the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution (Palestinian and Israeli).

This evening, Wednesday, a woman was injured after the Israeli occupation army assaulted her in Al-Ghanem neighborhood in Tulkarm camp.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that its crews transferred an injured woman (36 years old) from the camp to the Martyr Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital, after she was beaten by the occupation soldiers during their raid on the camp.

The occupation bulldozers continue to destroy the infrastructure of Tulkarm camp, in its various neighborhoods, including Al-Balawneh and Al-Madaris neighborhoods, Al-Akasha, Al-Rabaia, and Al-Shuhada, and destroy the public and private property of citizens.

According to local sources, the occupation forces raided citizens' homes and forced them to leave the camp, specifically in the Al-Ghanem neighborhood, which is witnessing a large deployment of occupation soldiers and their vehicles.

The occupation forces deployed their snipers on the roofs of tall buildings inside and around the camp, amidst the sounds of heavy gunfire and explosions, while they tightened their siege on its entrances from all directions, and pushed more of their vehicles into the area.

The occupation forces also stormed the Dhnaba suburb adjacent to the camp, and fired smoke bombs heavily at the Al-Firdaws Mosque junction at its entrance, and raided a number of citizens’ homes there, searched them, and subjected their residents to interrogation.

Dozens of military vehicles, backed by five heavy bulldozers, stormed the city of Tulkarm this afternoon, from its western entrance, and headed towards its camp, passing through its main streets in the western and northern neighborhoods, while intercepting citizens' vehicles.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said on Wednesday that establishing an independent Palestinian state is the only way to sustainable peace.

The Egyptian president added, during a press conference with his Cypriot counterpart and the Greek prime minister, following the tripartite summit in Cairo today, Wednesday, that security and stability must be achieved in the region, a ceasefire must be reached in the Gaza Strip, humanitarian aid must be sent to the Palestinian people in the Strip, and forced displacement must be prevented.

President Sisi also stressed that the only way to achieve peace and cooperation among peoples is to implement the relevant international resolutions, adding, "It is time to use reason in order to achieve security and stability in the region."

In Palestine, where blood mixes with soil, and where the occupation attempts to obliterate all signs of life, group psychology emerges as a fundamental shield in the battle of steadfastness. It is the force that rebuilds what the war machine has destroyed, and inspires the individual that his existence is part of a cohesive collective fabric. But this force, as much as it can build, can turn into a wrecking ball if it is misused or slips into the labyrinths of division.

The Group as a Fortress: A Force That Defies Destruction

During the last aggression on Gaza, when only rubble remained as a witness to human existence, the spirit of community emerged to bring life back to what seemed to have ended. Khaled, a simple worker, opened his modest home to shelter displaced families from the Shujaiya neighborhood. “I never felt for a moment that I was doing a favor,” he says. “At this moment, we are one family, and our homes belong to everyone who lost theirs.”

These moments reflect how group psychology in Palestine is turning into a lifeline. From grassroots initiatives to rebuild homes, to mothers caring for neighbors’ children during bombings, Palestinians are demonstrating their ability to turn tragedy into an opportunity to foster unity.

National Identity: A Collective Narrative Under Siege

The Israeli occupation did not only target the land, but also tried to obliterate the Palestinian national identity. But in the face of these attempts, the group’s psychology turned into a cultural tool of resistance. The walls covered with drawings immortalizing the martyrs, and the embroidered dresses bearing stories of the Nakba and struggle, all reflect this cultural resistance.

In Jerusalem, Umm Ahmad spoke about teaching her granddaughter the art of Palestinian embroidery. “This dress is not just a piece of cloth,” she said. “It is our history, an identity that the occupation cannot erase. When my granddaughter completes the dress, she will have woven into every stitch a story of our displaced villages.”

The Group as a Double-Edged Sword: Lessons from Division

Just as the group can be a tool of power, it can become a burden if awareness is absent. The political division between Gaza and the West Bank was not just a difference in visions, but a collective hemorrhage that affected the spirit of Palestinian steadfastness and weakened global solidarity.

Mahmoud, a young man from Ramallah, who participated in a demonstration calling for an end to the division, expressed his frustration, saying: “We fight the occupation with one hand, and weaken ourselves with the other. We cannot win if we fight each other.”

This division was not limited to political factions only, but also seeped into society, where party affiliations came to define daily relationships and deepen the gap between citizens.

Conformity Pressure: When the Group Stifles the Individual's Spirit

Often, belonging to a group turns into enormous psychological pressure on the individual, creating an environment that robs him of his freedom of thought and expression. In some Palestinian factions or families, the individual is required to fully comply with the group’s rules and decisions, even if they conflict with his personal convictions.

A young Palestinian man working in a civil society organization described this pressure, saying: “Sometimes, I find myself forced to support decisions that I do not believe in, just because I fear being accused of disloyalty or abandoning the group. This feeling creates internal alienation and weakens my ability to take initiative.”

This kind of pressure kills diversity within the group and prevents the emergence of new ideas. Instead of being an incubator for creativity, the group turns into a space for intellectual stagnation. In the context of the occupation, where Palestinians need all the energy possible, this alienation becomes a great loss for the national project.

How do we reclaim the group as a tool for liberation?

Reclaiming the group as a tool for liberation requires a sustained effort to reframe its role in Palestinian life. The group must be transformed into a space that promotes the highest human and national values and embraces intellectual diversity, rather than being a tool for division or exclusion.

National identity must be strengthened as an umbrella that transcends all partisan and factional affiliations. When the Palestinian flag is raised, it must cover everyone without exception. Stories and narratives that reflect the struggle of Palestinians as a whole, regardless of their affiliations, can create a new awareness that reunites the ranks.

Free dialogue should also be encouraged within groups, so that each individual has the right to express himself and participate. This dialogue does not only mean accepting different opinions, but also turning them into strengths that enrich the group rather than divide it.

We must confront the internal oppression that creeps into Palestinian society. Traditional values that hold women back or marginalize young people must be replaced with a system that enshrines social justice. For example, strengthening the role of women in community leadership can be a step toward building a stronger and more just group.

Finally, it is necessary to build bridges of solidarity with international groups that support the Palestinian cause. International solidarity can give Palestinians a sense that they are not alone in the battle, and highlight their cause as part of a global human struggle against injustice and colonialism.

In the face of occupation, the Palestinian cannot stand alone. The Palestinian groups, with their good and bad, are the force that has kept the cause alive for decades. But it is a force that needs awareness and openness, lest it become a burden on the liberation project.

As one of the notables of Jenin camp said: “It is not enough to confront the occupation as an external enemy, but we must confront everything that is destroying the fabric of our unity from within. When we listen to the voice of our conscience and make solidarity our compass, our strength becomes greater than an enemy can conquer, and deeper than the winds of division can shake it.”

Group psychology is not just a passing social phenomenon, but rather the backbone of the Palestinian struggle. It is the latent force that, if properly invested, can transcend divisions and build a comprehensive national project that will lead the Palestinians steadfastly and with dignity towards freedom and liberation.

This evening, Wednesday, the Israeli occupation forces handed over the bodies of 3 dead, including two children, from the town of Tamoun, south of the city of Tubas.

The Red Crescent said that its crews received the bodies of the three dead: Reda Ali Ahmed Basharat (9 years old), Hamza Ammar Ahmed Basharat (10 years old), and Adam Khair al-Din Ahmed Basharat (23 years old), who were martyred this morning as a result of an Israeli occupation drone bombing a site in the town. They were transferred to the Turkish Tubas Hospital.

Tamoun Mayor Najeh Bani Odeh said that the bodies of the three martyrs will be buried in the town tonight after the necessary procedures are completed.

The occupation forces stormed the town of Tamoun this morning and surrounded two houses, and raided several homes of citizens. At the same time, they carried out an airstrike via a drone on a residential area, which led to the death of the three people, and kidnapped their bodies.

Steve Witkoff, President-elect Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, said Tuesday he will travel to Qatar to participate in ceasefire and hostage negotiations in Gaza with Biden administration officials.

Chances of a deal appear slim as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear he has no intention of ending the genocidal war and Hamas says any deal must lead to a permanent ceasefire, but Witkoff insisted progress was being made.

It is unprecedented for an official from an incoming administration to join the diplomatic work of the current administration.

“We’re making a lot of progress, and I don’t want to say too much because I think they’re doing a really good job in Doha,” Witkoff, a real estate investor, said at a news conference with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

“I’m really optimistic that by the time the inauguration comes around, we’ll have some good things to announce on behalf of the president,” Witkoff said. Asked what was holding up an agreement, Witkoff declined to answer. “I think we were close to [an agreement]. I don’t want to discuss what held it up — there’s no point in being negative in any way,” he said.

Trump reiterated his threat that there would be "hell to pay" if Hamas did not begin releasing the hostages by his inauguration on January 20.

“If these hostages are not returned — if they are not returned by the time I take office — hell will break out in the Middle East and it will not be good for Hamas and it will not be good, frankly, for anybody,” Trump said. “Hell will break out. I don’t need to say more, but that is the case and they should have been returned long ago.”

The president-elect has pledged to be a strong supporter of Israel, as he was in his first term, and said Monday that he is "the best friend Israel has ever had."

According to media reports, Hamas has issued a list of 34 hostages it wants to release as part of the first phase of a ceasefire agreement in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

The Times of Israel reported that the possible deal on the table would only include a temporary ceasefire of six to seven weeks. Relatives of the Israelis still being held in Gaza are demanding that the government seek a comprehensive agreement that would free all the hostages and end the conflict.

During previous rounds of negotiations, Netanyahu has worked to sabotage the chances of reaching an agreement by constantly declaring that he would not agree to a permanent truce and adding new demands.

US President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday shared a video of Professor Jeffrey Sachs insulting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump posted the clip of Sachs, a lecturer at Columbia University, on his Truth Social account without comment.

While Trump did not mention or allude to the insult, the video began with criticism of former US President Barack Obama (Democrat), which suggests why he posted it.

"Since 1995, Netanyahu has had a theory that the only way to get rid of Hamas and Hezbollah is to undermine the governments that support them, which are Iraq, Syria and Iran," Sachs says.

Speaking about Netanyahu, he added: "He is still trying to push us to fight Iran to this day," then directed an insult at him, calling him his mother "because he got us into endless wars."

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office did not comment on this publication by Trump.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan discussed, on Wednesday, in Riyadh, with the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, aspects of cooperation between the Kingdom and the agency.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the meeting between Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Lazaini witnessed "a review of aspects of cooperation between the Kingdom and UNRWA."

The meeting also witnessed "discussing regional developments and the efforts made in this regard," without further details.

The meeting comes amid pressures facing UNRWA.

On October 28, the Israeli Knesset finally approved the ban on UNRWA activities in the occupied Palestinian territories. The decision will go into effect 3 months after the vote, i.e. the end of January.

Israel claimed that UNRWA employees were part of the October 7, 2023 attacks, a claim denied by the agency, which the United Nations has affirmed its commitment to neutrality, while the Palestinians say that Tel Aviv's goal is to liquidate the agency and the refugee issue.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas attacked 22 settlements and 11 military bases along the Gaza Strip, killing and capturing Israelis in response to “the occupation’s daily crimes against the Palestinian people and their holy sites, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque,” according to the movement.

UNRWA was established shortly after the Palestinian Nakba in 1948, with the aim of assisting Palestinian refugees who were displaced after the Nakba following the declaration of the establishment of the State of Israel.

UNRWA is currently active in five main areas: the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, and today serves approximately 5.9 million Palestinians, according to its official data.

The Syrian journalist who opposes the Assad regime revealed, through his personal account, old documents belonging to the Syrian intelligence, warning Hafez al-Assad about Asma al-Assad.

The Syrian journalist said that former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad may have opposed his son Bashar's marriage to Asma, and this can be inferred from the delay in the marriage even after his death.

Nayouf published what he said were documents “showing that Hafez al-Assad had tasked the former director of military intelligence, Ali Douba, with monitoring Bashar al-Assad during his studies in Britain. Douba sent a report in 1992 that included information about Sahar al-Atri, Asma’s mother, organizing secret meetings for Bashar with an intelligence officer and special forces in the British army.”

In 1992, Douba sent a report detailing secret meetings between Bashar al-Assad and a British intelligence officer in London.

The authenticity of the information leaked in the documents could not be independently verified.

Asmaa Al-Akhras's mission

The published documents provided additional details about the British intelligence’s dealings with Asma al-Assad, as she obtained a job at the American “JP Morgan” bank in London, with the support of British intelligence officer Eliza Bowler, who had secured her a job to monitor Asian investments in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, according to the leaked Syrian intelligence report.

The leaked documents speak of a "veiled" warning from Syrian intelligence to President Hafez al-Assad about the development of his son Bashar's relationship with Asma in London.

The report said that he met Asma in a restaurant in a luxury hotel, in the presence of her mother, and with a heavy presence of British intelligence around the hotel.

The report, issued in 1992, also referred to a "small party" held at Fawaz al-Akhras's home, to which Bashar and a number of British intelligence figures were invited.

During the evening, the British asked questions about internal Syrian affairs, his (Bashar's) relationship with a number of members of the Syrian Baath Party, and the possibility of establishing a Syrian-Israeli peace.

Today, Wednesday, the Israeli occupation forces arrested three citizens in Bethlehem and the northern Jordan Valley.

Local sources reported that a special Israeli unit affiliated with the occupation forces arrested the citizen Salah Muhammad Faraj, in his forties, while he was in the village of Artas, south of Bethlehem.

In the northern Jordan Valley, the occupation forces arrested two young men, An’ad Hassan Mustafa Rabaya and Saleh Yousef Khanifis, who confronted settlers and prevented them from stealing cows belonging to a citizen in the village of Bardala.

The citizens of Bardala village had confronted an attack launched by a number of settlers on the village, who tried to steal cows belonging to the citizen Jamal Abdul Sawafta in the western area of the village.

Clashes then erupted between the villagers and the settlers, with the support of the occupation forces.

It is noteworthy that settlers established a pastoral colonial outpost west of the village about two weeks ago, and since then they have begun carrying out attacks and provocative acts against citizens.

Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, announced today, Wednesday, the suspension of health services, with the exception of intensive care and operations departments, in light of the fuel shortage crisis.

Nasser Complex explained, in a statement, that all health services provided in the complex have stopped, except for the critical departments, which are: intensive care, emergency operations, the artificial kidney, the oxygen station, and the emergency department lighting.

He warned of a humanitarian and health disaster that threatens the lives of patients by causing them to die of suffocation in intensive care beds, pointing out that the complex's generators have completely stopped, and that only a small generator is working now.

He pointed out that the amount of fuel available in the complex is sufficient to operate the small generator for only three hours, stressing that the complex needs 5,500 liters of diesel per day to ensure the continuity of medical services.

He called on all international bodies and institutions to intervene urgently to bring in fuel to ensure the continuity of medical services.

In light of the ongoing bombing and direct targeting of hospitals, the occupation is seeking to destroy the health system in the north and south, as the three public hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip, namely: Kamal Adwan, Beit Hanoun, and the Indonesian, have become out of service due to the escalation of the occupation’s aggression. Only 14 hospitals out of 36 in Gaza are now partially operating, and are facing a severe shortage of supplies, according to what the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported.

Today, Wednesday, settler bulldozers began paving a new colonial road on the road connecting Khirbet Tana, east of Nablus, and the central Jordan Valley region.

According to local sources, the settlers have begun rehabilitating the road connecting Khirbet Tana and the town of Beit Furik with the central Jordan Valley, a distance of approximately one and a half kilometers, with the aim of creating a link between the colonial Allon Street and the new colonial outpost that the settlers established after the war on the Gaza Strip on the lands of Khirbet Tana, to serve the colonial activities in that area.

The sources noted that the street that the settlers began rehabilitating was reopened by the occupation in 2020, and an iron gate was erected on it after it was closed since the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000, to serve the movement of its military vehicles between the Jordan Valley, the town of Beit Furik and Khirbet Tana.

She pointed out that the street has been open for more than 50 years, and was used by farmers to move between the Jordan Valley and the town of Beit Furik.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced today, Wednesday, that the death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 45,936, the majority of whom are children and women, since the start of the Israeli occupation aggression on October 7, 2023.

It added that the number of injuries has risen to 109,274 since the beginning of the aggression, while thousands of victims are still under the rubble.

It pointed out that the occupation forces committed six massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, resulting in 51 dead and 78 wounded people arriving at hospitals during the past 24 hours.

Today, Wednesday, a settler ran over a school student in the village of Al-Manshiya, south of Bethlehem.

According to local sources, a settler ran over the child Musa Ali Salahat (12 years old) near the entrance to the village, while he was leaving school, before the settler fled.

It added that the child was transferred to Al-Yamamah Hospital in Al-Khader, as he suffered fractures and bruises, and will undergo surgery.

Maps published by official Israeli accounts on social media over the past two days have sparked anger among Jordanians.

Especially since Israel claimed that it is historical and includes parts of Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Jordanian activists on social media have strongly criticized the maps, considering them to reflect unacceptable Israeli ambitions.

They also stressed their opposition to these allegations that aim to undermine Jordan's sovereignty and the rights of the Palestinians.

Jordanian Foreign Ministry responds

For its part, the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned these maps in the strongest terms, along with the statements of the extremist Israeli Finance Minister calling for the annexation of the West Bank and the establishment of settlements in Gaza.

The official spokesman for the ministry, Ambassador Dr. Sufian Al-Qudah, confirmed in a statement yesterday evening, Tuesday, Amman's absolute rejection of these policies that aim to deny the Palestinians' right to establish their independent state with occupied Jerusalem as its capital.

He also stressed that these Israeli allegations and incitements constitute a flagrant violation of international laws, calling for a clear international position condemning these actions and warning of their consequences for the security and stability of the region.

House of Representatives also

In turn, the Jordanian House of Representatives entered the fray, and the Speaker of the Jordanian House of Representatives, Ahmed Al-Safadi, confirmed that these maps express a “criminal mentality and malicious ambitions that cannot be ignored or tolerated.”

At the beginning of the parliament session today, Wednesday, Safadi stressed that Jordan knows how to respond to anyone who dares to encroach on its sovereignty. He said: "Jordan was and will remain Arab, and so are Palestine, Syria and Lebanon."

It is noteworthy that this is not the first time that the Israeli side has published similar maps. Rather, Israeli officials have raised similar images during several international and UN occasions.

Today, Wednesday, the Israeli occupation forces stormed Khirbet al-Tawil, which is part of the lands of the town of Aqraba, south of Nablus.

According to local sources, these forces, with military reinforcements, stormed the village, in preparation for demolishing some facilities.

The Israeli occupation forces detained the bodies of 3 dead after an Israeli drone bombed a site in the town of Tamoun, Tubas district, in the occupied West Bank, on Wednesday.

Later this morning, the young man, Abdul Rahman Muhammad Eid Bani Odeh (24 years old), died of critical wounds he sustained as a result of the Israeli occupation’s shelling of the town of Tamoun in the West Bank, according to a statement issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The Ministry of Health stated that the young man, Bani Odeh, was martyred when an occupation drone targeted a group of young men in the town, and the occupation kidnapped his body.

This morning, Wednesday, the occupation's drones renewed their bombing of a site in the town of Tamoun, south of Tubas, which resulted in injuries among the Palestinians.

The occupation forces prevented Palestinian ambulance crews from approaching the bombing site in the town of Tamoun, claiming that they were targeting militants, according to the Red Crescent Society.

The released prisoner Ismail Yousef Taqatqa (40 years old) from the town of Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem, died today, Wednesday. He had been suffering from cancer during his detention.

According to the Prisoners’ Media Office, Taqatqa was diagnosed with cancer during his detention. He was released from the occupation prisons a few months ago, and was subjected to torture, starvation, deprivation of all necessities of life, and medical neglect, which led to the deterioration of his health and his contracting cancer.

According to the prisoners' institutions, more than 500 sick and injured prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons are suffering from harsh conditions and deliberate medical neglect.

The number of prisoners and detainees in the occupation prisons exceeds ten thousand and 300, until the beginning of December 2024.