Minister in the Israeli Ministerial Council for Political and Security Affairs, Sa'ar, announces the withdrawal of the "Tikva Hadasha" party from the Israeli emergency government in light of its failure to manage the war on the Gaza Strip.

In the first crack in the Israeli emergency government to manage the war on the besieged Gaza Strip, the head of the “Tikva Hadasha” party, Minister Gideon Sa’ar, announced this evening, Monday, his resignation from Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

This came in a press conference held by Sa'ar, during which he stressed that Israel is at a standstill in Gaza, following the rejection of his request to include him in the war cabinet, and his rejection of Likud's proposal that he be invited to cabinet meetings from time to time.

Sa'ar had announced his party's split from the "National Camp" bloc headed by Benny Gantz, two weeks ago, and last week he held an independent meeting for his party's bloc in the Knesset, consisting of 4 Knesset members.

Sa'ar said, "The center of gravity in the management of the war moved from the (expanded) cabinet, which turned into a kind of parliament, to the war cabinet," and added that important decisions are made in the war cabinet, while the expanded cabinet is content with discussing general issues.

Sa'ar pointed out, "We joined a government that we opposed in the aftermath of the war only in order to influence war affairs. If we cannot do that, we cannot be in the government."

Former US President Donald Trump criticized the war waged by the Israeli army on the Gaza Strip, calling on Israel to end the fighting, saying: “You must end your war. You must do that, and I am sure of that. We must reach peace. This cannot continue.” The matter,” in an interview with the Hebrew newspaper “Israel Hayom,” Monday, March 25, 2024.

Trump, who ran for the Republican Party for the presidential elections, said that Israel must be "cautious" because it is "losing a lot of the world, and losing a lot of support. You have to stop."

“Israel made a very big mistake.”

He stressed that prolonging the war on Gaza might harm Israel “because of the scenes coming from Gaza,” criticizing the Israeli occupation army’s publication of clips of assassinations and bombing of buildings in Gaza, saying that he watches those clips every night.

He added: "I think that Israel made a very big mistake. I wanted to contact (Israel) to tell it not to do that; those pictures and footage, I mean the scenes of bombs being dropped on buildings in Gaza."

He continued: "I said: Oh! These are terrible pictures. This is a very bad picture for the world. The world sees that... I watched every night, the buildings falling on people. I would like to say that those scenes were captured by the (Israeli) Ministry of Defense."

This is the second time that Trump has called for an end to the war on the Gaza Strip.

Last month, Trump called on the Prime Minister of the Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, to quickly end the war on the Strip, during an interview on Fox News.

He also pledged to restore "peace" in the Middle East after winning the upcoming presidential elections.

Trump has expressed his support for Israel in recent months, but has avoided publicly supporting Netanyahu.

Trump's son-in-law wants to empty Gaza of its people

In a related context, it is noteworthy that Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and former foreign policy advisor, said in an interview at Harvard University last week that if he were in Israel’s place, he “would have moved the people of Gaza and cleansed the area,” according to what was reported by The Guardian newspaper.

Kushner said that the Gaza Strip must be "emptied" of its people, saying: "If it were me, I would move the people from Gaza to the Negev Desert and cleanse the area," and pointed out that Gaza's waterfront real estate could be "of high value."

Regarding fears in the region that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “will not allow Palestinians fleeing Gaza to return to it,” Kushner said: “There is not much of Gaza left anyway.”

He claimed that "not only Gaza should be evacuated, but the city of Rafah should also be evacuated," and claimed that he would bulldoze an area in the Negev and move people there, claiming that "the best step would be to enter the evacuated areas and finish the job."

Israel, in violation of international laws, restricts humanitarian access to Gaza, especially by land; This caused a scarcity of food, medicine and fuel supplies and created a famine that claimed the lives of children and the elderly in the Strip, which it has been besieging for 17 years, and which is inhabited by about 2.3 million Palestinians in catastrophic conditions.

Israel faces Palestinian and international accusations of using “starvation” as a weapon in Gaza, amounting to a “war crime,” and the United Nations calls on it to open land crossings to flood the Strip with humanitarian aid before famine consumes more of its population.

The war on Gaza left tens of thousands of civilian casualties, most of them children and women, and massive destruction, according to Palestinian and UN data. This subjected Israel, in a first since 1948, to trial before the International Court of Justice. On charges of committing "genocide".

The official spokesman for the US State Department, Matthew Miller, said on Monday that the UN Security Council’s ceasefire resolution, which calls for a ceasefire and the release of detainees, is not binding.

In response to a question from Al-Quds.com's correspondent in Washington, Miller said whether he saw a practical future for Monday's resolution in the Security Council, or at least as a step towards adopting a binding resolution, that he did not want to speculate about these matters, suggesting a return to Safira's comment. The United States in the Security Council, Lena Linda Thomas Green, regarding the non-binding resolution of the resolution, but he pointed to the multiple efforts to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Qatar negotiations, expressing his hope that the negotiations will lead to an agreement.

On Monday, the Security Council adopted its first resolution for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, more than 5 and a half months after the Israeli war on Gaza.

The United States was the only vote that abstained, while the other 14 members voted in favor of the resolution, which was proposed by the 10 non-permanent members of the Council, allowing the resolution to pass.

The resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire during the month of Ramadan, which began two weeks ago, provided that it “leads to a permanent ceasefire.” It also calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Monday that Washington did not vote on a ceasefire resolution in Gaza because it did not condemn Hamas.

This came in statements made by Kirby to journalists and reported by American and international media, including USA Today, in the first official American comment after the Security Council adopted a resolution for an immediate ceasefire in the Strip.

Kirby stressed that "the United States' abstention from voting on a draft resolution in the UN Security Council demanding a ceasefire in Gaza does not represent a shift in our policy."

He added, "The United States supports the ceasefire, but abstained from voting because the resolution did not condemn Hamas."

Earlier Monday, 14 countries voted in favor of the resolution adopted by the Security Council for a ceasefire in Gaza during the month of Ramadan, and the United States abstained from voting.

Commenting on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement of canceling the visit that was scheduled for a negotiating team from Tel Aviv to Washington, Kirby said: “It is disappointing. We are very disappointed that they will not come to Washington so that we can discuss alternatives to the incursion into Rafah.”

But he pointed out that regardless of the UN resolution, American officials are scheduled to hold separate talks with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who is currently in Washington, on issues including hostages, humanitarian aid, and the protection of civilians in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza.

Repeatedly, the United States has used its “veto” power to prevent the issuance of Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire, and it recently attempted to pass a resolution that did not include a direct call for a ceasefire, which Russia and China aborted with a “veto.”

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stressed, on Monday, the necessity of implementing the resolution adopted by the UN Security Council for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during the month of Ramadan, saying that “failure to implement it would be unforgivable.”

Guterres added, in a post on his account on the X platform, that “the resolution also calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”

He stressed the necessity of implementing the decision, warning that “failure to implement it would be unforgivable.”

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled sending his delegation to Washington after the latter refrained from using its veto power against the draft Gaza ceasefire resolution in the Security Council.

Earlier Monday, 14 countries voted in favor of the resolution adopted by the Security Council for a ceasefire in Gaza during the month of Ramadan, and the United States abstained from voting.

Following the vote, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement: “The United States did not use its veto power today against the new text that calls for a ceasefire without the condition of releasing the kidnapped.”

It added: "This is a clear retreat from the consistent American position in the Security Council since the beginning of the war."

Netanyahu's office considered that this retreat "harms the war effort and efforts aimed at releasing the kidnapped, because it gives Hamas hope that international pressure will allow it to obtain a ceasefire without the release of our kidnapped."

According to the statement, “Netanyahu made clear last night that if the United States retreats from its principled position, he will not send the Israeli delegation to it.”

He concluded by saying: "In light of the change in the American position, Prime Minister Netanyahu decided that the delegation will not travel."

A delegation including Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi was scheduled to leave for Washington in the coming days, according to the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz.

It was agreed to send the delegation during a phone call between Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden last week.

The visit was scheduled to discuss the possible military operation to invade Rafah, which Washington declared its opposition to on more than one occasion.

Repeatedly, the United States has used its “veto” power to prevent the issuance of Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire, and it recently attempted to pass a resolution that did not include a direct call for a ceasefire, which Russia and China aborted with a “veto.”

A child was injured, Monday evening, after a settler ran over him with his vehicle in the village of Kaisan, east of Bethlehem.

According to local sources, a settler ran over the child, Muhammad Sami Odeh Ghazal (13 years old), with his vehicle while he was riding his bicycle on the main street, resulting in injury to all parts of his body, indicating that the injured child was transferred to Beit Jala Governmental Hospital.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor reported that Israel did not abide by the decision of the International Court of Justice throughout the two-month period following its issuance, and continued to carry out the crime of genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continuously since the seventh of last October.

This came in a new report issued by Euro-Med on Monday, entitled “Two months after the International Court of Justice’s decision on Gaza: an increase in genocide and an absence of accountability.”

In the report, the Center presented the evidence and observations it documented about Israel continuing to commit various forms of the crime of genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and compared it to what was stated in the six precautionary measures ruled by the International Court of Justice.

The Euro-Med Monitor said that the decision of the International Court of Justice, issued on January 26, obligated Israel to take specific precautionary measures to prevent the commission of the crime of genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

It added that the decision came after the court found a reasonable basis to believe that the acts committed by Israel were indeed likely to amount to the commission of the crime of genocide, according to the definition contained in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

The report indicated that, after the work of the Euro-Med team, it has become clear that Israel has not adhered at all to this resolution, has violated most of the precautionary measures contained therein, and has continued to carry out the crime of genocide at the same pace that preceded the resolution, by committing various forms and acts of genocide with intent. Destroying the Palestinians in their national and ethnic capacity.

For the first time, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, more than 5 months after the Israeli war, as the United States - the main supporter of Tel Aviv - refrained from using its veto this time, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled it. An Israeli delegation visited Washington to protest the latter’s abstention from voting.

The resolution presented by non-permanent members of the Security Council calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, stressing the urgent need to increase aid and demanding the removal of all obstacles to its delivery.

The resolution was adopted with the approval of 14 of the 15 Council members, with the United States abstaining from voting.

The resolution calls for "an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan that is respected by the parties and leads to a stable and sustainable ceasefire."

The text also calls for "the immediate and unlawful release of all hostages and to ensure humanitarian access," and calls on "both parties to comply with their obligations under international law regarding all detained persons."

Algeria's representative to the United Nations, Ammar Ben Jama, said that the adoption of the resolution is a message to the people of Gaza that the international community feels their pain and has not abandoned them.

He continued, saying, "We want Palestine to become a full and sovereign member of the United Nations."

During the same session, the Council failed to adopt an amendment requested by Russia to add the phrase “permanent ceasefire.”

Israeli anger

In response to the decision, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said that Benjamin Netanyahu canceled the visit of an Israeli delegation to Washington after it abstained from voting on the resolution adopted by the UN Security Council.

For his part, Strategic Communications Coordinator for the US National Security Council, John Kirby, said that the US abstention from voting on the Security Council resolution “does not represent a shift in our policy,” explaining, “We did not vote in favor of the resolution and merely abstained from voting because the final version does not include condemning Hamas.”

Kirby added, "If the Israelis decide not to come to Washington because of the Security Council vote, we will continue to communicate with them to communicate our views."

The White House said that the Israeli government's decision not to send a delegation to Washington to exchange views on the planned operation in Rafah was "disappointing."

On the other hand, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) welcomed the Security Council's decision, and called on the Council to pressure the occupation "to adhere to the ceasefire and stop the war of genocide and ethnic cleansing against our people."

The movement stressed the need to reach a permanent ceasefire that would lead to the withdrawal of all occupation forces and the return of the displaced. It also confirmed its readiness to engage in an immediate prisoner exchange process that would lead to the release of prisoners on both sides.

Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip for more than 5 months, leaving tens of thousands of martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, amid warnings from international organizations of famine - especially in the northern Gaza Strip - as a result of the occupation restricting the entry of aid.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry welcomes the Security Council’s resolution on Gaza

On Monday, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the Security Council resolution that called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during the month of Ramadan, and said it must be “permanent and sustainable.”

The ministry added in a statement, "Adopting an immediate ceasefire decision is a step in the right direction to stop the aggression completely and sustainably."

It explained that "the international consensus on stopping the aggression against the Palestinian people, introducing aid, and preventing forced displacement must be accompanied by practical steps and consequences for Israel."

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies

Six senior Democrats in the House of Representatives sent a letter to US President Joe Biden urging him to activate US foreign aid laws to suspend military aid to Israel due to the famine blockade imposed by the country on Gaza.

The letter reads: “Given the catastrophic and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, we urge you to implement the Humanitarian Corridor Act (Section 620i of the Foreign Assistance Act) and, as required by that law, to make clear to the Israeli government that as long as Israel continues to restrict humanitarian access to Gaza, the  continued US security assistance to Israel would constitute a violation of existing US law and should be restricted.”

It is noteworthy that Article 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act stipulates that no assistance may be provided “to any country when the President is informed that the government of that country prohibits or restricts, directly or indirectly, the transfer or delivery of American humanitarian aid.”

The Israeli blockade and restrictions on aid have brought Gazans to the brink of starvation. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently admitted that 100% of Gaza's population "suffers from severe levels of acute food insecurity," but the Biden administration continues to provide unconditional military support to the Israeli campaign.

The letter to Biden comes as Blinken is supposed to testify whether Israel has made reliable and credible written commitments to use US weapons in accordance with US and international law. Israel submitted a letter this month claiming that it will abide by the law, and the deadline for obtaining the American certificate is Monday.

Subsection (b) of Section 620i states that the President can waive this restriction if he or she believes that providing military aid is in the “national security interest” of the United States. US support for the Israeli massacre of Palestinians in Gaza led to an escalation of attacks on US forces in the region and Houthi attacks on commercial ships linked to Israel, to which the US responded by launching a new bombing campaign in Yemen. The risk of a major regional war continues to rise, but American politicians continue to claim that supporting Israel's genocidal campaign is in the United States' national interest.

The letter sent to Biden was signed by Representatives Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), James McGovern (D-Mass.), Sarah Jacobs (D-Calif.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Illinois), and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.). ), and Shelley Pingree (D-Maine). Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) and seven Democratic senators also sent a similar letter to Biden earlier this month.

Israel's undeclared stockpile of nuclear weapons also violates US foreign assistance laws that prohibit US aid to nuclear-armed states that have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The United States circumvents this law by not officially recognizing that Israel possesses nuclear weapons.

Today, Monday, the UN Security Council seeks again to adopt a text demanding an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, a demand that was previously obstructed by the United States several times, but it recently showed signs of a change in its tone with its ally, Israel.

Last Friday, Russia and China used their veto power in the UN Security Council to drop a US draft resolution in which Washington supported for the first time an “immediate” ceasefire and the release of detainees in Gaza.

Some observers saw in that project a major shift in Washington's position, which is under pressure to reduce its support for Israel after the ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip resulted in more than 32,000 martyrs.

The United States has previously systematically opposed the term “ceasefire” in United Nations resolutions, and obstructed 3 texts in this context.

The American text that was overturned by veto did not explicitly call for an immediate ceasefire, but rather used wording that was considered ambiguous by the Arab countries and China, as well as Russia, which denounced the “hypocrisy” of the United States.

Negotiation

The draft resolution that will be put to a vote today is the result of the work of non-permanent members of the Council who negotiated with the United States throughout the weekend in an attempt to avoid another failure, according to diplomatic sources who expressed some optimism about the outcome of the vote.

A diplomat told Agence France-Presse, "We expect, unless there is any development at the last minute, that the draft resolution will be adopted, and that the United States will not vote against it."

Agence France-Presse reported that the draft in its latest version “demands an immediate ceasefire during the month of Ramadan,” provided that it “leads to a permanent ceasefire,” and “demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”

Israel says that the Palestinian resistance detained about 250 people in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, 130 of whom are still in Gaza, while 33 of them are believed to have died.

The new draft resolution also calls for "removing all obstacles" to humanitarian aid, without which the population of the Gaza Strip - numbering 2.4 million people - is at risk of famine.

Since October 7, the Security Council has only been able to adopt two resolutions of a humanitarian nature regarding the war on Gaza, out of eight projects put to vote.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Al-Salem, expressed her concern about the increasing cases of rape committed byIsraeli soldiers against women in Gaza.

Al-Salem explained in a post on the “X” platform that it is disgusting that these cases continue in the Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to a devastating Israeli war for 6 months.

She stressed that rape and other types of sexual violence could be considered war crimes, crimes against humanity, or behavior that may constitute genocide.

The UN rapporteur called for an immediate halt to cases of violence against Palestinian women.

Dozens of citizens, including children and women, were killed and injured at dawn today, Monday, in a series of Israeli raids and artillery shelling in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital and various areas in the Gaza Strip, especially in Deir Al-Balah, at the Kuwait Roundabout, in the city of Rafah, and the eastern areas of Khan Yunis.

In the latest events, health sources in the Gaza Strip reported that a number of citizens were killed and injured in an Israeli artillery and air strike in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital, west of Gaza, amid heavy fire from Israeli vehicles and tanks.

According to local sources, the Israeli forces demanded through loudspeakers the immediate evacuation of the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in the Al-Rimal neighborhood, west of Gaza City, which they are besieging for the eighth day in a row.

According to the sources, the Israeli forces targeted committees that ensure the distribution of humanitarian aid at the Kuwait roundabout.

A number of citizens were injured as a result of the Israeli bombing of the Abu Amra family’s home in the Al-Hakar area in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, while the number of dead from the Salman family rose to 18 as a result of the bombing of their home on Al-Bi’ah Street in the city in the central Gaza Strip.

In addition, a number of citizens were killed and others were injured as a result of the targeting of a house belonging to the Barhoum family in the Yabna camp in the center of the city of Rafah, where health sources at Al-Kuwaiti Hospital reported the arrival of a number of martyrs and wounded as a result of the Israeli bombing of homes in the camp.

More than 27 citizens, including women and children, were killed in Israeli raids that targeted 5 homes in the city of Rafah since yesterday morning, Sunday.

The number of victims of the Israeli bombing of Deir al-Balah also rose to 10 martyrs, and a large number of people are still under the rubble.

The Israeli army has continued its aggression against the Gaza Strip since the seventh of last October, by land, sea and air, leaving 32,226 dead, the majority of whom are children and women, and more than 74,518 injuries, an infinite toll, as thousands of victims are still under the rubble and in the roads, as a result of Israeli prevention rescue crews from reaching them, in addition to massive destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

The Israeli "Wala" website reported - from unnamed officials - that the United States' proposal to release 700 Palestinian prisoners, including 100 life sentencers, was approved in exchange for Hamas's release of 40 Israeli prisoners in Gaza.

These officials also stated that Israel is ready to be flexible regarding the return of the displaced from the south of the Gaza Strip to its north, which is one of the main points of contention in the indirect negotiations with Hamas, according to Israeli officials.

They also said that they are awaiting Hamas' response to the American mediation proposal, and it is estimated that Hamas will respond within the next two days.

A number of those forced by the Israeli army to leave the Shifa Medical Hospital in Gaza City were seen naked, some of them dragging their body parts on their way to flee towards the south of the besieged Strip.

Forcing the displaced and wounded to go out naked extended to children, who tried to escape from the besieged area in northern Gaza, so the Israeli army forced them to take off all their clothes.

The Israeli army continues to besiege Al-Shifa Medical Complex

Israel's siege of Al-Shifa Medical Complex continues for the seventh day in a row in its second round, after Israel began this aggression by besieging the complex itself under the pretext of the resistance managing its operations from within it.

The Israeli forces returned approximately 6 months later to besiege the complex, claiming that a number of resistance leaders were inside, barricaded in tightly sealed rooms.

The number of people who died during the last siege exceeded more than a hundred, and twice as many were injured and wounded, with continuous bombing of the hospital’s surroundings and attacks on its medical staff, at a time when testimonies from the besieged and survivors continue regarding what some of the displaced women are exposed to inside the complex.

Subsequently, social media pioneers interacted with the circulating videos, as Ali said: “Israel no longer cares about what the world says about it. It violates children’s rights with children. It has committed the maximum possible crimes and no one has objected to it. So why does it care about what the world says?” .

As for Sami, he wrote: “Even the children did not have mercy on them and did not abandon them. What threat could a child pose to Israel’s security? It is just a psychological complex that has affected an entire society.” For his part, Arif wrote: “By God, if Israel had found a decisive position in its confrontation, it would not have She dared to do so, but found that only the Palestinians were left prey to her arrogance.”

Sources: Al-Arabi

By Phil Weiss

Sherman accused them of antisemitism. “There’s blood on your hands for the genocide—you’re trying to kill every Jew.” That is the chief refuge for Democrats who excuse Israel’s actions. To say that critics of genocide are motivated by antisemitism. But even liberal media are giving a platform to progressive critics. “The United States is complicit in genocide,” Mehdi Hasan said this week on New York public radio, and when the host pushed back and said Hasan was not blaming Hamas, Hasan said of course he denounces Hamas, but his tax dollars are not going to support Hamas. 

He also pointed out the inevitable consequences of military occupation. “The oppressed will always rise against the oppressor.” And in wonderful media news this week, Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg withdrew from a speaking engagement in Kentucky after students questioned his record in the Israeli military nearly 40 years ago. Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic, withdrew from a scheduled speaking event at the University of Kentucky (UK) Wednesday, citing a last-minute schedule change, amidst concerns from students about his past as a former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) prison guard and his views on Zionism…. “We were informed that students expressed concern as to why a former IDF prison guard would be speaking on democracy and journalism at an event celebrating the integration of UK. Students were told he withdrew to not cause harm on campus,” the representative [of a Palestinian solidarity group] stated.

The event was billed as “The Future of Journalism and the Health of Our Democracy.” That’s a little bit of accountability. The editor of the Atlantic is finally being called out for his service for Israel. The writer Yakov Hirsch repeatedly explained on our site that Netanyahu could not have maintained his faultless reputation in the U.S. mainstream without Goldberg fostering “hasbara culture.” And bear in mind, that Goldberg used to brag about his military service. He wrote a whole memoir about it. Now, times are changing. And other editors who carried water for Israel will surely be called on to defend that work.

This process is just beginning. Zionists still have esteem in the U.S. discourse. The view that Israel supporters promote bigotry against Palestinians is still off-limits. Even as mainstream Jewish organizations assert that those who support Palestinian rights are bigoted against Jews. “Israel supporters should be seen as on the same moral level as supporters of Bull Connor, but in the U.S. and Western mainstream you can only point to antisemitism— you can never point to anti-Palestinian racism on the Israel side,” Donald Johnson has written on our site. “We cannot make progress on this issue if the extreme racism of the pro-genocide side is never discussed. People have to be able to say that any group, whether white southerners or South Africans or Nation of Islam members or Christian evangelical Zionists or Germans or, yes, Jewish supporters of Israel, can be racists. They can make racism central to their ideology. But Zionist racism is still a taboo subject, automatically branded as antisemitic, because fundamentally Palestinians are seen as lesser.” Progressives are actively taking on that discrimination. Please join that effort!

French President Emmanuel Macron escalated his tone on Sunday towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reaffirming his “firm opposition” to an Israeli attack on Rafah, and warning that “the forced transfer of residents constitutes a war crime.”

During a phone call with Netanyahu, Macron reiterated his call for an “immediate and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza” and “strongly condemned the recent Israeli announcements regarding settlements.” On Friday, Israel announced the confiscation of 800 hectares of land in the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank with the aim of building new settlements.

An Israeli report stated that the settlement proposed by the American side to Israel and the Hamas movement, within the framework of indirect negotiations taking place through mediators in Doha, stipulates the release of 700 Palestinian prisoners in the first phase of the possible agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, according to a prisoner exchange deal. Accordingly, about 40 Israeli detainees in the besieged Gaza Strip will be released, while a Palestinian source familiar with the progress of the negotiations in Doha indicated that “the scene at the negotiating table has worsened.”

Israeli Channel 13 reported that in light of the large gap between what Hamas is demanding and what Israel is offering in the framework of the negotiations, Washington proposed a settlement that stipulates the release of 700 Palestinian prisoners in the first phase of the exchange deal, including 100 with high convictions, in exchange for the release of about 40 Israeli detainees, including women, the sick and the elderly.

The report pointed out that the framework of the agreement that had been reached during American-Israeli-Qatari-Egyptian talks held in the French capital, Paris, last February, stipulated a truce lasting for 6 weeks in a first phase that included the release of about 400 prisoners in exchange for 40 Israeli detainee in Gaza (10 Palestinian prisoners for every Israeli prisoner).

The report indicated that the Hamas movement did not respond to the American “settlement” proposal, while Israeli media reported last night that Israel expressed its approval of the American offer, noting that there are a number of controversial issues in the negotiations, including: the return of the displaced to the northern Strip, the identity of the prisoners who will be included in the exchange deal, the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and Israel’s guarantees for an end to the war and a permanent ceasefire.

In this context, Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed newspaper, quoting a source in the Palestinian resistance that it said was “informed about the progress of the Doha negotiations,” indicated that “the scene at the negotiating table has become tense,” while the source stressed that “the resistance is adhering to its position of refusing to back down from the main principles that I specified it earlier.”

The source revealed that “the state of Arab and international silence regarding what is happening in the areas of northern and central Gaza and the Al-Shifa Complex and its surroundings, in terms of violations and massacres,” prompted the Israeli side to harden the positions it expressed and presented to the negotiating table, adding that “the leaders of the Israeli negotiating delegation, Mossad chief David When Barnea and Nitzan Allon returned to Doha, they presented proposals that included a retreat from the perceptions they had previously pushed and which the resistance rejected.

He stressed that "the Israeli negotiating delegation presented during the Doha Round a condition within the proposed first phase of the truce estimated at six weeks, which is that Hamas release two bodies that Israel says belong to Officer Hadar Goldin and soldier Aaron Shaul, and that they belong to the 2014 war, in the event that Hamas insists on releasing the prisoners who Israel re-arrested the editors of the 'Loyalty of the Free' deal, under which soldier Gilad Shalit was released."

The source said, “The Israeli government and its agencies tried, during the past few days, by several means, to find out the results of the strike it carried out in Gaza to target the prominent leader of the Al-Qassam Brigades, Marwan Issa,” noting that the talks held in Doha during the past days “focused on the details and the rates of exchange.” Hostages and prisoners,” according to informed sources, who confirmed that “the technical teams are still in Doha.”

Earlier today, an Israeli official familiar with the details of the ongoing negotiations in Qatar regarding a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire in the war on Gaza said, “Israel has taken a step forward in the negotiations in Qatar by agreeing to the keys to liberate (Palestinian prisoners) more than the Paris proposal in exchange for kidnapped persons” as quoted by Channel 12.

The Israeli official added that the Israeli delegation in the negotiations began discussing the possibility of the population returning to the northern Gaza Strip within the framework of the deal.

The same official stated that the officials in the Israeli delegation who returned to Israel, including the head of the Mossad, David Barnea, the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, and the person responsible for the captured soldiers in Gaza, Nitzan Alon, are waiting for Hamas’ response, and will return to Qatar to continue negotiations if “the response will allow progress."

Five citizens were killed, and others were injured, Sunday evening, in Israeli army bombing of Rafah and Gaza City.

Local sources reported that five citizens were killed in a raid by Israeli aircraft that targeted a house belonging to the Kurdi family in the Al-Jeneina neighborhood, east of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.

A citizen was also killed and two others were injured in an Israeli bombing of the Kuwait Roundabout in Gaza City, while three citizens were injured as a result of an Israeli bombing that targeted the “Dawla Roundabout” area, southeast of the Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City.

The Israeli forces have continued its aggression against the Gaza Strip since the seventh of last October, by land, sea and air, leaving 32,226 dead, the majority of whom are children and women, and more than 74,518 injuries, an infinite toll, as thousands of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, as a result of the Israeli prevention rescue crews from reaching them.

The toll of the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, has risen to 32,226 dead and 74,518 injured, after the Israeli army committed 8 massacres, claiming 84 dead and 106 injuries during the past 24 hours, according to a statement by the Ministry of Health in Gaza, today, Sunday.

The Israeli army acknowledged attacking the "Al-Amal" Hospital in Khan Yunis, in a statement issued on Sunday evening, claiming the presence of members of the Hamas movement there. The Israeli army said, “Following accurate intelligence information obtained by the Israeli army and the (Israeli General Security Service) Shin Bet, indicating that there are saboteurs in (the) ‘Amal Hospital’ who are using civilian infrastructure for terrorist purposes, the Israeli army and the Shin Bet began work in (the place).” 

On Sunday, the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip entered its 170th day, as the Israeli army intensified its raids and bombardment of various areas in Rafah, while it continued its siege of the Al-Shifa Complex and its surroundings for the seventh day.

The Israeli army announced the killing of a soldier from the 932nd Battalion in battles in the northern Gaza Strip. The soldier was killed in clashes around the Shifa Medical Complex, bringing the army’s death toll to 596 Israeli officers and soldiers since the start of the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle, including 252 killed in ground battles inside Gaza. .

US Vice President Kamala Harris said on Sunday that there could be consequences for Israel if it goes ahead with the invasion of Rafah, south of the besieged Gaza Strip.

In an interview with ABC News, Vice President Al-Amir warned the Israeli authorities against launching a military operation in the Palestinian city of Rafah, stressing that there may be “consequences” for Israel if it goes ahead with its plan.

“We have been clear in multiple conversations and in every way that any major military operation in Rafah would be a huge mistake,” Harris said. “I have studied the maps, there is nowhere for these people to go.”

She added, "The priority is what is happening in Gaza. We have been very clear that a very large number of innocent Palestinians have been killed. We have been very clear that Israel, the Israeli people, and the Palestinians are entitled to an equal amount of security and dignity."

In response to a question about whether the United States would think about “consequences” for Tel Aviv if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went ahead with his threats regarding Rafah.

“Well, we'll take it step by step, but we've been very clear about our view on whether or not it should happen,” Harris said.

The broadcaster emphasized her question by saying: “Do you rule out that there will be consequences from the United States?” The US Vice President’s response was: “I do not rule out anything.”

Indirect negotiations continue between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel, in the Qatari capital, Doha, in conjunction with the ongoing battles throughout the Gaza Strip, and continued pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to conclude an exchange deal.

The ongoing round of negotiations in Doha resumed a few days ago with all its tracks, and moved to the stage of technical meetings, as Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari said last Tuesday.

The following is a presentation of the most important contents of the offers submitted, which are currently being negotiated:

Hamas proposals

Hamas said that the basic principles underlying its vision of the negotiation file, which it presented to the mediators in Egypt and Qatar, are based on five main points: a ceasefire, an unconditional return of the displaced, the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation army from Gaza, the entry of aid and relief materials, and reconstruction.

It stressed that these principles and foundations that she presented are considered necessary for the agreement and the prisoner exchange file, and that they will remain biased towards the rights and concerns of the Palestinian people.

Sources spoke to Al Jazeera about the most important provisions of Hamas’ proposal, which according to those sources includes:

• A ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in 3 phases, each lasting 42 days.
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• Hamas stipulated that the Israeli forces withdraw from Al-Rashid and Salah Al-Din Streets to allow the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip and the passage of aid.
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• In exchange for the release of each living female prisoner, she offered to release 50 Palestinian prisoners whom she would specify, with 30 of them being life sentencers.
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• At the start of the second phase, Hamas stipulated that a permanent ceasefire be declared before any exchange of its captured soldiers.
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• Beginning the comprehensive reconstruction process for the Gaza Strip and ending the siege with the start of the third phase of the deal.
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• A source told Al Jazeera that the movement, as usual, presented a complete paper within 3 stages leading to what was called “sustainable calm,” in which it provided full details for the first stage, while providing basic headings for the second and third stages.
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Israeli response

Despite multiple rounds of negotiation; Before the negotiation round currently underway in Doha, Israel did not reveal any detailed vision or proposals, and was content only - in what was published at least - with announcing a total rejection of the demands of Hamas and the resistance.

However, the Israeli delegation participating in the Doha negotiations provided - for the first time, at least according to what was announced - sometimes detailed observations regarding the resistance’s demands.

Below are the highlights of the Israeli response presented in the Doha negotiations:

• The Israeli response to the launch of the agreement remained in three stages, and provided general answers regarding some of the points contained in Hamas’ proposal, and provided more detailed others regarding the exchange of prisoners.
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• In its response to Hamas's proposal, Israel rejected a complete withdrawal of its forces from the Gaza Strip.
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• Israel also rejected a permanent ceasefire, as proposed in the document submitted by Hamas, which stipulated that the start of the second phase coincide with the declaration of a permanent ceasefire.
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• The Israeli negotiating delegation also refrained from agreeing to an unconditional return of the displaced to their areas. Instead, the Israeli response offered a restricted return of two thousand displaced persons per day to the northern Gaza Strip two weeks after the start of implementation of the agreement, while Hamas stipulated in the first stage the withdrawal of the occupation forces from the two streets. Al-Rashid and Salah Al-Din, to enable the displaced to return to their areas and facilitate the passage of aid.
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• The Israeli proposal did not provide any details related to humanitarian aid or ending the siege, while Hamas’ proposal included that the start of the third phase coincide with the start of the comprehensive reconstruction process for the Gaza Strip and the end of the siege.

Prisoner exchange

Here, the Israeli response provides more details regarding Tel Aviv’s vision, demands, and conditions regarding the prisoner exchange clause, but it keeps the ceiling low and far from what was proposed by the Hamas document. Among the most important points contained in the Israeli response are the following:

Demanding the release in the first stage of 40 alive Israeli detainees of all categories, while Hamas offered, in exchange for the release of every living female captive, to release 50 Palestinian prisoners determined by the movement, including 30 prisoners serving life sentences.

Israel rejected Hamas's request to release 30 life sentencers for every female soldier, and in return, offered to release only 5 to be determined by it.

Israel also chose to maneuver in another part, as it stipulated - in exchange for the release of the Palestinian prisoners who were released as part of the Shalit deal and were subsequently arrested - that the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of the Hamas movement - release two soldiers it held captive before the current war, namely Hadar Goldin and Shaul Aron.

The Israeli response also included Tel Aviv's right to deport out of Palestine the life-sentenced prisoners who will be released during the deal.

The American proposal

It seems that in the face of the difficulty of negotiations and the wide gap between the two proposals, the mediators are trying to bridge the gap and fill the large gaps in the negotiations, as the United States presented a new proposal, and the official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted some of its details from a senior official - it did not name it - and said that Tel Aviv agreed to it, but Waiting for Hamas' response.

Below are some details of this proposal, according to this official:

The US proposal includes Tel Aviv's commitment not to assassinate senior Hamas leaders if they are exiled outside the Gaza Strip.

The American proposal requires that this Israeli commitment be in exchange for an agreement that includes demilitarizing the Gaza Strip and returning all prisoners detained in Gaza.

The American proposal also includes the withdrawal of Israeli army forces from the Gaza Strip.

The United States is promoting this proposal as part of the phase that follows the deal to release 40 detainees in Gaza in exchange for a 6-week ceasefire.

An Israeli official familiar with the details of the ongoing negotiations in Qatar regarding a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire in the war on Gaza said, “Israel took a step forward in the negotiations in Qatar by agreeing to the keys to liberate (Palestinian prisoners) more than the Paris proposal in exchange for kidnapped persons,” he was quoted as saying. Channel 12 today, Sunday.

The Israeli official added that the Israeli delegation in the negotiations began discussing the possibility of the population returning to the northern Gaza Strip within the framework of the deal.

The same official stated that the officials in the Israeli delegation who returned to Israel, including the head of the Mossad, David Barnea, the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, and the person responsible for the captured soldiers in Gaza, Nitzan Alon, are waiting for Hamas’ response, and will return to Qatar to continue negotiations if “the response will allow.” "With progress."

Before the Israeli delegation headed to Qatar, last Friday, a dispute arose in the war cabinet, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to reduce the mandate granted to the negotiating delegation, while the rest of the members of the war cabinet supported granting the delegation a broad mandate, which led Netanyahu to retract his position on this matter. 

The head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, had threatened not to travel to Qatar if the delegation did not have “real room to maneuver.”

Meanwhile, the families of the hostages held in Gaza and those in solidarity with them are escalating their protests against Netanyahu and demanding a prisoner exchange deal be reached as quickly as possible, threatening to “ignite Israel,” following mass demonstrations yesterday, if the delay in reaching a deal continues.

On Sunday, Egypt announced “intensive efforts” to reach an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and exchange detainees between Hamas and Israel.

This came during a reception by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the Ittihadiya Palace (east of Cairo) with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency.

The meeting discussed many international and regional issues, with a focus on developments in the situation in the Gaza Strip, according to the statement.

Al-Sisi reviewed "the intensified efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire, exchange detainees, and implement sufficient humanitarian aid to relieve those afflicted in the Gaza Strip, whether by land in coordination with the relevant UN agencies, or through air drops, especially to the areas north of the Gaza Strip."

The Egyptian President appreciated Guterres' positions on the ongoing crisis and his keenness to adhere to the principles of international law and international humanitarian law.

Al-Sisi also appreciated Guterres' continued activity to urge the international community to take action to end the war in Gaza and protect civilians, stressing the need for the Security Council to assume its responsibilities in that regard, according to the same statement.

For his part, Guterres praised the Egyptian efforts to push for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and Egypt's keenness to keep the Rafah land crossing open continuously over the past months since the start of the current crisis.

He referred to his visit on Saturday to the Rafah crossing, and in this context, he praised what he saw as “a huge Egyptian effort to lead and manage the process of delivering aid to the people of Gaza, despite the severe obstacles and difficulties that this process faces.”

Guterres reiterated "the necessity of a humanitarian ceasefire so that aid can be brought in and distributed effectively to the people of the Gaza Strip."

According to the Egyptian presidency’s statement, “The meeting witnessed a convergence of positions regarding the complete and categorical rejection of the displacement of Palestinians from their lands, and the rejection and warning against any military operation in the Palestinian Rafah.”

On Saturday morning, Guterres arrived in the Egyptian city of Al-Arish, adjacent to the Gaza Strip, on his second visit since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza on October 7.

In Al-Arish, Guterres inspected the wounded Palestinians in the city hospital.

On Friday, Farhan Haq, Guterres’s deputy spokesman, said in a press conference that the latter “will meet with United Nations humanitarian workers on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border, on Saturday, during a multi-country Ramadan solidarity trip,” according to a UN statement.

Haq explained that the Secretary-General of the United Nations "does not intend to go to Gaza."

Guterres will then travel to Jordan, where he will visit the facilities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), and have a Ramadan breakfast with Palestinian refugees and United Nations employees in the capital, Amman, according to the same source.

Today, Sunday, the Israeli police prevented Christian citizens from the West Bank from reaching the occupied city of Jerusalem, to participate in the commemoration of Palm Sunday according to the Western calendar.

Today, the Christian churches that follow the Western calendar in Palestine commemorate Palm Sunday. It is the last Sunday before Easter, and “the anniversary of the entry of Jesus Christ into the city of Jerusalem.”

This morning, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, presided over the Palm Sunday Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, in the Old City of Jerusalem.

A group of bishops and priests participated in the mass that was held in front of the Holy Sepulcher, in the presence of a crowd of monks and nuns and a limited number of worshipers, the majority of whom were from the city of Jerusalem and the 1948 territories, after the Israeli occupation deprived thousands of Christians from the West Bank governorates of access to the Holy City. 

The Israeli forces imposed strict military measures on the checkpoints surrounding the city of Jerusalem and in the vicinity of the Old City.

The Israeli authorities require Palestinians, Muslims and Christians, to obtain special permits to cross their military checkpoints surrounding the Holy City and reach places of worship, especially the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

It also places restrictions on issuing permits, requiring citizens to possess a “card” issued by the Israeli authorities after they conduct what they call a “security check” of the applicant. After that, citizens are forced to download a special application on their mobile devices and submit an application for the permit, and the application is often rejected.

This afternoon, the traditional Palm Sunday procession begins from the “Beit Faggi” Church to the Church of St. Anne “Al-Salahiya” within the walls of the Old City, after which a special prayer is held, headed by Patriarch Pizzaballa.

Churches canceled all celebrations of the holidays in light of the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since the seventh of last October. Holidays are limited to holding masses, prayers, and religious rituals.

A limited number of Christian pilgrims from different countries of the world arrived in Jerusalem, in light of a number of airlines canceling their flights due to the continued aggression against Gaza, in addition to the severe restrictions imposed by the occupation authorities on the passage of foreigners from the King Hussein Bridge.

The churches in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho, and Gaza that follow the Western calendar celebrate Palm Sunday, while the churches in the unified governorates of Ramallah, Nablus, and Jenin celebrate Easter according to the Eastern calendar.

In the city of Bethlehem, a Palm Sunday Mass was held in the Latin Church of St. Catherine, adjacent to the Church of the Nativity, and masses were also held in various Catholic churches in Bethlehem, Beit Sahour and Beit Jala. Palm Sunday Mass was also held at the Latin Church of the Good Shepherd in the city of Jericho.

In Gaza City, Palm Sunday Mass was held in the Holy Family Latin Church, despite the difficult circumstances imposed by the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.

Father Youssef Asaad presided over the mass, with the participation of a number of displaced citizens in the church since the beginning of the aggression.

Jamila Al-Hassi, the Palestinian woman trapped in the vicinity of the Shifa Complex, revealed that the Israeli occupation army forces raped women and killed them in the vicinity of the medical complex, and forced 65 families to leave the vicinity of the complex.

Al-Hassi said in statements to Al Jazeera Network that the Israeli forces burned and killed entire families, and also burned a building in which they were holed up.

“The Israeli forces raped and killed women, and burned and killed entire families.” The Palestinian Jamila Al-Hassi, who was besieged in the vicinity of the Al-Shifa Complex, testifies to Al-Jazeera.

She appealed to the Red Cross to provide water for children and the sick, saying: “We are stranded amid the continuing Israeli bombing.”

She confirmed that the Red Cross does not exist and cannot provide them with water.

She added that the children cannot even find salt water and have not found food or water for 6 days.

A video clip spread across social media platforms showing a group of naked Palestinians, after the Israeli occupation army released them from Al-Shifa Hospital and its surroundings, and forced them to flee to areas south of the Gaza Strip.

In the clip, which was taken by a Palestinian from the window of his house, a number of Palestinians appeared walking with difficulty on a sandy street, heading towards the southern areas of the Gaza Strip.

The clip also shows naked Palestinians dragging a man in a wheelchair with difficulty.

After Israeli army killed entire families inside Al-Shifa Hospital, it shortly evacuated a number of the besieged, almost "naked" people, west of Gaza City, heading towards the center of the Gaza Strip.

For its part, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory said that it documented several identical testimonies regarding the Israeli occupation army’s deliberate use of Palestinian civilians as human shields and placing them in conditions that posed a threat to their lives, to secure and protect its forces and military operations inside and around the Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza, which has been continuing since dawn last Monday. .

A statement by the Observatory confirmed that the testimonies it collected show that the Israeli forces used sick and displaced civilians inside the Shifa Complex as human shields and exploited them, whether to fortify their military operations inside the hospital, or to form a cover behind their forces and military vehicles, or to send them under threat to homes and residential buildings in the vicinity of the medical complex. To ask its residents to evacuate it, before storming it, arresting some of its residents, and then destroying many of it.

Rami Abdo, a Palestinian academic and human rights activist, told Anadolu Agency: “The Israeli army committed horrific massacres and atrocities in Al-Shifa Hospital and its surroundings.”

Abdo added: "The Israeli army illegally used Palestinians as human shields, forced them to take off their clothes and forced them to displace."

He continued: "The army killed women, men and children, which constitutes a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms."

Abdo continued, saying: “The Israeli forces also burned homes in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital, and set fire to departments inside the hospital itself.”

For the sixth day in a row, the Israeli army continues to storm “Al-Shifa Hospital,” which housed more than 7,000 patients and displaced persons. It carries out a massive campaign of killing and arrests among the displaced inside the hospital and bombs the homes surrounding it, leaving dozens dead and wounded.

This is the second time that the Israeli forces have stormed the hospital since the beginning of the war on Gaza on October 7. They stormed it on November 16, after besieging it for a week, during which its courtyards, parts of its buildings, medical equipment, and the electricity generator were destroyed.

A settler opened fire from a speeding vehicle towards a group of citizens near the town of Salfit, on Sunday afternoon, claiming that they had thrown stones at vehicles traveling on the main road.

According to Israeli media, initial information received by the security services indicated that a shooting attack was carried out from a speeding vehicle towards settler vehicles.

However, after the initial investigation, it became clear that a settler opened fire while traveling in his speeding vehicle towards a group of Palestinians, who then threw stones at the vehicles, as he claimed.

The website of the newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" reported that after reports of a shooting attack carried out from a passing vehicle between the "Emmanuel" Junction and the "Yakir" Junction in the West Bank, it became clear that an Israeli resident opened fire from his vehicle at the stone-throwers, and no injuries occurred, as the incident is being investigated.

Initially, the Israeli media reported that the initial information received by the security services indicated that a shooting attack was carried out from a speeding vehicle towards settlers’ vehicles, near the “Yakir” settlement established on the lands of Salfit Governorate.

The European Union condemned the announcement by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of the seizure of 8,000 dunums of Jordan Valley land.

The European Union considered, in a press statement on Sunday, that the settlements constitute a serious violation of international humanitarian law, noting that European Union leaders, during their participation in European Council meetings, condemned the Israeli government’s decisions to continue expanding illegal settlements throughout the occupied West Bank, and urged Israel To undo it.

“In line with its long-standing common position and UN Security Council resolutions, the European Union will not recognize changes to the 1967 borders unless both parties agree to this,” the statement said.

He stressed that settlement expansion fuels tensions and undermines the prospects of reaching a two-state solution, which remains the only sustainable guarantee for long-term security for both parties.

Tel Aviv's negotiating delegation in Qatar rejected the withdrawal of Israeli army forces from the Gaza Strip and the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip "without conditions."

The private Hebrew Channel 12 said on Saturday that “the Israeli delegation in Qatar refused to withdraw Israeli army forces from Gaza and return the displaced to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip without conditions.”

The Hebrew channel indicated that the heads of the Israeli negotiating delegation will return to Israel this evening (Saturday).

It explained that the return of members of the Israeli delegation to Israel tonight may indicate a lack of progress in the negotiations.

According to the channel, during the discussions it held in Doha, the delegation stipulated that, in the first phase of the exchange deal, 40 detained prisoners of all categories be released alive.

Israel offered a limited return to 2,000 displaced people daily to the northern Gaza Strip, two weeks after the start of the ceasefire.

The channel also reported that the Israeli delegation, headed by Mossad chief David Barnea, rejected Hamas's request to release 30 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, for every kidnapped female soldier, and offered only five in exchange for their release.

According to Channel 12, as part of the discussions taking place in the Qatari capital, Doha, Israel demanded the return of the bodies of the two prisoners Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, who were captured in the Gaza Strip in 2014, in exchange for the release of the Palestinian prisoners who were released in the Shalit deal (in 2011) and they were arrested again.

The Israeli authorities hold at least 9,100 Palestinians in its prisons, according to official Palestinian sources, while the number of Israeli prisoners detained in Gaza is shrouded in mystery due to Hamas’ refusal to reveal the number “without a heavy price.”

While the Hebrew media talks about between 240 and 253 Israeli prisoners, including 3 who were liberated and 105 who were released by Hamas during an exchange deal last November, the Palestinian movement talks about the killing of 70 others as a result of the Israeli bombing.

A new round of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas is continuing in Doha, mediated by Qatar and Egypt and with the participation of the United States, to reach a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal, with an ongoing Israeli war on Gaza since October 7, 2023.

The war on Gaza left tens of thousands of civilian victims, most of them children and women, and a famine that claimed the lives of children and the elderly, according to Palestinian and UN statements, which led to Israel appearing, for the first time, before the International Court of Justice on charges of committing “genocide.”

On Saturday, the US Congress approved a temporary budget proposal that approves the provision of new military aid to Israel and suspends funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) until March 2025.

The interim budget, expected to be signed by US President Joe Biden later Saturday, does not allocate any funds to UNRWA for a full year, despite fears of famine in the Gaza Strip.

The interim budget, supported by both Democrats and Republicans, maintains increased military aid to Israel, preventing a government shutdown.

The interim budget allocates $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel from the US Department of Defense budget of $886 billion.

Another package worth $95 billion is pending, allocating $60 billion to Ukraine and $14 billion to Israel.

In the early hours of Saturday, the Senate approved a $1.2 trillion funding package after a last-minute consensus, thus preventing a possible partial government shutdown.

The package, which fully funds the government until next September, ends a months-long battle over spending.

The Senate approved the legislation by a vote of 74 to 24, and it will be sent to the president for his signature into law.