Dozens were killed and dozens injured, at dawn on Monday, as a result of the intense bombardment by warplanes and Israeli artillery shelling on various areas in the Gaza Strip, on the 157th day of the aggression.

In the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, a number of citizens were killed and others were injured in the bombing of a house.

Others were killed and others injured in a similar bombing that targeted a house east of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.

An Israeli artillery bombardment targeted east of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.

In the Al-Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City, a number of citizens were injured by the bombing of a number of homes.

The Israeli artillery bombed agricultural land near the Egyptian-Palestinian border inside the Al-Salam neighborhood in Rafah, while the Israeli aircraft launched Israeli raids west of Gaza City, a house in the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip, and several houses in the Beach camp west of Gaza City.

On Sunday evening, ambulance crews recovered the bodies of 10 dead, including children and women, from a house belonging to the Ashour family near the Al-Dahdouh roundabout in the Tal Al-Hawa neighborhood, southwest of Gaza City, and they were transferred to Al-Shifa Hospital.

In an infinite toll, the death toll of the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip has risen to 31,112  and 72,760 injuries since October 7, 2023, as the Israeli army committed 7 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours, leaving 67 killed and 106 injuries.

Denmark joined the European Union in calling on Israel to withdraw its decision to build new housing units in settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løke Rasmussen stated on Saturday, in a post on the Danish Foreign Ministry’s account on the X platform, that his country “participates with the European Union in calling on Israel to withdraw its recent approval to build 3,426 new housing units in settlements in the occupied West Bank.”

Denmark reiterated that the new settlements are “illegal” under international law, and described the expansion as “a major obstacle to peace.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued orders to prepare and equip thousands of detention places in Israeli prisons to accommodate more Palestinian detainees and prisoners, in light of the escalating persecution campaign launched by the occupation against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem and the 48 regions, against the backdrop of the war on Gaza.

This came during special deliberations held by the Israeli Prime Minister in this regard with the leaders of the security services at the headquarters of the Ministry of Security in Tel Aviv, today, Sunday, following disagreements between the Israeli security services, in light of the overcrowding of cells as a result of the widespread arrest operations in the occupied West Bank and Gaza since the outbreak of the war. On the Gaza Strip on October 7th.

The statement issued by Netanyahu's office stated that estimates by the Israeli army and Shin Bet indicate that "thousands of terrorists will be arrested from Gaza and the West Bank during the year 2024." The statement pointed out that "since the outbreak of the war, about 4,000 terrorists have been arrested, most of them from the Gaza Strip, and there is an urgent need to prepare to receive more detainees and prisoners."

During the meeting at the Ministry of Security headquarters this evening, representatives of the Israeli Prisons Administration reviewed its plans to accommodate more new prisoners and detainees by providing new places in the short and medium term. According to the statement, “Netanyahu approved the plan and instructed it to be put into effect immediately.”

According to reports, the Israeli Ministry of National Security plans to add 888 places of detention in seven prisons during the coming months at the expense of public places in these prisons, such as canteens and dining rooms.

In late December, the head of the Domestic Policy Division of the National Security Council, Yossi Maimon, said in a meeting of the National Security Committee that, according to the estimates of the General Security Agency (Shin Bet) for the year 2024, there will be 6 thousand new prisoners from the West Bank and two thousand from Gaza. 

The Israeli organization Physicians for Human Rights revealed dozens of testimonies it obtained about Israeli violations of beatings, mistreatment, sexual insults, and medical neglect of Palestinian detainees since the start of the war on Gaza. It stressed that "the severe violence that was practiced on Palestinian detainees is consistent with the definition of torture under the Convention against Torture."

British writer Tony Barber said - in an article in the British newspaper the Financial Times - that the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip for 5 months has continued to confuse European diplomacy, destabilize public opinion, and inflame local politics in every country.

He pointed out that the bitter truth is that the European Union does not have much to do to determine the outcome of the conflict, which the longer Europe suffers from its repercussions.

He stated that the political effects resulting from the war in Gaza extend beyond Europe, specifically to other democratic countries, especially the United States.

Warning

The writer added that President Joe Biden's comfortable victory in the Democratic Party primary elections in Michigan last month was accompanied by a warning that many Arab Americans and other voters had abandoned his support because of his full support for Israel.

The repercussions of this war are no less dangerous in Europe, as they reflect a new political division that extends across at least three groups in the European Union countries, and reflects a widening gap between the positions of governments and public opinion.

According to the article, the damage to European diplomacy in the Middle East and beyond takes multiple forms. Firstly, the war in Gaza dealt a blow to the attempts of European governments to attract the rest of the world to support Ukraine in its war of “self-defense” against Russia.

The writer believes that Europe's failure to take concrete steps to curb Israeli military operations in Gaza confirmed the accusation that the West is applying double standards, and is treating its efforts to support Ukraine as a struggle for the future of the international order based on rules and laws, while refraining from holding Israel accountable.

A question mark

Secondly, the war raises a question mark regarding the credibility of Europe's "soft power", which is often seen as an important tool for a continent that somewhat lacks military weight.

In this context, the writer cited an article by James Lynch of Amnesty International, written for the European Council on Foreign Relations, in which he asserted that Europe's soft power stems from its economic prosperity and the social values associated with it.

The third type of damage to European diplomacy - in Barber's opinion - is the division of European governments among themselves, and this was evident in their votes on two UN General Assembly resolutions issued last October.

The first vote called for a truce - not a ceasefire - in Gaza, as 8 European Union countries supported it, 4 opposed it, and 15 others abstained from voting.

In the second vote, which called for an immediate ceasefire for humanitarian reasons, 17 countries supported the resolution, two objected, and 8 abstained from voting.

Deep divisions

In answering the reasons why these European divisions are so deep, the writer believes that part of them is rooted in the history of each European Union member state from the period between 1918-1939 until the latter half of the twentieth century.

The article cited, as an example, the conflicting positions of two European countries towards this conflict: Spain and the Czech Republic. The latter is an ardent supporter of Israel in the European Union, while the Spaniards are staunch supporters of the Palestinians.

In a poll conducted by YouGov in November, between 24 and 31% of respondents in 7 European countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Britain) expressed sympathy for both sides of the Middle East conflict, and 27% said To 37% they do not know.

Another indicator of this poll is that it revealed certain trends in public opinion in Western Europe. It became clear that young voters (up to the age of 29 years) are more sympathetic to the Palestinians, unlike older voters (especially those over the age of 45 years) who tend to support Israel.

Source: Financial Times

On Sunday, an Israeli military analyst reviewed the American interest in the step of establishing a floating port off the Gaza Strip, coinciding with the devastating war on the Strip entering its sixth month.

Military analyst Ron Ben Yishai said, in an editorial in the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, that “the United States has an interest in building a floating naval pier in front of Gaza, for four main reasons.”

Ben Yishai explained the first reason; The sea dock will allow the unloading of large shipments and quantities of humanitarian aid, ten times larger than the quantities currently arriving in Gaza via land trucks.

He continued, saying: "The second reason is that the sea pier off the shores of northern Gaza will fall under relatively Israeli control, and will ensure that aid reaches the relief agency directly, without control from the Hamas movement."

He stated that the third reason is related to the attempt of the administration of US President Joe Biden to please the voters of the Democratic Party, through this step, and to show that the United States is entering aid into the Gaza Strip despite the opposition of the Israeli government, to improve the image of President Biden in the eyes of voters from the progressive wing of his Democratic Party.

The Israeli analyst pointed out that the fourth reason relates to the American administration’s understanding that Netanyahu is a prisoner of the extremist ministers Ben Gvir and Smotrich, and thus Netanyahu is able to justify the introduction of major humanitarian aid, as a direct dictate from Washington.

He explained that the American naval pier off the shores of Gaza is not the only project trying to bring aid across the sea. In the coming days, aid will arrive in Gaza, loaded on small ships in Cyprus, and will be examined by the Israelis.

He pointed out that to bring in large quantities of aid, there is a need for a floating dock, through which it will be possible to unload large quantities of supplies and transport them to the shore very quickly.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the recent statements of US President Joe Biden, in which he said that "Netanyahu is doing more harm to Israel than good."

In an interview with the Politico website, Netanyahu said: “I do not know what President Biden meant, but if what he meant was that I am leading a policy against the majority of public opinion in Israel and that this harms Israel’s interests, then he is wrong.”

He added: "This policy is supported by the overwhelming majority of Israelis. They support the military operation that we are launching to eliminate the remaining Hamas brigades. They also support my position on the necessity of opposing attempts to force us to accept a Palestinian terrorist state."

He continued: "Most Israelis understand that if we do not do this, we will return to the October 7 massacre."

He explained: "So my policy is the policy of the majority of Israelis. The vast majority are united as never before and they understand what is good and what is important for Israel and they are right."

Biden said, in a television interview, that Netanyahu “is doing more harm to Israel than good” by the way he is managing the war in Gaza.

Biden considered that the Israeli threat to invade the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip would be a red line for Netanyahu.

But Biden said, in the same interview, that he would never abandon Israel, and would not stop supplying it with weapons.

He also indicated that it is always possible to reach a ceasefire in Gaza before Ramadan, stressing that he will not abandon that goal.

US president says Israel’s Netanyahu is ‘hurting Israel’ more than helping in his handling of the war.

United States President Joe Biden has warned that there are “red lines” Israel should not cross in its war in Gaza while insisting he would never abandon the US ally.

In a contradictory and confusing interview with MSNBC aired on Saturday, Biden said that an Israeli invasion of the city of Rafah would be his “red line” for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but he would also never “leave Israel”.

 “The defence of Israel is still critical, so there’s no red line [where] I’m going to cut off all weapons so they don’t have the Iron Dome to protect them,” Biden said, referring to Israel’s missile defence system.

“But there’s red lines that if he crosses them…”, Biden said without finishing his chain of thought, adding that his administration “cannot have 30,000 more Palestinians dead”.

In some of his most pointed criticism of the Israeli leader yet, Biden also said that Netanyahu was “hurting Israel more than helping Israel” and should “pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost” in Gaza.

While Biden has firmly backed Israel in its campaign to destroy Hamas, his administration has been increasingly at odds with Netanyahu over the scale of civilian casualties in Gaza and restrictions on humanitarian aid into the enclave.

Biden’s administration has repeatedly urged Netanyahu not to launch a planned offensive in Rafah until Israel can ensure the safe evacuation of some 1.3 million Palestinians sheltering in the city.

On Thursday, Biden announced plans to build a temporary port in Gaza to allow the delivery of aid by sea amid severe Israeli restrictions on the transport of supplies by land.

Biden last month expressed hope that Israel and Hamas could agree to a temporary pause in fighting before Ramadan, but expectations of a deal by then withered after mediators left Cairo last week without an agreement.

Biden said during his interview on Saturday that a deal is “always possible” and that CIA Director Bill Burns was still in the region facilitating negotiations after meeting with David Barnea, his counterpart from Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, the previous day.

Mossad said on Saturday that discussions on a ceasefire were taking place “all the time” despite dimming hopes for a breakthrough.

Israel’s war in Gaza has killed more than 30,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to health authorities in the enclave.

Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel killed 1,139 people, according to Israeli authorities.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

By Ben Caspit

Contrary to the impression that arose yesterday after the Prime Minister’s Office published the “Mossad statement” on the communications regarding the kidnapped deal, there is no consensus in the war cabinet regarding the communications of the kidnapped deal. More than that, yesterday, inside the cabinet, there was a direct, unprecedented, and clear attack on the Mossad’s statement regarding spreading the narrative that says, “Hamas does not want a deal before Ramadan, and has not responded to the Paris plan, so there is nothing to talk about.” about him."

These sharp criticisms came not only from more than one member of the war cabinet, but also from the professional level. The assessment is that the head of the Shin Bet and the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army believe that the door has not been closed, and that there is still room for negotiations and the putting forward of innovative ideas within their framework. This is what Major General Nitzan Ayalon and other parties in the security establishment also believe.

Yesterday, a source familiar with the negotiations told me: “There is a series of lies. The families of the kidnapped are being harmed, and they lie all the time, presenting a distorted picture.” I asked him what this true picture was, and he replied: “He presented a plan for a deal to free the kidnapped in Paris.” The delegation returned to Israel, and it was agreed with the Prime Minister to wait for Hamas’ response. 

Meanwhile, the Americans and other mediators presented a plan with improvements. Israel’s response was that it could not agree to Plan No. 2 before it obtained Hamas’ answer to Plan No. 1. This means that Israel said ‘No.’ After that, the mediators went and presented the plan to Hamas, which sent a delegation last Sunday to Cairo, and it remained there until Thursday, and brought with it a response to all the matters raised. In the plan. Meanwhile, the head of the CIA arrived in Israel, met with David Barnea, and this is where the lies began.”

Based on a source I spoke to, there are gaps between the positions of the two parties, but there is certainly room for negotiation and the use of innovative methods in order to make it successful. In any case, and contrary to the “Mossad statement,” which means that Netanyahu, Gantz, and Gallant have a unified position on the negotiations, the picture of reality is different. There are quite a few members in the war cabinet who believe that there is room for negotiations, and that Hamas did not close the door, but rather Israel specifically did that. There is also a similar opinion among high-level professional officials from outside the Mossad.

Haaretz newspaper said that Israel's indifference to the fate of the residents of Gaza at best, and its desire to take revenge on them at worst, constitute fertile ground for war crimes, noting that 27 detainees from Gaza died while being held in military facilities since the start of the war, without the army providing information about them. He explained the circumstances of their deaths, saying only that some of them were injured, and others were suffering from complex medical conditions before their arrest.

The newspaper mentioned in its editorial that a report by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees (UNRWA) was published last week in the New York Times, which included accounts of released detainees, in which they said that they were subjected to physical violence and were denied access to doctors and lawyers.

The United Nations report comes after Haaretz revealed two months ago that detainees at the Sde Teman base remained handcuffed and blindfolded 24 hours a day. Released detainees reported that they were beaten, and the shocking photos showed - as the newspaper says - that long periods of restriction caused them harm. Physical.

It was revealed that two workers from Gaza died in Israeli prisons shortly after the start of the war, and they were not suspected of any violations. Indeed, one of them was suffering from diabetes, but he did not receive the necessary care.

Gazans detained in Israel are not legally defined as prisoners of war, because the Gaza Strip is not a state, and most of them were arrested under Israel's Unlawful Combatants Detention Law, which allows the detention of anyone suspected of participating in hostilities against Israel for 75 days before appearing before the judge.

Many of them are released after a while, and although they are not suspected, they are all detained in horrific conditions, in which Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli prisons suffer from beatings, severe overcrowding, food unfit for human consumption, and so on.

The newspaper believes that the ministers of the war government must explain to the Israeli army and prison administration that Israel is not a terrorist organization, that the Teman Dam and other detention facilities are not Guantanamo Bay, and that the state has a duty to protect the rights of detainees, even if they are not officially prisoners of war.

Haaretz concluded that the Israelis' indifference and desire for revenge should not be a license to shed the blood of detainees, because Israel has no right to harm anyone who no longer poses a threat, and must provide reasonable conditions, protect the lives of detainees and ensure their health, according to the newspaper.

Source: Haaretz

Haaretz newspaper revealed that the Israeli army admitted the killing of the defenseless elderly man, whose execution Al Jazeera published in a house west of Gaza, indicating that it was investigating the circumstances of his death.

The Hebrew newspaper said that the Israeli army used the excuse that its forces were operating in a complex combat zone when they killed the defenseless elderly man.

Al Jazeera broadcast scenes documenting the killing of an unarmed elderly Palestinian by Israeli soldiers during their storming of a house west of Gaza City, in the northern Gaza Strip.

The scenes - which were filmed by an Israeli soldier's camera - showed the moments when the soldiers stormed the house and killed the elderly man who was alone in the house.

An Israeli parliamentarian stated, “Both Avigdor Lieberman and Itamar Ben Gvir are fulfilling the dream of Yahya Sinwar (head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip) with their statements regarding prayer in Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

On Sunday evening, the Israeli Reshet Be radio station quoted Mickey Levy, a member of the Knesset from the Yesh Atid/There is a Future party, saying, “Al-Aqsa Mosque is an explosive powder keg for the Islamic world, and Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beytenu party, cannot "And Ben Gvir, Minister of National Security, allowed this gunpowder to be ignited."

Mickey Levy, who previously held the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Jerusalem Police, stressed that “if Ben Gvir and Lieberman allow this matter, they will have achieved the dream of Sinwar, head of the political bureau of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, regarding unifying the arenas and fronts around the Palestinian movement.”

Ben Gvir had sent a letter to his country’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he claimed that “the lack of restrictions on the Temple Mount for worshipers, during the month of Ramadan, is unsafe,” and called for an urgent cabinet meeting to discuss the matter again.

Ben Gvir’s warning comes in the wake of the Israeli Cabinet’s decision not to impose any special restrictions on the entry of Palestinians from the West Bank into the Temple Mount, and also after the committee presented the results of the investigation into the killing of more than 45 Jews two years ago, in the deadly stampede known as “ Miron" or "Miron disaster".

Ben Gvir continued, in his letter to Netanyahu: “Through the discussion I had and the questions I asked, I did not have the impression that the police were capable of dealing with worshipers and ensuring the safety and security of the expected number of worshipers at Al-Aqsa.”

The Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, concluded his message, saying: “In light of all of the above, and in view of the proximity of the beginning of the month of Ramadan, and the urgency of the issue that entails a real danger to life, I would like to convene an urgent political meeting of the Security Council of Ministers in order to discuss "The issue of overcrowding again and the issue of security and safety, in light of the lack of a satisfactory response to these issues."

Hebrew Channel 12 reported that the Palestinians will seek to freeze or stop Israel's participation in the deliberations of the United Nations General Assembly, as well as its right to vote in discussions following the military action in Rafah.

This step, according to the Israeli website, occurred once against South Africa when the apartheid regime ruled. It requires a two-thirds majority and a vote of all members of the UN Security Council, to which the Israeli delegate to the UN, Gilad Erdan, threatened to respond forcefully, as he put it.

The Hebrew Channel also reported that suspending membership is a complex step that requires a vote of all members of the United Nations Security Council, and requires a two-thirds majority in the General Assembly. Sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimate that this path taken by the Palestinians causes concern, especially since it comes from leaks from political officials in the League. Arabic, after the Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, said on the UN podium last week: “Israel cannot continue to sit among us.”

The legal department of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs is preparing a response that states that the Palestinian initiative is baseless. However, whether this step succeeds or not, this is great damage to Israel's image.

The move was also reported to have occurred only once since the creation of the United Nations in the 1970s, when South Africa's participation in General Assembly discussions was halted due to the apartheid regime.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, said: "If they really try to promote the suspension of Israel's membership in the General Assembly, this is crossing a red line and Israel will have to respond sharply and take unprecedented measures such as closing the United Nations headquarters" in Jerusalem and evacuating UNRWA compounds. So that any country considering supporting this step should know that it will only harm the Palestinian cause.

Maariv+ Sama News

Academics in "Israel" called on their country's government, on Sunday, to take urgent measures against hunger in the Gaza Strip "before it causes mass deaths."

The Hebrew newspaper Haaretz reported that 730 academics in Israel supported a signature campaign launched to take urgent action against hunger in Gaza.

The academics called on the government to "take urgent measures against hunger before the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza gets out of control, causes mass deaths and turns into an indelible stain."

The academics also stressed the need to release prisoners detained in Gaza.

Among those who supported the signing campaign were the President of Tel Aviv University, Professor Ariel Porat, and the President of the Israeli Academy of Humanities, Professor David Harel.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported on Sunday that “hunger is everywhere in the Gaza Strip.”

The UN agency stressed, in a post on its account on the X platform, that “the situation in northern Gaza is tragic, as ground aid is prevented despite repeated appeals.”

As a result of the war and Israeli restrictions, the residents of Gaza, especially the Gaza and northern governorates, are on the verge of famine, in light of a severe scarcity of food, water, medicine and fuel supplies, with the displacement of about two million Palestinians from the Strip, which has been besieged by Israel for 17 years.

Since last October 7, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip that has left tens of thousands of civilian casualties, an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, and massive destruction of infrastructure and property, according to Palestinian and UN data.

Settlers stormed the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, on Sunday, under the protection of the Israeli police, who continue to prevent thousands of Palestinians from reaching it.

According to local sources, Israeli intelligence handed photographer Ibrahim Al-Singlawi a deportation order from Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Meanwhile, settlers attacked Palestinian homes with stones in the Al-Sawana neighborhood in Jerusalem, and damaged the tires of about 10 vehicles.

The Minister of Security in the Israeli government, Ben Gvir, called on the Ministerial Council to hold an immediate meeting regarding the entry of worshipers into Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan.

Ben Gvir also called for preventing the entry of West Bank Palestinians into Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan, as well as restricting the entry of Palestinians from Jerusalem and the interior.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office reported that the Israeli forces will allow worshipers to enter the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque during the first week of Ramadan.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported on Sunday that “hunger is everywhere in the Gaza Strip.”

The UN agency stressed, in a post on its account on the X platform, that “the situation in northern Gaza is tragic, as ground aid is prevented despite repeated appeals.”

UNRWA said, "As Ramadan approaches, humanitarian access through the Gaza Strip and an immediate ceasefire are essential to save lives."

It stressed that "hunger is everywhere in Gaza."

As a result of the war and Israeli restrictions, the residents of Gaza, especially the Gaza and northern governorates, are on the verge of famine, in light of a severe scarcity of food, water, medicine and fuel supplies, with the displacement of about two million Palestinians from the Strip, which has been besieged by Israel for 17 years.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz said on Sunday that civilians must be displaced to the west, before and during a ground attack on Rafah, as he put it.

With the continuation of the aggression against Gaza, he was forced to displace more than a million Palestinians from north to south, indicating that “they will be moved west before and during the Rafah operation.”

This comes with the escalation of regional and international warnings regarding the occupation’s bombing of Rafah, with Netanyahu threatening to invade it by ground.

Katz added, on Sunday, that the United States supports the goals of the war on the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, Katz referred to US President Joe Biden saying, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is harming Tel Aviv because of his management of the war.”

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor expressed its deep concern about the high rate of deaths among the elderly in the Gaza Strip, especially as a result of hunger, malnutrition, and denial of treatment, with Israel continuing to commit the crime of genocide against the residents of the Gaza Strip over a period of five months.

Euro-Med said in a statement, "its field team is documenting, on an almost daily basis, deaths among the elderly, as a result of the crimes of starvation and deprivation of treatment, which Israel commits in the Gaza Strip in a systematic and widespread manner, especially in Gaza City and its north."

He stressed that most of these cases do not reach hospitals that are partially operating in northern Gaza, due to the difficulty of access and the danger of movement in light of the continuing Israeli military attacks, and therefore they die and are buried next to their homes or in temporary cemeteries spread throughout the Strip, the number of which has so far exceeded 140 cemeteries. .

Euro-Med highlighted that the direct toll of the Israeli attack rose to more than 40,000 dead, about 92% of whom were civilians, and about 7% of whom were elderly, within five months since the beginning of the crime of genocide.

He stressed that thousands of victims fell and were not documented in hospitals because they were indirect victims, as a result of hunger, malnutrition, and lack of health care.

Euro-Med documented the death of an elderly man (72 years old) on March 6 in Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, as a result of malnutrition and dehydration, indicating that he was one of the few cases that were able to reach hospitals.

Muhammad Shuhaybar, a resident of Gaza City, reported to the Euro-Med team that 8 elderly people had died in the Al-Sabra neighborhood where he lived during the past three days, as they suffered from various complications resulting from hunger, lack of medical care, and cold.

The Euro-Med Monitor indicated that the number of elderly people (over 60 years old) amounts to 107 thousand people according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics for the year 2023, representing about 5% of the population of the Gaza Strip, and all of them have become victims of Israeli violations that have left a dangerous humanitarian situation for all segments of society, and has doubled. Its impact on already vulnerable groups, as a result of the continuation of Israeli military operations targeting civilians systematically, on a large scale and without exception, and the spread of famine, acute malnutrition, and deprivation of the health care necessary to survive.

The elderly woman, Shifa Salah al-Haj Saleh, tells the Euro-Med team the details of the famine that the residents of northern Gaza are experiencing: “In addition to the destruction and killing that we have been experiencing for more than five months, we are now living in a severe war of starvation, the likes of which we have not witnessed in previous times. I have five children and 14 grandchildren. I always think about what these children will eat, as we are living a real war in providing a living.”

She added: "I suffer from high blood pressure and I always need to eat before receiving medication, but I cannot find food, and if I do find it, I always say that I will feed it to my children. During this war, I lost my home, my daughter and her husband were killed, and my other daughter was injured."

The elderly man, M.S. (65 years old), who requested that his name not be mentioned, says: I could not move to the southern Gaza Strip because I am in a wheelchair. All my children were displaced, and I stayed with my daughter.

He continued: "We have difficulty moving around. There are bombings everywhere, and sometimes two days pass without me eating anything. I suffer from high blood pressure and diabetes, and there are no treatments available. We depend on what our neighbors help us with, and what my daughter is able to collect from time to time after she travels long distances."

The Euro-Med Monitor confirmed that the elderly paid a heavy price for the Israeli attack, as a result of their fragility and inability to move, in addition to 70% of them suffering from chronic diseases that made them more vulnerable to being affected by the repercussions of the Israeli attacks and the deteriorating humanitarian situation.

He indicated that there were many forms of targeting the elderly, including direct targeting during the bombing of homes on the heads of their residents, where large numbers of casualties were recorded among them, and dozens of them were killed in direct extrajudicial executions, whether by sniper operations or shooting from Quadcopter aircraft.

The elderly were also affected by injuries, with difficulty recovering due to their advanced age and the lack of appropriate health care.

Euro-Med explained that the displaced elderly among about 2 million displaced people were also vulnerable to additional suffering as a result of their health condition, which worsened with the extreme cold, lack of food and potable water, lack of suitable places to sleep, and lack of treatment or care, health tools, and supportive medical devices.

He added that whoever is spared being killed by Israeli fire remains vulnerable to being killed as a result of other intentional crimes, most notably starvation, dehydration, and the diseases associated with them, in parallel with the deprivation of basic and necessary medical care.

Today, Sunday, the Prisoners and Ex-Detainees Affairs Authority published details of the assault and abuse that a number of prisoners were subjected to during their arrest by the occupation forces, in addition to the oppression of other prisoners inside the prison.

Quoting the Commission’s lawyer who visited the Negev prison, on 10/11/2023, a force of heavily armed soldiers stormed the house of prisoner Yousef Allan (30 years old), Beit Ur al-Tahta/Ramallah, and began searching the house and destroying its contents, then arrested Allan and transferred him to Ofer camp, and while he was in the military jeep, he was severely assaulted and beaten all over his body, especially his knees, which led to him sustaining severe bruises.

He added: "In Ofer, the prisoner was placed under the sun without food or drink from the early morning hours until six in the evening. As a result, he fainted. During this period, the soldiers insulted and beat him. After 15 days, Allan was transferred from Ofer to Negev Prison."

Note that the prisoner was sentenced to 6 months administrative detention, and had previously spent a total of 3 years in prison (administrative detention).

As for the prisoner Baraa Mafarja (24 years old) from the town of Beit Liqya / Ramallah, he has been detained since 12/13/2021, and has been sentenced to 28 months in prison. He has been subjected to severe assault and beating more than 9 times, since the start of the war on the Gaza Strip on 10/07/2023, when the repressive forces were assaulting the prisoners of the Negev during the morning and evening numbers, and as a result the prisoner suffered fractures in his molars, after the soldiers threw him on the ground and stomped on his face with their rugs while his hands were tied behind his back, and his medical glasses were also broken, and no He can see well to this day.

While the prisoner, Qasim Abu Awad (40 years old), was attacked by the Yamaz, Doror, and Masada forces many times since last October, as they stormed the sections accompanied by police dogs without any reason and began assaulting the prisoners. As a result, the prisoner suffered head injuries and bleeding. His nose and severe back pain prevent him from sleeping and moving normally.

Note that Abu Awad has been detained since June 6, 2003, and has been sentenced to 23 years in prison.

By Imran Mulla

The incident comes after MEE reported that Trinity College has millions invested in companies fuelling Israel's war on Gaza

An activist from Palestine Action on Friday spray-painted then slashed a 1914 painting of Lord Balfour at Trinity College, the University of Cambridge's wealthiest constituent college.

The incident came after Middle East Eye revealed on 21 February that Trinity College has invested millions of dollars in companies arming, supporting and profiting from Israel's war on Gaza.

Last week, the UK-based International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) issued a legal notice to Trinity warning that "officers, directors and shareholders at the college may be individually criminally liable if they maintain their investments in arms companies that are potentially complicit in Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity".

The direct action group Palestine Action posted footage of the incident on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Bottom of Form

"Palestine Action ruined a 1914 painting by Philip Alexius de Laszlo inside Trinity College, University of Cambridge of Lord Arthur James Balfour - the colonial administrator and signatory of the Balfour Declaration," Palestinian Action said in a statement.

Conservative Member of Parliament Robert Jenrick said on Saturday that the person responsible for the action "should be in a cell, facing prison."

Political commentator Nigel Farage posted on X: "These people hate us."

Palestine Action replied: "You're right. We do hate you."

Lord Arthur Balfour, who graduated with a second-class degree in moral sciences from Trinity College, was Britain's foreign secretary in 1917 when he issued the Balfour Declaration.

It was a statement of intent by the British government to support the establishment "in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people".

According to historian Arnold Toynbee, a Foreign Office official during the First World War, the Balfour Declaration was "incompatible with a previous commitment” made by Britain to "recognise and uphold Arab independence".

Balfour has been widely accused of antisemitism, including by Edwin Montagu, the only Jewish member of the British Cabinet when the declaration was issued.

In 1919, Balfour argued that the Zionist movement would "mitigate the age-long miseries created for Western civilization by the presence in its midst of a Body which it too long regarded as alien and even hostile, but which it was equally unable to expel or to absorb."

He also said in 1922 that Zionism was "rooted in age-long traditions, in present needs and future hopes of far profounder import than the desires and prejudices of 700,000 Arabs who now inhabit that ancient land".

Following the incident on Friday, the Master of Trinity College, Dame Sally Davies, said: "I am shocked by yesterday's attack in our College on our painting. I condemn this act of vandalism. We are cooperating with the police to bring the perpetrators to justice."

Investment in arms

Last week, the ICJP called on Trinity College to confirm, "as a matter of urgency" and with a deadline of 12 March, whether the college intends to suspend its investments in the companies involved in Israel's war on Gaza to remove any potential criminal liability.

MEE reported in February, based on information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, that Trinity has £61,735 ($78,089) invested in Israel's largest arms company, Elbit Systems, which produces 85 percent of the drones and land-based equipment used by the Israeli army.

Japanese trading giant Itochu cut ties with Elbit earlier early in February in response to an International Court of Justice ruling that Israel may be committing genocide in Gaza.

Trinity also has investments worth approximately $3.2m in Caterpillar, a US-based heavy equipment company that has long been the target of boycott campaigns for its sale of bulldozers to the Israeli army, and multiple other companies involved in Israel's war - including General Electric, Toyota Corporation, Rolls-Royce, Barclays Bank and L3Harris Industries.

In its statement, Palestine Action said:  "Elbit Systems, Israel's largest arms supplier, who use captive Palestinians in Gaza as a human laboratory to develop their weapons, use Britain as a manufacturing outpost. The Israeli weapons maker builds weaponry in factories across the country and works closely with the British government.

"Palestine Action vows to continue their direct campaign until Elbit is shut down and British complicity with the colonisation of Palestine ends." 

The Hebrew newspaper Haaretz said on Sunday that the arrival of the Israeli army to the leader of the Hamas movement, Yahya Sinwar, may be the peg on which Netanyahu will hang his claim of achieving complete victory, even if the movement continues to fight.

According to the newspaper, the Israeli army is investing most of its energy in chasing the specter of the ongoing attempt to reach Al-Sinwar, who is believed to be still in possible hideouts in Khan Yunis, pointing out that these efforts have not yet achieved any results.

It confirmed that the Israeli army did not achieve any achievements related to the liberation of Israeli prisoners, and was unable to carry out an immediate operation to control Rafah, and therefore it focuses on trying to reach Sinwar.

It said: Netanyahu’s promises to achieve complete victory over Hamas have no cover currently, noting that the Israeli army is reducing its forces in the Gaza Strip, and these forces cannot expand their attacks to include Rafah, which is the attack that Netanyahu repeatedly threatens, noting that it is necessary to mobilize More military forces to storm Rafah and mobilize reserve forces to implement a complex plan that includes evacuating the Palestinian residents crowded there, which will take several weeks.

Regarding the negotiations, Haaretz indicated that until the moment there has been no breakthrough in the ceasefire negotiations and reaching a prisoner deal, noting that Hamas continues to put forward extreme positions in the negotiations, given that the movement understood that Netanyahu is not enthusiastic about moving forward with this deal and that the United States The United States is interested in increasing humanitarian aid and reducing fighting without major concessions.

Civil Defense spokesman, Major Mahmoud Bassal, said on Sunday, “The method of using aid drops via international relief planes did not reduce the famine crisis that our people are suffering from, but rather increased the number of victims searching for a living.”

Basal stressed in a statement that the continuation of this method of providing relief to citizens has caused a number of casualties and injuries among citizens, stressing the need to search for radical solutions to prove the futility of this method.

He called for the necessity of working to bring aid through the Gaza Strip’s ports and deliver it in a safe manner to all besieged citizens to avoid further casualties.

The Wall Street Journal published an interview with Senior Hamas official Husam Badran on Saturday, discussing Hamas's hard-line stance of only agreeing to a permanent ceasefire and shedding light on details of the negotiation process that are lesser known to the public.

Badran begins the interview by claiming that Hamas is still willing to negotiate a ceasefire deal, saying claims of Hamas disinterest come from Israel and America. “We didn’t declare negotiations have been stopped. We are the party most keen to stop this war,” he said.

According to Egyptian and Hamas officials, Qatar has threatened to expel Hamas officially from their base in Doha if they don't come to an agreement, but Badran denied this claim.

That being said, he stated that Hamas's official position is still a permanent ceasefire and allowing displaced Gazans to return to their homes.

As far as the negotiation process goes, he revealed that the discussion of swaps of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners has taken a back seat to relieving the humanitarian situation and ending the fighting.

He blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the failure of the talks so far. “The only complication in the negotiations is Netanyahu’s stance, who refuses to deal with anything on the table,” he said. “Netanyahu is the most dangerous [person] for the stability of this region. He is the fire starter.”

He also claimed that he was "concerned" about rising tensions in the West Bank if a deal is not reached before Ramadan. Later on in the report, however, he revealed that Hamas met in Moscow with other Palestinian officials, including secular politicians and the PIJ, where they agreed to "expand operations in the West Bank and Jerusalem."

The report had details of the negotiation process from statements by Israeli, US, and Arab officials as well, but didn't name them. 

Other mediators are hoping for a short-term ceasefire with partial hostage releases

It said that unspecified Arab negotiators were aiming for an urgent two-day ceasefire before the beginning of Ramadan due to increased operations in Rafah.

The report also claimed that Arab mediators are trying to salvage a proposal that involves a 40-day ceasefire and the release of around 40 hostages.

According to the report, Egyptian officials said that they had hoped to resume talks on Saturday, but neither side was being cooperative. Arab mediators have also confirmed, according to the report, that Hamas has refused to give Israel a list of living hostages as part of a deal.

Badran denied that claim, saying there had been no official Israeli request for such a list. He said many of the prisoners are held by other factions, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, making them harder to locate and guarantee as part of a deal.

The report also talked about Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who recently broke his radio silence and has also made demands about a potential deal.

Sinwar believes Hamas currently has the upper hand in negotiations, according to Egyptian officials. They based this claim on internal political divisions within Israel, disagreements within Netanyahu’s wartime government, and mounting US pressure on Israel to do more to alleviate the suffering of Gazans. 

Arab and Israeli officials said that they fear that Sinwar is deliberately undermining the talks in the hope that Ramadan will galvanize popular Arab support for Hamas and that there will be an escalation of tensions in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Al Jazeera correspondent and the health authorities in Gaza reported on Sunday that 82 Palestinians were killed and more than 200 others were injured in raids carried out by Israeli army warplanes in various areas of the Gaza Strip, as well as shooting at those waiting for food aid.

The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip said that the Israeli army committed 10 massacres in the Strip during the last 24 hours, killing 82 persons and 222 injured.

Thus, the total number of victims of the Israeli aggression since last October 7 rises to 30,960 persons and the wounded to 72,524.

In the last massacre carried out, the Civil Defense spokesman in Gaza said that a number of Palestinians who were waiting for food aid were killed by gunfire by theIsraeli forces near the Kuwait Roundabout in Gaza City.

He added that the rescue teams found it difficult to reach them due to the continued shooting towards any object moving in the area.

The spokesman said in statements to Al Jazeera that civil defense crews transported a number of wounded to Al-Shifa Hospital, calling for an end to what he called the occupation’s disdain for hungry stomachs, and at the same time calling for work to find a safer and more secure mechanism and methods for delivering aid to citizens.

Night raids

Meanwhile, the occupation warplanes continued their night raids on Deir al-Balah and Nuseirat in the center of the Gaza Strip, on Beit Lahia in the north, and on southern Khan Yunis in the south.

Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that two Palestinians were killed and others were injured in a bombing that targeted a house for the Abu Nasser family in the Beit Lahia project.

The reporter said that fire broke out in an area near the Nuseirat market in the central Gaza Strip as a result of an Israeli bombing.

Before that, Al Jazeera's correspondent said that intense fire bombardment targeted the areas of Al-Matahin, Al-Zawaida and Juhr Al-Dik, east of the city of Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

The reporter also pointed to Israeli artillery shelling on the eastern areas of the Al-Fokhari area, south of Khan Yunis.

Bombing homes

Earlier yesterday, Saturday, Al Jazeera's correspondent said that the number of killed as a result of the bombing of the Al-Nuwairi family's home west of the Nuseirat camp had risen to 10, and two people were martyred on Al-Rashid Street.

Civil defense teams recovered the bodies of a number of killed - including 3 children - from the Al-Hasayna area, west of the Nuseirat camp, which was subjected to a series of raids that targeted a residential square and leveled it to the ground.

Eight Palestinians from one family were also killed in a bombing that targeted the Kali family’s home in Abu Elba roundabout, west of Gaza City. The bodies of the dead are still under the rubble of the destroyed house after the Civil Defense was unable to recover them due to the lack of necessary equipment.

Source: Al Jazeera

The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said on Sunday that after 5 months of war in the Gaza Strip, Israel has begun to lose global support for it, and is currently facing a real political tsunami.

The newspaper pointed out in its report that the patience of America and Britain was also beginning to wear out with regard to Israel’s actions.

The newspaper said that Israel is losing the world's support for it, because the war is going slower and longer than it promised its friends, noting that the management of the war is producing achievements, but it has not yet reached a decisive point, and Hamas leaders have not yet been liquidated and Israeli prisoners have been released.

It explained that as the war continued, the world’s interest began to shift to the human suffering in Gaza, in light of hunger, living in tents, and the difficulty of obtaining medical services, all of which occupy the media’s bulletins.

It pointed out that among the reasons for this are the lack of Israeli readiness on the horizon to enter a political path, the lack of a clear vision for the day after the war, in addition to the extremist Israeli government’s refusal to commit to a political process that will ultimately lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Among the reasons mentioned by the newspaper are the increasing pressure of public opinion in the world against Israel’s actions, in addition to the possibility of Biden losing the elections to Donald Trump, especially as there are always doubts that Netanyahu prefers the latter over the current US president, which may lead to a loss of support for Biden, who is considered the friendliest president in Israel, along with Netanyahu's continued support for the extreme right in his government, indicates his intention to continue this war.

The Israeli security establishment is preparing for the arrival of the month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin tomorrow, Monday, amid estimates that the situation will flare up due to the continuing war on the Gaza Strip.

According to the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, the Israeli security services will try to prevent the outbreak of a wave of attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank, as well as the heart of Israeli cities, especially in light of Hamas’ attempts to exploit the days of Ramadan to ignite a war on multiple arenas.

The newspaper quoted an Israeli security source as saying, “The month of Ramadan constitutes fertile ground for waging a jihadist war against the infidels.” On the ground, Hamas is trying to make more efforts to incite Palestinian youth to carry out attacks, especially in Jerusalem.

The Israeli security establishment fears “inspiring” attacks carried out by Palestinian individuals who succeed in doing so and constitute an incentive to carry out other attacks.

The Hebrew newspaper indicated that dozens of Palestinians were arrested under the pretext of "incitement to carry out attacks."

The newspaper pointed out that the intensive activities of the Israeli army thwarted the plans of Hamas, which was expecting a series of large attacks from the West Bank and Jerusalem during the war on Gaza, pointing out that the arrest of thousands and the thwarting of dozens of attacks thwarted the movement’s plan.

The newspaper said: The Israeli army has not operated with such operational freedom in the West Bank since Operation “Guardian of the Walls” in 2021.

The US Central Command announced on Sunday that the US support ship Bison was heading to the eastern Mediterranean to deliver aid to Gaza by sea.

The US Central Command explained in a statement that the logistical support ship carries equipment to establish a suspended dock to deliver supplies to Gaza.

Meanwhile, the New York Times quoted diplomats and relief officials as saying that transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea faces enormous challenges.

These sources added: It is not clear who will manage and secure the port in Gaza and the humanitarian convoys to distribute aid.

Meanwhile, UN sources said that the civilian police in Gaza can provide security, but it is unlikely that Washington and Tel Aviv will agree.

US President Joe Biden said last night that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “hurts Israel more than he pleases it because of his style of war with Hamas,” but stressed that he will not abandon Israel and that there are no red lines in sending weapons to the Hebrew state.

Biden said in a lengthy interview with the liberal network MSNBC: “What is happening is that he has the right to defend Israel, and the right to continue to pursue Hamas, but he must pay more attention to lives.” The innocent person who was killed as a result of the measures taken (practiced by Israel in the war).”

He added, "From my point of view, it is hurting Israel more than helping it [...] This contradicts what Israel stands for. I think that (continuing this war in this way) is considered a big mistake."

These comments highlighted the differences between the United States and Israel, as Israel is carrying out a fierce war on the Gaza Strip in the wake of the attacks by Hamas fighters on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 Israelis, including more than 311 soldiers, according to Israeli statements.

The Israeli war, which many in the world classify as a “war of extermination,” claimed the lives of more than 31 Palestinian citizens, most of them children, which prompted the progressives of the Democratic Party to demand that Biden cut off military supplies to Israel until Israel complies with American conditions.

Biden stressed in an interview on Saturday that he does not intend to cut off support for Israel, and acknowledged the frustration among Americans who protested the way he supported Israel and “his handling of the conflict between Israel and Hamas,” according to what he said.

Biden said: “Defending Israel is still critical, so there is no red line to cut off weapons from Israel, and deprive them of Iron Dome to protect them,” adding that he has concerns about the killing of more than 30,000 Palestinians.

It is noteworthy that US President Biden months ago called on Israel to make more efforts to protect civilians and allow aid to enter Gaza through the border crossings, but Israel did not comply, and the United States did not exert sufficient pressure to compel it to adhere to American demands.

In recent days, the United States has begun conducting airdrops into the besieged Gaza Strip to deliver meals and other supplies to the region, and more airdrops are scheduled to take place in the coming days.

During his State of the Union address last Thursday, Biden announced plans for the US military to lead the construction of a port (wharf) along the Gaza coast on the Mediterranean Sea to increase the amount of aid reaching Palestinian civilians.

Progressives called on the White House to support a permanent ceasefire in the war, but Biden and others said “such an agreement would allow Hamas to regroup.” Instead, the administration supported a temporary ceasefire that would last for at least six weeks and allow the exchange of Israeli detainees for Palestinian prisoners. And more aid enters Gaza.

It is noteworthy that on Super Tuesday, more than a quarter of a million voters cast their votes for “non-committed” or “no preference” in the Democratic primaries, which are largely seen as a protest against Biden’s handling of the war waged by Israel on Gaza. The protest vote netted 11 delegates in Minnesota, although Biden still won the primary handily with 64 delegates.

Biden told the network in the interview, commenting on the protesting voters, "I don't blame them for being upset. There are families and people dying. They want me to do something about it; they say, 'Joe (President Biden), do something; do something' to stop the bloodshed."

The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced on Sunday that the death toll of the Israeli aggression had risen to 31,045 people and 72,654 injuries since October 7, noting that 72% of the victims were children and women.

The Ministry confirmed in a statement that the Israeli army committed 8 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, killing 85 people and 130 injuries during the past 24 hours.

It pointed out that there are still a number of victims under the rubble and on the roads, and Israeli army prevents ambulance and civil defense crews from reaching them.

A number of citizens were killed and injured last night and early Sunday, as a result of a series of separate Israeli raids that targeted several areas in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli forces continue their war on the Gaza Strip for the 156th day in a row.

Israeli warplanes bombed a house for the Abu Nasser family in the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, leading to the death of at least 3 citizens.

Meanwhile, a group of young men were killed at the Al-Kuwaiti Roundabout, east and south of Gaza City, while waiting for humanitarian aid.

In the center of the Gaza Strip, Israeli aircraft launched a series of raids on several targets in the Nuseirat camp, which led to the death of at least two citizens and the injury of a number of others.

Among what was targeted in Nuseirat were 4 homes in the vicinity of the camp market, causing an interruption in internet services.

Several homes were also bombed in the Deir al-Balah area in the middle of the Gaza Strip, and a group of martyrs and wounded arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

In the south of the Gaza Strip, a group of citizens were killed as a result of air strikes and artillery shelling in the Mawasi area of Khan Yunis, as well as Hamad Town.

8 citizens were also killed in a bombing that targeted the vicinity of the port of Khan Yunis.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the death toll from malnutrition and dehydration had risen to 25 persons.

Gaza Health reported on Saturday that a two-month-old girl had died in Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza as a result of malnutrition and dehydration, and a 20-year-old girl had died in the Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza.

The number of victims of the ongoing aggression since the seventh of last October has risen to 30,960 killed, in addition to the injury of 72,524 people.

The Gaza Health Ministry added in its daily statistical report on the number of dead and wounded on the 155th day that the Israeliarmy committed 10 massacres in the Gaza Strip, killing 82 people and 122 injured within 24 hours.

Gaza Health confirmed that there are still a number of victims under the rubble and on the roads, and the Israeli army prevents ambulance and civil defense crews from reaching them.

It pointed out that 72 percent of the victims of aggression are children and women.

The Israeli army acknowledged the killing of 587 since the 7th of October, and 247 since the start of the ground operation on the 27th of last October.

According to the Israeli army, 3,057 Israeli soldiers have been injured since the start of the Israeli aggression against Gaza. The condition of 482 of them was described as serious, 805 moderate injuries, and 1,767 minor injuries.

Al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of the Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas,” launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, in response to the Israeli violations in the occupied Palestinian territories.

On the other hand, the Israeli army launched a military operation against the Gaza Strip, which it called “Iron Swords,” and launched a series of violent raids on several areas in the Strip, resulting in hundreds of martyrs and thousands of wounded, in addition to the destruction of large numbers of buildings, residential towers, institutions, and infrastructure.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) is seeking to escalate the situation during the holy month of Ramadan.

Netanyahu added, on Saturday, that Hamas adheres to its position of unwillingness to reach an agreement regarding the war in the Gaza Strip.

He pointed out that contacts and talks with mediators are still continuing, in an attempt to reduce the gaps.

On the other hand, Netanyahu sent a strongly worded message to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in which he said: “Tel Aviv, which adheres to the laws of war, will not receive moral advice from Erdogan.”

During his speech in Istanbul, Erdogan affirmed his “firm” support for the leaders of Hamas in its war against Israel in the Gaza Strip, which has been going on for more than five months.

Erdogan said: "No one can push us to classify Hamas as a terrorist organization. Turkey is the country that speaks openly with Hamas leaders and stands firmly behind them."