The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported on Friday that Israel fears American recognition of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, amid increasing American criticism of Israel and the way its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is dealing with the detainees file and the possibility of achieving the goal of eliminating the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), in addition to the continued large numbers of civilian casualties.

The newspaper quoted Israeli political sources concerned about the intense activity of the US administration to promote the idea of establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip under a unified government based on what is known as a renewed Palestinian authority.

The newspaper said that the US State Department is considering recognizing a Palestinian state as part of a comprehensive political initiative related to what it called “the day after Hamas rule” in the Gaza Strip, according to what it quoted from American sources.

The newspaper confirmed that the issue of recognizing the Palestinian state was raised during the talks held by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken with Israeli officials during his visit to Israel in the past two days.

The newspaper described this step, if it takes place, as a "political tsunami" for the Israeli authority.

Palestinian reform

An Israeli official told the newspaper that the Americans continue to promote the idea of a renewed Palestinian Authority, noting that the current authority in Ramallah is in the process of working to introduce reforms, and this is consistent with the United States’ demand to prove that it has already become a body that meets the definition of a “renewable authority.”

The official added that the Palestinian reforms include changes within the government, changing the nature of the management of the security services, and there is talk of a new professional technocratic government.

American and European agenda

The newspaper also quoted Israeli sources as saying that the issue of a Palestinian state has recently occupied a place in the political agenda for the Middle East promoted by the Americans and Europeans, and they said that the idea is gaining momentum.

They pointed out that it is not a coincidence that a series of Western leaders have recently announced their support for the establishment of a Palestinian state, and this includes leaders who were considered right-wing and most supportive of Israel, such as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The newspaper reported that Blinken recently ordered his office staff to prepare organized work for the possibility of American or international recognition of a Palestinian state unilaterally and not through negotiations with Israel or with Israeli approval.

It is noteworthy that successive American administrations refused to recognize a Palestinian state, and linked this to the Palestinians and Israelis reaching an agreement regarding the state.

Washington also opposed Palestine obtaining full membership in the United Nations by thwarting Palestinian requests for membership through the UN Security Council, most recently in 2011.

But US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at the end of last January that his country seeks to establish an independent Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel, stressing that US President Joe Biden believes this is the best way to ensure peace and security for Israel, the Palestinians, and the region as a whole.

American-Israeli disputes

In this regard, the British newspaper "Financial Times" indicated that the deep divisions between Washington and Tel Aviv appeared more evident during Blinken's recent visit.

The newspaper added that the separate press conferences of Netanyahu and Blinken revealed their disagreement, explaining that the disagreements include issues of the next phase of the war and ways to secure the release of detainees held by the Hamas movement.

Source: British press + Anadolu Agency

The Human Rights Council adopted a resolution calling on the Secretary-General of the United Nations to provide financial, human and technical resources to strengthen the Office of the High Commissioner, to update the list of companies operating in the settlements, to delete the names of companies whose activities have been frozen, and to add the names of companies that have undertaken activities in the settlements.

The Human Rights Council decided, during the vote it held at its fifty-third session today, Friday, to keep this issue under consideration.

The text of the resolution stated: Guided by the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, the Human Rights Council reaffirms that all States have the obligation to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, as stipulated in the Charter and as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Human Rights. And other applicable instruments.

  Reaffirming also that the mandates of the Human Rights Council should be implemented and adequately funded without interference of any kind, and recalling Human Rights Council resolution 31/36 of 24 March 2016, in which the Council requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a database of all businesses involved in the activities detailed in paragraph 96 of the Independent International Truth Report - a mission to investigate the effects of Israeli settlements on the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem:.

1- Requests the Secretary-General to allocate the financial and human resources and expertise necessary to strengthen the capacity of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to ensure that the mandate granted by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 31/36 is fully implemented, and requests the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to ensure that Annual updates to the database include adding and deleting companies, and submitting the database on an annual basis to the Council starting at its fifty-seventh session.

2- Decides to keep the matter under consideration.

An opinion poll showed that the popularity of the right-wing "Likud" party headed by Benjamin Netanyahu continues to decline among Israelis, while the centrist "National Unity" party headed by Benny Gantz continues to advance.

The Israeli newspaper "Maariv" said on Friday that the poll also indicated the continued progress of the far-right "Jewish Power" party headed by Itamar Ben Gvir.

The poll was conducted by the "Lazar" Institute for Study (private) for the "Maariv" newspaper and included a random sample of 514 Israelis, and the margin of error was 4.3 percent.

Pollsters expected that the Likud Party, if elections were held today, would obtain 17 seats in the Knesset, which is approximately half of its current seats of 32 seats out of the 120 seats in the Knesset.

The results of the poll showed that the National Unity Party would win 32 seats if elections were held today, compared to its current number of 12 seats.

Participants in the poll suggested that the “There is a Future” party, headed by opposition leader Yair Lapid, would decline to obtain 12 seats compared to its current number of seats, which is 24.

On the other hand, the results of the poll showed an increase in supporters for the right-wing “Israel Our Home” party, headed by Avigdor Lieberman, and the “Jewish Power” party, led by Itamar Ben Gvir.

If elections are held today, the “Israel Beta” party will obtain 10 seats compared to its current number of seats, which is 6, as well as 10 seats for the “Jewish Power” party, compared to its current number of seats, which is 6.

The newspaper "Maariv" said: "The Jewish Power Party continues its strong progress by winning 10 seats, which is the highest number of seats it has obtained in the polls."

The newspaper indicated that in total, the camp that rejects Netanyahu’s presidency of the government will obtain 67 seats, compared to 48 for the camp that supports him, if elections are held today.

While the coalition of the Democratic Front for Peace and the Arab List for Change gets 5 seats, knowing that it does not support either camp.

Based on the results, only 32 percent still believe that Netanyahu is most suitable to head the government, compared to 48 percent who believe that Gantz is most suitable for this position, while 20 percent do not have a specific answer.

Although there are many calls to hold elections, Netanyahu refuses to hold them simultaneously with the war

Israeli media reported that the army transferred about 350 bodies of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip “as part of its search for the bodies of detained Israelis.”

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation "Kan" reported that more than 350 bodies had been transferred from Gaza to Israel since the beginning of the war, for examination by the Forensic Medicine Institute in Abu Kabir, fearing that these bodies belonged to Israeli hostages who were held by the Hamas movement on October 7.

About a month ago, following IDF activity in a cemetery in southern Khan Yunis, the IDF spokesman issued a statement admitting that the army had already sent bodies for examination in Israel.

He said, “The Israeli army is carrying out search and rescue operations, including the bodies of the kidnapped in cemeteries in the Gaza Strip, and the army is obligated to complete the mission of rescuing the kidnapped, finding their bodies detained in Gaza and returning them,” noting that “the army is carrying out search and rescue operations after obtaining "Specific intelligence information  about the possibility of finding bodies in those locations."

Source: "Israel Broadcasting Authority"

The Israeli forces committed 13 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, leading to the death of 107 citizens and the injury of 142 others during the past 24 hours.

According to the Ministry of Health, a number of killed and injured are still under the rubble and on the roads, as the Israeli army prevents ambulance and civil defense crews from reaching them, in light of the scarcity of capabilities to extract them.

It confirmed that the Israeli army deliberately killed 340 health personnel, arrested 99 others, and destroyed 123 ambulances during its aggression against the Gaza Strip, which continued for the 126th day in a row.

In this context, a young man was killed by Israeli sniper bullets near the Nasser Medical Complex in the city of Khan Yunis, while military aircraft launched a raid around the complex in conjunction with artillery shelling.

Israeli snipers occupied citizens' homes in the vicinity of Al Awda Schools, east of Khan Yunis, and bulldozed the neighboring house of Rami Abu Daqqa, while artillery targeted the western areas of Gaza City.

In addition to the widespread killing of Palestinian civilians and the terrible destruction carried out by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip in the last four months of the war, the phenomenon of destroying buildings from within and looting their contents is widespread among its forces. Nahum Barnea, a political analyst at Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, confirmed today, Friday, that the phenomenon of looting is not new, but rather an “ancient heritage” among the soldiers.

Barnea quoted a doctor in one of the reserve brigades in the paratroopers, who was in the Gaza Strip for two months and recently ended his service, as his testimony about the practices of the Israeli army forces during the ground invasion, which did not stop at looting operations only, but also included cold-blooded field executions.

The doctor wrote to Barnea, “I will start with an area that they did not discuss much, which is values during the fighting, or, in my view, the values of Israeli society are being tested.

I noted to my regret that feelings of anger and the desire for revenge for the horrific events of October 7 led to unrest in several areas.

The military doctor added, “The looting operations are almost institutionalized. This begins with the widespread looting of mattresses, gas stoves and gas balloons from occupied homes, and continues with small souvenir items, such as rosaries and small dolls for children. This is all explained, of course, by operational needs, such as a plasma screen in the command room of the brigade commander, which was confiscated from a Palestinian house.”

He continued, "On the day, company soldiers went to watch a match on a screen that was confiscated from a neighboring house. Other soldiers looted phones, vacuum cleaners, bicycles and motorcycles. In my view, it is very legitimate from a moral standpoint to target homes that would pose a threat during an attack; and it is also legitimate." Leveling buildings and demolishing homes that threaten military roads. I realize that part of the deterrence equation is targeting many buildings.”

According to him, “I accept this, provided that it is described as a military mission and not an expression of anger. The phenomenon of writing on the walls, breaking and demolishing inside homes indicates abandonment of obedience. There are forces that start burning homes, and the battalion commander says that there is nothing wrong with this.”

The accumulated feeling is that there is approval that what they did in Huwwara in the West Bank will be implemented here in Gaza.

He pointed out that "political messages are released without any obstacles, and are always right-wing and often extremist. The officers turn a blind eye."

The military doctor added, "During the fighting, we captured five elite terrorists (in Hamas) after they surrendered, and one of them had a broken ankle. I treated him, but the soldiers looked at me in surprise and asked harsh questions, not because they were angry, but because they did not understand why I was treating him."

The doctor stated in his written testimony that “200 meters away from us, the leader of these saboteurs was arrested. He had many fractures in his limbs. After a very short time of being interrogated by a prisoner of war investigator, a reserve soldier came and executed the prisoner. The general took care of the problem.” "Quickly, the commander of the military division and the commander of the brigade moved between the forces and spoke about the seriousness of this event. In practice, I would be very surprised if the man were to remain in prison for four months."

He continued, "I am not against war. I fully support the use of excessive force when necessary. However, many people feel that wearing the Israeli army uniform and crossing the border allows them to cross moral boundaries."

Following the execution of the prisoner, the Israeli army spokesman said, “This event is subject to a military police investigation. The soldier’s claim is being considered, according to which he felt there was a real danger and therefore carried out the shooting in self-defense. Upon the end of the investigation, its results will be transferred to the Military Public Prosecution.”

Barnea pointed out, “I heard about the phenomenon of sabotage and looting from other officers in the reserve. There is a long heritage in this field, and it extends back to the Palmach period (during the 1948 Nakba). He (the thief soldier) says that these items (looted from Gaza) are not for me, but for colleagues.” "I am not a thief, but I complete the equipment."

Barnea pointed out that this phenomenon is not limited to the behavior of Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip. “Members of kibbutzim in the Gaza Strip narrated that soldiers deployed inside the kibbutz destroyed property, and here and there looted everything they could get their hands on.

I heard about similar manifestations in the (Israeli) towns whose residents were evacuated on the Lebanese border as well.”

Barnea published the text of a military order issued by the head of the Halal Food Department under Jewish law, Rabbi Avishai Peretz, legitimizing soldiers’ theft of food supplies from Gazans. It stated, “This document addresses the reality in which force is not present within Israel’s borders and is concerned with the use of plunder.”

Peretz concluded his "document" with a biblical verse that says: "You shall eat all peoples," the continuation of which was stated: "Do not let your eyes pity them, nor worship their gods, for that is a polytheism to you."

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned that the lives of hundreds of thousands of people are at risk in the northern and central Gaza Strip due to food shortages.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that the last time the agency was allowed to deliver supplies to the region was more than two weeks ago on January 23.

Other agencies providing humanitarian aid also reported preventing aid from reaching Gaza, which has been subjected to continuous Israeli aggression since October 7.

“Since the beginning of the year, half of our missions’ requests to send aid to the north have been rejected,” Lazzarini wrote on the X website on Thursday.

He said: “The United Nations has identified deep pockets of famine and hunger in northern Gaza,” adding, “At least 300,000 people living in the area depend on our aid for their survival.”

Large numbers of citizens were forcibly displaced from the north and center of the Gaza Strip to the south, searching for a safer place to protect them from the continuing Israeli bombing. More than half of Gaza’s population, estimated at about 2.4 million people, now lives in the city of Rafah in the south. But many of them are still in the Gaza Valley, in the center and north.

Georgios Petropoulos, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaza, said that the area had turned "into a wasteland of hunger and despair."

He told Agence France-Presse that relief agencies are being prevented from working, while the few trucks that succeed in crossing are being intercepted by local residents who are in northern Gaza "on the brink of famine."

He continued, "They sometimes gather in their thousands around trucks and other vehicles loaded with goods and unload them in minutes."

The World Central Kitchen organization, which provides food aid, also reported that it was only able to reach northern Gaza “a limited number of times each week.”

She said in a statement that there are two trucks on their way now, one of them transporting meals to hospitals, and the other to deliver food to crowds on the road.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who toured the region this week, made a new appeal to provide more aid to Gaza.

“Blocking access prevents life-saving humanitarian aid,” Lazzarini wrote, adding, “With the necessary political will, this can easily be reversed.”

In an infinite toll, the number of martyrs in the Gaza Strip since the start of the aggression has risen to 27,840 martyrs and more than 67,300 wounded, and thousands of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, as the occupation prevents ambulance and rescue crews from reaching them.

By Zainab Iqbal

There is one image that is forever engraved in Hanna Stolzer’s brain. It is a photograph that was posted on social media, dated 10 October. It showed a surgical board in a hospital in Gaza where doctors would keep track of surgeries. 

On it was a simple message, written in capital letters and in blue ink: “WHOEVER STAYS UNTIL THE END, WILL TELL THE STORY. WE DID WHAT WE COULD. REMEMBER US."

Those powerful words gave Stolzer pause. “How can you look at that and not be moved to action?” she said. 

On 10 January, that photograph was used as evidence at the International Court of Justice where South Africa accused Israel of violating the Genocide Convention in its unrelenting bombardment and siege of Gaza since 7 October when the war broke out after Hamas attacked southern Israel. 

Right after the surgical board image was shown, another one followed, and that image showed the surgical board had been destroyed, with the words in blue ink, just barely hanging on. 

“I see now just how dire the circumstances are for Palestinians and how much that is at the direct hands of Israel, and also how much that is at the direct hands of the United States who is backing Israel,” Stolzer told Middle East Eye.

Stolzer is a 24-year-old Jewish American who proudly supports a free Palestine. She is one of the thousands of Jewish people who believe Israel is engaging in genocide against the Palestinian people. But for many like her, it wasn’t always like this.

Stolzer grew up never being taught the history of Israel and Palestine. She attended Hebrew school and was taught from a young age that Israel is the holy land for Jewish people only. She remembers being in school and learning about the Holocaust and wondering: “Why didn’t anyone do anything? Why didn’t anyone speak up?”

She remembers standing up on the bima, a synagogue platform, on her bat mitzvah and echoing the values of the Torah, "Honour thy neighbour".

A surgical board in a hospital in Gaza where doctors would keep track of surgeries, on 10 October 2023 (social media)“Today, right now, to me, being a Jewish American means standing up against the Israeli government and practising the values that have been instilled in us since Hebrew school. To be Jewish is to expand the compassion and empathy and humanity, for everyone, whether they are in DC or New York or Gaza,” she said.

In December 2019, Stolzer went on a "birthright" trip to Israel. 

Birthright Israel, often referred to simply as Birthright, offers a free ten-day journey to Israel, with stops in Jerusalem and the occupied Golan Heights, among other places. Young adults with Jewish heritage, aged between 18 and 26, are eligible for the trip which is paid for by the state of Israel and by donors.

She said she was embarrassed to admit it, but she went on the trip partly because it was free. And who was she to turn down a free international trip to a historical place?

“There was a lot of propaganda,” she said. She explained that while they met with Palestinians on the trip, the Palestinians advocated for peace and a two-state solution. She said it was obvious now that those on the trip were not exposed to people from Palestine who were telling them the true realities of what Israel was doing. 

“It was the most sanitised version of ‘both sides’,” she said. 

Stolzer took her time to learn about the history of Palestine and the sheer intensity of the occupation taking place. She learned about the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who had been forcibly displaced during the 1948 Nakba, or what is known as "the catastrophe" in English. She learned of the children who were left without their parents, and the parents who were left without their babies. She read articles from journalists straight from Gaza, years before 7 October. She immersed herself in books upon books. 

“I think before I would have been proud and loud about saying, ‘We need a two-state solution'. But it’s not like that. My understanding has changed. I have so much more information than I did before,” she said.

“I see an immense amount of humanity and I see they have been completely ignored and intentionally obscured from the media that had consumed me.”

Like many others, Stolzer has received tons of pushback from her community. Sometimes, she responds and tries her best to educate them. But other times, she feels there is no point.

Stolzer explained that she is aware of what Jewish students learn about Gaza both inside and outside Israel. She says she is aware of what they have been told their entire life. “I also know I am sitting in DC in my comfortable apartment with a war so far away from my own home.”

A pro-Palestine protest in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York, on 21 October 2023 (Zainab Iqbal/MEE)She has been told by members of her Jewish community that she “turned a blind eye" to her religion - something she disagrees with entirely.

“I faced animosity from the Jewish community and it just makes me feel like I've almost been gaslighted about what my religion is,” she explained.

This is why Stolzer says she refuses to stay silent. As a Jewish person in America, she feels it’s important to speak up.

“Those war crimes are being committed in the name of my security, and my safety, and my religion. And that really offends me because it’s antithetical to everything I have ever known Judaism to be,” she said.

“If safety comes at the expense of the annihilation of another population, then that safety was not deserved and it is not worth the price.”

What bothers Stolzer the most, she said, is that in the Jewish community, people are invoking the fear of genocide of the Jewish people. She said they mention antisemitism and how there are people who want to kill Jews, and while she knows that there is truth in that, she said it is not the entire truth.

“They are using a hypothetical genocide to justify an actual genocide taking place,” she said. 

“Israel does not equal Judaism. Antisemitism does not equal pro-Palestine. People are supporting Palestine not because they are excited to oust Jews. They are supporting Palestine because it deserves to be free.”

Learning the history of Palestine

Carly Shooster is a 28-year-old Jewish woman from Florida. She regularly attends protests in Gainesville, Florida, led by her Palestinian colleague, on Sundays at the corner of the main intersection in her college town.

Cars driving by often honk in support or drivers raise their fists and their flags. However, they have also been screamed at and harassed for being Jewish. Once someone screamed that they’d like to kill all Jews. But still, every Sunday, Shooster makes her way to that corner and chants for a free Palestine.

Like Stolzer, Shooster attended Hebrew school and a birthright trip to Israel when she was in college. The majority of her education about her heritage centred around the Holocaust. 

Her journey into what she calls the “cold, hard facts of Israel’s occupation of Palestine” began many years ago with the book, Mornings in Jenin, by Susan Abulhawa, which paints a harrowing portrait of Palestinian reality told through fiction.

She also recently finished reading Ilan Pappe’s, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, and recommends it to anyone and everyone. 

Since 2014, many Jewish people in her community, including those in her family, have accused her of being a self-hating Jew. She has been told she was uneducated; that Israel gives Gaza electricity and water; and that there are a “million other Arab states. Why don’t the Palestinians just go to one of those?”

Carly Shooster (left) at a pro-Palestine protest in Florida, on 10 December 2023 (Supplied/MEE)The further Shooster reads into the history of the Middle East, the more she says she's convinced that Zionism and Israel are military strategies to ensure a western stronghold in the Middle East. “The violence this has wrought on the indigenous inhabitants of the land is inexcusable and should be condemned,” she explained.

For Shooster, being a Jewish American today means being actively anti-Zionist. It means divesting from Israel in any way she can. It means practising Judaism with friends and family. It means loving her family despite their inability to see through their own Zionism, she said.

“I am deeply committed to being the best daughter, friend, dog mom, employee, artist, and teacher I can - and that commitment is inextricably linked to my Jewish background. My humour is linked to my Jewish background. The way I eat, talk, laugh, fight, all of these aspects of myself are so Jewish, so Ashkenazi,” she said.

“I don't want to be any other way, so I will continue to be committed to anti-Zionism and continue to practice the holidays, traditions, and family connection through this link.”

Israel and Jewish-American identity 

According to Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) - which describes itself as the largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organisation in the world - more Jewish Americans, both young and old, "are anti-Zionist (more) than ever before". 

"Jewish Voice for Peace is an anti-Zionist organisation (and has been since 2019) and we're very public about that,"  Sonya Meyerson-Knox, the communications director at JVP, told Middle East Eye.

Knox explained that across the board since 7 October, JVP has doubled or more in terms of membership, supporters, followers, and people simply signing up to take action.

"We're seeing more interest in what Zionism is and what it means to be anti-Zionist than ever before."

In a 2022 poll of American Jews, when Zionism was defined as "the belief in privileging Jewish rights over non-Jewish rights in Israel," 69 percent of American Jews said they were probably or definitely not Zionist. 

Rachel Liberty, a spokesperson for IfNotNow (INN) NYC - an American Jewish group that opposes Israel's occupation of Palestine - believes that the tide is turning, as more Jews refuse to accept giving Israel unconditional military support and financial aid.

"For years INN has worked to bring Jews of all ages into the fight to end the occupation and system of apartheid in Palestine," Liberty told MEE.

She explained that in the last few months, INN has seen a wave of support amongst young Jews in the US for a permanent ceasefire and liberation of Palestine.

"In the last few months, more people have been waking up to the injustices committed by the Israeli government," Liberty said. "In New York specifically, young Jews have shown up en masse to raise their voices alongside Palestinians and say no more to the institutional support of the Israeli government."

An Orthodox Jewish rabbi attends a rally in support of Palestinians outside Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on 7 November 2023 (Kena Betancur/AFP)According to the Brookings Institution, even before 7 October, there were distinct generational differences in Americans’ attitudes towards Israel, mirrored by divergences between older and younger Jewish Americans.

In March of 2023, Gallup found that Democratic sympathies in the Middle East now lie more with the Palestinians than the Israelis, 49 percent versus 38 percent.

Older Americans have more favourable attitudes towards Israel than younger ones. In those polled by Brookings, 61 percent of those aged 18 to 29 held a positive view of the Palestinian people. When asked if they were favourable towards the Israeli people, 56 percent said yes.

Among 30 to 49-year-olds, when asked if they felt favourable towards the Israeli people, 65 percent said yes. When asked if they felt favourable towards the Palestinians, 55 percent said yes.

Geoffrey Levin, an assistant professor of Middle Eastern and Jewish Studies at Emory University and the author of, Our Palestine Question: Israel and American Jewish Dissent, 1948-1978, challenges conventional wisdom on the generational divide.

He explained that people wrongly claim that the "dissent" of the younger generation comes from their “distance” from Israel and a lack of knowledge of it.

But he believes that this generation of American Jews has far greater exposure and less distance to what is happening in Israel and Palestine, than any that's come before it. 

Geoffrey Levin is an assistant professor of Middle Eastern and Jewish Studies at Emory University (Supplied/MEE)This knowledge comes from travelling to the region, relying on new media sources, cultural interactions, educational resources, and conversations with Palestinians and Israelis both at home and abroad.

“My sense is that such exposure can both humanise Palestinians and familiarise left-leaning American Jews with Israel’s far right, which they unsurprisingly want to distance themselves from through statements and protest action,” he said.

He explained that since the 1940s, Israel has played a central role in American Jewish identity and for many non-Orthodox Jews, Zionism is as important to their Jewishness as most religious practices.

"Does our status as a minority and historically oppressed people carry a universalistic message that applies to the Palestinians - or does it mean we must prioritise advocating for Jews abroad including Israelis because otherwise no one else will?” Levin asks.

“I would guess most American Jews would say both of those are important, but there is a big debate over how to balance them.”

Over the last three months, in over 80 protests and through deep coalitions across the country, JVP has shut down businesses in big cities, small towns, and university campuses.

The organisation has held scores of protests across the district offices of elected officials in over 40 states, returning every day to call for a ceasefire. 

"We are united in the belief that when we say 'never again,' it must include Palestinians. We know that our beloved Jewish tradition calls upon us to stand up for justice wherever we live," Knox said.

"From our ancestors who endured pogroms and genocide, we have learned to persist, and we will persist until Palestine is free."

‘I put the blame on Hamas’

Activism, though, does not come without intense criticism. For some, it comes from within their community.

Tova Chatzinoff-Rosenfeld is a 30-year-old Jewish woman in New York who describes herself as a Zionist. For her, Zionism is defined as the belief that Israel has a right to exist as a state. It means that she has a homeland to go to and a connection in that place where she “belongs”. 

She believes her Jewish identity influences her views on the war in Gaza and her full support for Israel. The reason she cares is because she is Jewish, she explained. “Those people are really my people.”

Demonstrators gather during a "#Metoo unless you are a Jew" protest outside of United Nations headquarters in New York City, on 4 December 2023 (Charly Triballeau/AFP)She grew up reading stories in the Torah about Jewish people trying to get to Israel. And that has shaped a lot of her political views, she said.

“My whole identity is my Jewishness. My heart hurts for my brethren who are living in danger, who have been killed, who are held hostage,” she said.

“My heart also hurts for all innocent people on both sides. But of course, any person is going to feel an affinity for their people. And I am a Jew. Israelis are Jewish.”

In October, when over a thousand protestors, mostly Jewish, filled the Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan, calling for a ceasefire, Rosenfeld found it to be upsetting.

“I don’t claim to speak for all Jews and it makes me angry when people try to pretend they are speaking for all Jews. When in the end, they are just speaking on behalf of themselves and a few of their friends or colleagues.”

People demonstrate while calling for a ceasefire at Grand Central Station in New York, on 27 October 2023 (Kena Betancur/ AFP)“I don't know how someone can as a Jew say things that they know will either lead to or allow for the death of another Jew to happen,” she said. 

Over the last several months, JVP has been subject to threats and intimidation for their unequivocal support of the Palestinian people. Multiple members of the organisation have been subject to instances of doxxing and some even received violent threats. Others have had strangers contact their employers, attempting to have them fired for their anti-Zionist views.

"It has been incredibly painful to hear questions of our very Jewishness or witness endeavours to excommunicate us from Judaism itself - including an article in the Jerusalem Post claiming that members of Jewish Voice for Peace aren’t Jews," Knox said.

She said that supporters of the Israeli government seem to believe that there is only one way to be Jewish: unequivocal support for the state of Israel. She added that both legacy Jewish institutions and individuals have attempted to erase the rich Jewish tradition of debate in favour of "narrow-minded support for ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and genocide".

Knox says that as long as Zionism has existed, there have been Jews who oppose it.

"Our tradition tells us that 'pikuach nefesh,' the saving of a life, is the most sacred obligation in Judaism. We are protesting to stop the bloodshed, to save as many lives as possible, and are calling for a resounding and lasting peace grounded in justice for all."

Tova Chatzinoff-Rosenfeld attends a pro-Israel protest in Washington DC, on 14 November 2023 (Supplied/MEE)While Rosenfeld said she feels pain when she sees a video of dead Palestinian babies, she says one must accept the truth.

Rosenfeld explained that 7 October had a tremendous impact on her and all Jewish people. It brought on trauma she never thought she would experience in her lifetime.

“I put the blame where it belongs, which is on Hamas, the terrorists who started this war with an attack on 7 October,” she said. 

ICJ hearings in The Hague

Jonas Nelson is a 21-year-old fourth-year student attending Oberlin College in Ohio. He spent his Thursday and Friday catching up on the International Court of Justice hearings. Watching the clips was everything that he had ever hoped for.

Nelson is a white Jewish man living in the US. His family is from South Africa and spent most of their money to get out of the country during the apartheid era.

He explained that for his family, it’s been very powerful to see a nation that they view with “extreme pride for having broken from apartheid, supporting Palestine and many different places which have been subjected to genocide, forms of apartheid, and ethnic cleansing,” he said.

Nelson was not raised in the Jewish tradition. He would celebrate all of the major Jewish holidays, but being Jewish was never central in his family. In high school, Nelson took a Middle Eastern history course that focused on “both sides” and an overview of Israel and Palestine.

As high school went on, he remembers meeting more people, learning more about the history, and getting into arguments with Zionists. It was then that he realised the uniqueness of Israel and Palestine in American politics. 

“I would run into many people and talk about Black Lives Matter and we would agree the entire time. But when it would come to Israel, they put out all sorts of defences about technological prowess and how we need to defend Israel no matter what,” he recalled. 

South Africa's Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola (R) delivers remarks to journalists outside the International Court of Justice, on 11 January (Remko de Waal/AFP)On his campus, Nelson has been helping lead protests and other forms of activism as part of a newly formed organisation called Jews 4 Palestine - which is not chartered by the school. 

For Nelson, being a Jewish American means carrying the obligation to understand that America is a nation of immigrants. “And we are part of a religion that is migratory and diasporic,” he said. 

“Being a Jewish American is to understand that many of us came here facing oppression and came here facing ethnic cleansing,” he said. “It is to understand the role of oppressed people can take in one day becoming the oppressors.”

He explained that is it important to acknowledge that Judaism will never be Israel and Israel will never be Judaism.

Something Stolzer and Shooster endorse.

“They will always be intertwined in this impossibly complex way, but they will never be the same thing," Nelson said.

"It's important that as American Jews, even if you support Israel, you make that distinction and make sure that your identity isn't being used to side with an oppressor and it's rather used to side with the oppressed.”

Netanyahu announced his rejection of a deal with Hamas... but he continued to negotiate with it.

In the wake of statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his government will not surrender to Hamas and will continue the war until victory is achieved and crushing it, and statements by Defense Minister Yoav Galant that his forces are approaching Yahya Sinwar (Hamas’ leader in Gaza), a number of The families of the Israeli hostages are crying out to citizens to take to the streets to force the government to accept a prisoner exchange deal. They accused Netanyahu of “issuing the death sentence” on their children.

In an editorial for the Haaretz newspaper on Thursday, editor Uri Misgav said that Netanyahu presented a plan to sacrifice the hostages, and he saw that Hamas had formulated a serious response to the mediators’ plan, “and a rational and responsible government must approve it.” He added: “But Netanyahu and his supporters will reject this in order to continue fighting, and their hands will be stained with the blood of the kidnapped forever.”

The article also stated that “Israel is required to pay high prices; Whether regarding the continuation of the fighting, or the issue of liberating (Palestinian) prisoners. But the prices demanded by Hamas express the high value that Israel has for the lives of its citizens and soldiers, and therefore Israel must focus on the return it receives. (Hamas) detains dozens of kidnapped Israelis of all ages; Civilians and soldiers, 4 months ago, there is no value in bringing them home.”

The newspaper considered Netanyahu’s statements “a planting of illusions,” and said: “The Israeli public is prohibited from deluding itself, or allowing the political leadership to blind its eyes: Every day that passes; Every moment that passes puts the lives of the kidnapped in danger. The Wall Street Journal has published an estimate that only about 85 of the 136 kidnapped persons held by Hamas are still alive. In the Israeli media, it was reported that there is a fear that the real number of deaths is much higher. Postponing the deal means a death sentence for at least some of the kidnapped people, if not all of them. This is prohibited. There are the government, its president, and the extremist wing, which is ready to sacrifice the kidnapped in order to continue the war without truces and without the release of security prisoners.

Netanyahu had caused drama with his statements, on the night of Wednesday - Thursday, when he held a solo press conference after his “lengthy and in-depth” meeting, as he said, with US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, when he announced a veiled rejection of Hamas’ conditions and said that he had given his instructions to the army to prepare to invade Rafah.

He said: “The Israeli army is advancing systematically to achieve all the combat goals that we have set. From the beginning, I was determined that comprehensive victory was our goal, and we would not settle for anything less than that.”

Netanyahu said: “We will replace the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), and I have instructed to start on this path, and I have informed Blinken of this.” He added: “In the same regard, we are facing a historical turning point, where the Middle East is heading towards light, or towards darkness. Absolute victory in Gaza is a necessary condition for achieving this.”

He continued: “We have instructed the Israeli army to operate in Rafah as well... the last stronghold of Hamas.” He added, addressing the families of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza: “Your loved ones are always before our eyes. My heart is torn, and we do not stop working for their release for a moment,” he said, adding that “continued military pressure is a necessary condition for their release.”

Netanyahu's statements appeared to be an expression of disagreements with the American administration, which suggests that it is concerned with stopping the war in order to stop the security deterioration it is leading to in the entire Middle East. The disagreement was confirmed by Blinken's statements that he drew the attention of Israeli leaders to the large number of Palestinian civilian deaths, and that he does not agree with to invade Rafah without coordination with Egypt, and that they must give priority to the issue of hostages.

As for the families of the hostages, who had relied a lot on Blinken to succeed in convincing Netanyahu to move towards a deal, they were frustrated and disappointed, and their concern for the fate of the hostages was renewed.

However, Israeli media indicated, on Thursday, that although Netanyahu described the Hamas movement’s proposal for a prisoner exchange deal that includes a ceasefire as “delusional,” “crazy,” and “does not allow for progress,” he did not “close the door” and he did not clearly say that Israel completely rejects the proposal and will stop negotiations on a prisoner exchange.

According to the Haaretz newspaper, Netanyahu “did not announce the cessation of talks or that Israel was giving up on them, nor did he explicitly announce that he would oppose the liberation of Palestinian killers, except for saying that Israel had not pledged to do so.”

The “Walla” website pointed out that “despite the hard line, Netanyahu’s statements would appear to be a prelude to the beginning of negotiations, not stopping them.”

Israeli political sources estimated that Netanyahu’s statements against the Hamas proposal would “legitimize” the continuation of negotiations in the coming days and weeks. One of the sources said, “It is clear that the document drawn up by (Hamas) is a document that Israel cannot accept, but it indicates that the movement is ready to conduct negotiations, and perhaps serious negotiations as well, later.”

Another source considered that Netanyahu’s statements against the Hamas proposal and the number of prisoners that the movement is demanding to be liberated, and in particular Netanyahu’s statements about the expected entry of the Israeli army into Rafah and two other refugee camps, would escalate the pressure on Hamas, “in the hope of softening its positions.”

According to Walla, the US administration intends to continue to exert pressure on Israel, Egypt and Qatar in order to move towards a prisoner exchange agreement, and that the administration realizes that this is the only way to reach a specific ceasefire in Gaza. Because the longer the war continues, Biden’s difficulties in his election campaign increase. In the White House, they also realize that without a ceasefire, there is no possibility of achieving Biden’s plan for “the next day” in the Gaza Strip after the war. Therefore, at this stage, they prefer not to enter into clashes and work to advance the negotiations, so that each party confronts its internal opposition without Washington’s interference or involvement.

As the Gaza war seethes through its fourth month policymakers and think-tankers in the West form a chorus demanding what shall we do about the Middle East?

The best short answer may be "mu" Japanese word that means "unask your question".

The word is used when the question is defective and whatever answer that is given could plunge the whole discussion into a deeper misunderstanding.

The question is defective for several reasons.

First it reduces a broader geopolitical, economic, cultural and human reality to an ill-defined geographic term, the Middle which has several other variants: the Near East, Levant, the Greater Middle East Area, the Crescent of Crisis etc.

Next, it turns the estimated 600 million people who live in more than 20 countries into mere objects in their own story; it is up to outsiders to decide what to do about them.

Worse still the assumption is that all the nations encompassed by the term live in the same historic sociopolitical timeframe. The one-size fits all approach sees no difference between Yemen, for example at one end of the spectrum, and Morocco at the other.

The "what-shall-we-do about them?" approach is a relic of the colonial era when the European empires could regard subject nations as mere pawns in a global game of chess. The approach continued to be in vogue in the early phases of postcolonial development right into the Cold War. It continued to appear useful because most of the nations concerned were governed by fairly narrow elites that owed a good part of their legitimacy and power to patronage by former colonial masters or newcomers

to the global power game such as the United States and the USSR.

The massive changes that the region has experienced in the past few decades have radically altered the situation in all nations concerned. Some have surged forward at a speed that even the most seasoned observers never imagined. Others have been forced into zigzags leading into decline and desolation.

In almost all countries of the region a new actor has entered the scene: the people power which, setbacks notwithstanding, manifested its potential, both constructive and destructive during the sudden storm dubbed as The Arab Spring. The genie may have been pushed back into the bottle, in some cases for good reasons, but thanks to the global information, revolution retains the potential to splash back into center stage.

In some nations a new and younger generation of governing elites has taken over with an ambitious reform program that could lead to transformations that, while welcome, could leave the bulk of the populations behind in terms of both hopes for and fear of change.

The Middle East today represents a far more complex reality and could no longer be reduced to oil, the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Shiite-Sunni rivalry, terrorism and the clash of half-baked nationalisms.

More importantly, perhaps, we must realize that a region that created the first empires as the best model for organizing human societies has at long last adopted the Westphalian model of nation-states as the best means of redefining itself.

Thus those who say "what should we do about the Middle East" should realize that they are not dealing with a monolith but a geopolitical and cultural entity that consists of more than 20 nation-states with different, at times contradictory ambitions and interests.

In other words, what may work in Oman won't necessarily work in Algeria and how do deal with Iran can't be the same as dealing with Islamic Republics in Pakistan or Mauritania.

Dealing with the Middle East today isn't as easy as it was even a decade ago let alone a century ago when sending a gunboat and greasing a few moustaches could do the trick. Today, soft power is more effective than hard power especially when those who have it in bucketfuls lack the courage to use more than a teaspoonful of it at any given time, while those who have a little of it are suicidal enough to use all of it.

To "deal" with the Middle East one needs to unlearn the old lessons, talk less and listen more, steer clear of fiats, make concessions and seek compromises first with more than 20 nations and finally in overarching multilateral accords.

No, it isn't as easy as it was in the good old days.

During the past hours, Israel committed 15 massacres, claiming the lives of 130 Palestinians, in its ongoing war on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.

Israel continued the war on the Gaza Strip for the 126th day in a row, and during the past hours Israel committed 15 massacres, claiming the lives of 130 citizens.

Eight Palestinians, including at least three children, were killed, and others were injured, at dawn on Friday, in raids launched by Israeli aircraft on Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian sources reported that five citizens from the Al-Sayyid family and three citizens from the Al-Nahhal family were killed as a result of Israeli bombing of homes and apartments in Rafah on the heads of their residents.

Medical sources announced that at least four citizens were killed and others were injured in an Israeli raid on a kindergarten housing displaced people in the town of Al-Zawaida, in the center of the Gaza Strip, and they were transferred to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah.

A citizen was killed and others were injured as a result of the continuing Israeli bombing of Deir al-Balah.

In field developments, Israeli army withdrew a division, 3 brigades, and a battalion from the battles in the Gaza Strip, and another battalion from Khan Yunis.

In an infinite toll, the number of killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Strip on October 7, 2023 has risen to 27,840 persons and more than 67,300 wounded, and thousands of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, as Israeli army prevents the arrival of ambulance and rescue crews. 

In parallel, Washington announced that it would not support any major Israeli military operation in Rafah, and for the first time, US President Joe Biden acknowledged that the Israeli response in Gaza had exceeded the ceiling.

Israeli forces intensified their bombing of the city of Rafah on the border with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip, to which more than half of the Strip's population was displaced.

This came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a proposal to end the war in the Strip, defying the world that expressed its concern as the war expanded south.

The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wensland, warned of the “catastrophic” consequences of any Israeli attack on Rafah, which is crowded with civilians. He pointed to intense discussions taking place between Israel and Egypt about what could be done along the Philadelphia axis. It is a demilitarized buffer zone on the Gaza border with Egypt, under the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement.

Wensland revealed, in a rare press conference inside the United Nations headquarters in New York, before heading to Washington to hold a series of meetings with officials in the administration of President Joe Biden, that this issue was the subject of discussion by US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, with both Cairo and Israel. He added that he does not see a way out of this conflict except for the two parties to sit down and talk about the issue.

An official close to Hamas confirmed to Agence France-Presse on Thursday that the movement still wants to discuss a ceasefire in the war in the Gaza Strip, after Israel rejected its initial proposals.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday his rejection of the movement’s ceasefire proposal, describing it as “strange,” pledging to continue military action until “complete victory.”

The Palestinian official said, “The first round of indirect negotiations between Hamas and the Israeli delegation will begin Thursday in Cairo.”

According to the source, the Hamas delegation will meet with Egyptian officials, and that a Qatari delegation will join later in an attempt to bring views closer between the two parties.

He expected that “the negotiations will be very complex and difficult, but Hamas is open to discussions and is keen to reach an end to the aggression, a permanent ceasefire, and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.”

The official close to the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) indicated that “the two parties will hold several rounds of indirect negotiations.”

On his fifth visit to Israel since the outbreak of war on October 7, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with Netanyahu and high-level Israeli officials to broker a truce agreement.

The war broke out after an unprecedented attack launched by the movement against Israel, which resulted in the killing of more than 1,160 people, most of them civilians, according to a tally prepared by Agence France-Presse based on official Israeli figures.

Also, about 250 hostages were taken into custody in the attack, and Israel says that 132 of them are still in Gaza, and at least 29 of them are believed to have been killed, according to figures issued by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.

Israel responded to the attack with a concentrated bombing campaign followed by a massive ground attack in the Gaza Strip, resulting in the death of 27,840 people, the majority of whom were women and children, according to the latest tally of the Hamas Ministry of Health.

The Palestinian official residing in the Gaza Strip said that the first phase of the proposed truce requires a “six-week ceasefire,” during which talks will be held on the exchange of civilian prisoners of women and children who are under 18 years old.

He pointed out that “Hamas’ response, which reached Egypt and Qatar and was reviewed by the United States and other parties, included an offer to release detained Israeli children, women, the elderly, and the sick, and in return, Israel would release a number of Palestinian prisoners, which will be discussed starting today (Thursday).”

According to the official, the first phase proposal also includes allowing the entry of “400-500 trucks of food, medicine, and fuel aid daily,” amid great concerns about a humanitarian crisis in the Strip.

Also, at this stage, the agreement on the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip and the return of the displaced will be discussed.

The New York Times quoted American officials as saying that intelligence officials had confirmed that Israel had weakened the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) but had not come close to eliminating it.

American officials added that the goal of weakening Hamas' fighting capacity may be more realistic than eliminating it.

US President Joe Biden described the Israeli response in the Gaza Strip as exceeding the limit, in unprecedented statements criticizing Israeli behavior. Biden added that he is working to reach a sustainable cessation of fighting. He revealed that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi did not initially want to open the Rafah crossing for aid to enter Gaza, but he spoke to him and convinced him to open it, according to what he said.

In a surprise speech at the White House on Wednesday evening, Biden said that he had put strong pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, where “there are many innocent people, women and children, who are starving and in dire need of it,” as he put it.

The American President spoke about the contacts he has been conducting since the beginning of the war with Qatari, Egyptian, and even Saudi officials, in order to bring humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, stressing that he is pushing hard to bring aid into the Strip.

He added during his speech that he was pressing hard to reach a truce agreement that included the release of detainees held by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

After Washington announced its full support for the Israeli war on Gaza and its rejection of a permanent ceasefire, the pressure on the US President’s administration increased and in recent weeks some differences in priorities began to appear between the White House and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and American statements witnessed a change in Washington’s language towards Netanyahu’s government. .

Rafah operation

Earlier Thursday, the White House said that it would not support any Israeli plans to carry out major military operations in Rafah, and that negotiations were continuing regarding the release of detainees and the completion of a truce agreement in Gaza.

Strategic Communications Coordinator for the US National Security Council, John Kirby, said that parts of Hamas' response "were very positive and others require more work," noting that work is being done around the clock, and that Washington is optimistic about reaching an agreement.

Kirby stressed, "Any major military operation in Rafah at this time, and under these circumstances, and with the presence of more than a million - and perhaps more than a million and a half - Palestinians seeking asylum and looking for shelter in Rafah without taking into account the duty of their safety, will be a disaster, and will not "We support it."

He said that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken made clear the United States' concerns about such operations.

On Thursday, the Israeli occupation forces bombed areas in the border city in the southern Gaza Strip, where more than half of the Strip’s population took refuge, but Kirby pointed out that Washington did not see convincing plans that the Israeli army was about to launch a military operation in Rafah.

The devastating Israeli war on Gaza has entered its fifth month, and most of its victims are children and women, according to the Palestinian authorities. It has also caused “massive destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe,” according to the United Nations.

In the latest statistics, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said yesterday, Thursday, that at least 27,840 Palestinians were killed and 67,317 were injured in the Israeli aggression on the Strip since October 7.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies

US State Department spokesman Samuel Warburg revealed Washington's position regarding the Israeli army's threat to invade the Palestinian Rafah region in the coming days, coinciding with the implementation of a series of raids and fire belts on the city located in the southern Gaza Strip.

Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said that the army plans to expand its military operations, and "will reach places where it has not fought, especially in the last center of gravity, Rafah."

Sources told Sky News Arabia that “the Qatari mediator conveyed to Hamas an Israeli threat, saying that if the deal was rejected, Rafah would be invaded.”

Warburg said, "The United States generally emphasizes the need for Israel to take all possible precautions to avoid harming civilians during its operations."

The US State Department spokesman stressed, "This certainly includes civilians and humanitarian infrastructure in Rafah, where more than a million people are currently present."

More than 1.3 million people currently live in the city of Rafah, which originally had a population of a quarter of a million, according to United Nations figures, after hundreds of thousands were displaced there as a result of the escalation of military operations in the northern and central areas of Gaza.

The newspaper "Israel Hayom" reported that Israel is considering evacuating the residents of Rafah to the northern Gaza Strip before a possible attack on the city, but the newspaper said, citing sources, that such a step will not take place before next March.

Egypt fears that an Israeli military operation in Rafah will lead to the influx of large numbers of Palestinian refugees into the Egyptian Sinai.

The Israeli newspaper explained that Egypt "recently sent strong messages to Israel stating that the passage of Palestinian refugees from Gaza to Sinai will jeopardize the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel."

On the other hand, the US State Department spokesman commented on Israeli reports regarding the study of moving the Rafah crossing to the Kerem Shalom area, and its impact on Israeli operations if the invasion is carried out.

Warburg said: "We were very clear that the Rafah crossing is an important corridor for the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and it is also an important corridor for foreign citizens, including Americans, to be able to leave Gaza safely."

He added: "We would of course like to see Israel take these matters into account and take them into account during any military operation."

This news raised Egyptian concern, as an Egyptian official denied what Israeli media reports mentioned about discussions between Egypt, the United States, and Israel to transfer the Rafah crossing to the triangle border in the Kerem Shalom area on the Egyptian-Israeli border.

Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh also expressed his fear that Israel would move the Rafah crossing, four months after the fierce war was declared.

The Rafah crossing is the only outlet for the Gaza Strip to the outside, and is currently used for the exit of residents of the Strip after exceptional permits approved by Israel, which also have Palestinian and Egyptian approval.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the situation is getting worse in Gaza, and that famine and disease are harming the Palestinians, in addition to death and destruction.

Guterres expressed concern about reports that the Israeli army intends to focus on Rafah in southern Gaza in the next phase of its attack on the Palestinian Strip.

"Such a measure would exacerbate what is already a humanitarian nightmare, and would have untold regional consequences," he told the 193-member UN General Assembly.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations said that the situation in Gaza is a festering wound in our collective conscience and threatens the entire region, and that half of Gaza’s population is now crammed into Rafah, with nowhere to go, no homes, and no hope.

He stressed that nothing justifies what he described as the horrific terrorist attacks launched by Hamas on Israel on October 7, just as there is no justification for collective punishment of the Palestinian people. However, Israeli military operations resulted in destruction and deaths in Gaza on a scale and speed unparalleled since To become Secretary General.

The UN official once again called for an immediate ceasefire on humanitarian grounds and the unconditional release of detainees in Gaza.

"It is time for an immediate ceasefire on humanitarian grounds and for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. This must quickly lead to irreversible measures towards a two-state solution based on UN resolutions, international law and previous agreements," he added.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Thursday that at least 27,840 Palestinians were killed and 67,317 were injured in the Israeli aggression on the Strip since October 7.

The ministry added in a statement that about 130 Palestinians were killed and 170 others were injured during the past 24 hours.

It stated in the statement that "the Israeli army committed 15 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, resulting in 130 killed and 170 injuries."

The Ministry also stated that "there are still a number of victims under the rubble and on the roads, and Israeli army is preventing ambulance and civil defense crews from reaching them."

In the same context, the government media office in Gaza announced that the number of journalist killed since the start of the war on Gaza had risen to 124.

Reporters Without Borders strongly condemned the Israeli army's elimination of journalism and freedom of access to information in the Gaza Strip.

The organization called on countries and international organizations to increase pressure on Israel to stop this massacre immediately.

The White House issued a statement on Thursday, stating that US President Joe Biden will receive the Jordanian King, King Abdullah II, and his wife, Queen Rania Al Abdullah, next Monday, February 12, 2024, at the White House.

The White House said in a statement, a copy of which was received by Al-Quds.com: “President (Joe Biden) and First Lady (Jill Biden) look forward to welcoming His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al-Hussein and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, Queen of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, to the White House.” On February 12, 2024.”

The statement added, “This year, the United States and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations, and the two leaders will discuss how the United States and Jordan can continue to deepen our strong bilateral relations. President Biden and King Abdullah II will also discuss the ongoing situation in Gaza and efforts to reach an end to "To this end, the two leaders will discuss US efforts to support the Palestinian people, including by enhancing humanitarian aid to Gaza and a vision for a lasting peace that includes a two-state solution while ensuring Israel's security."

The Jordanian Royal Court announced that King Abdullah II began a tour Thursday that includes the United States, Canada, France, and Germany.

Palestinian human rights organizations said on Thursday that Israeli licenses for exploratory natural gas exploration off the coast of Gaza are “illegal” as they violate international laws and plunder Palestinian natural resources.

This came in a joint statement issued by Al-Mezan Center, Al-Haq Foundation, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, and the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel (Adalah), on Thursday.

The statement called on "the companies that won the licenses to immediately refrain from participating in the plunder of the sovereign natural resources of the Palestinian people."

It explained, "On October 29, 2023, in the midst of the Israeli military attack on Gaza, the Israeli Ministry of Energy announced that it had granted licenses to six Israeli facilities and international companies for exploratory exploration for natural gas in areas considered under international law to be Palestinian marine areas."

It added: "Among the companies are the Italian Eni, the British Dana Petroleum (a subsidiary of the South Korean National Petroleum Company), and the Israeli Racio Petroleum."

The human rights organizations' statement pointed out that "Israel granted licenses for gas exploration in Area G, which is a marine area adjacent to the shores of Gaza."

It said, "62 percent of Area G lies within the maritime borders declared by the State of Palestine in 2019, in accordance with the provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which Palestine is a signatory."

The statement continued: “In addition to the licenses already granted in Area G, Israel has also issued tenders for Areas H and E, where 73 percent of Area H is located within the declared maritime borders of Palestine, along with 5 percent of Area E.”

It continued: "Despite not being a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Israel responded to the Palestinian declaration (regarding its maritime borders) by saying: Since Israel does not recognize Palestine as a sovereign state, it lacks the authority to declare its maritime borders and waters."

Accordingly, Palestinian human rights organizations confirmed that the Israeli position “directly contradicts the established principles of international law.”

It pointed out that, on Monday, Adalah sent a letter to the Israeli Minister of Energy and the Israeli government’s judicial advisor, requesting the cancellation of gas exploration licenses granted in Area “G,” according to the same statement.

It said that the letter also demanded “the cancellation of any ongoing tenders in the areas that fall within the maritime borders of Palestine, and the immediate cessation of any activity involving the exploitation of gas resources within the maritime borders of Palestine, as these areas do not belong to the State of Israel, and Israel does not possess any sovereign rights.” over them, including exclusive economic rights.”

The human rights organizations considered in their statement that "gas exploration and exploitation in Palestinian maritime areas blatantly violates the fundamental right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, which includes managing their natural resources."

The human rights organizations pointed out that an international law firm representing Al-Haq Foundation, Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights sent notices on Tuesday to foreign companies “demanding them to stop carrying out any activities in Area (G), which is located within the maritime areas of the State of Palestine, and to emphasize Such activities would constitute a flagrant violation of international law.”

It noted that "Israel's unilateral demarcation of its maritime borders to include Palestinian maritime areas and natural resources not only violates international law, but also perpetuates a long-term pattern of exploiting Palestinians' natural resources for its own financial and colonial gains."

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli side on the statement of human rights institutions.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak criticized the policies of his current counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, stressing that his failure to reach a prisoner exchange deal was a "disgrace" on Israel, and warning that the course of the war might herald "the country sinking into the Gaza quagmire."

This came in an article by Barak to be published by Haaretz newspaper tomorrow, Friday, in which he called for the necessity of holding early elections in Israel “before it is too late,” noting that the elections will be held in 2026.

Barak said: “The war is entering its 15th week, and on the battlefield we see inspiring and courageous work and sacrifices, but in Israel we see despair, and the feeling that despite the gains achieved by the Israeli army, Hamas has not been defeated and the return of hostages is declining.”

He pointed out that, "For about 3 months, Netanyahu has been preventing discussion of the day following (the end of the war) in the mini-cabinet, which is unreasonable."

Realistic goal

Barak warned against Netanyahu's policies, explaining: "The Israeli army cannot improve the odds of victory when there is no specific political goal, and in the absence of a realistic goal, we will end up drowning in the Gaza quagmire."

He also noted the dangers of "fighting simultaneously in Gaza, Lebanon, and the West Bank, which leads to the erosion of American support and jeopardizes the Abraham Accords and the peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan."

The former Israeli minister considered that "this type of behavior drags Israel's security into the abyss."

In this context, Barak revealed that “two months ago the United States presented to Israel a proposal that meets the common interests of the two countries,” indicating that this offer “is still on the table.”

He explained that the American proposal stipulates that “after eliminating the capabilities of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), an Arab force will be formed from members of the stability axis that will be established to manage the Strip for a limited period.”

He explained that according to the proposal, “during this transitional period, Gaza will return to the control of the Palestinian Authority, and will gain international recognition, taking into account the security arrangements acceptable to Israel,” pointing out that according to the American proposal, “Saudi Arabia and the UAE will support and strengthen the Palestinian Authority financially, and ensure the reconstruction of infrastructure.

Barak believed that “between Israel and the possible solution (in Gaza) stand Netanyahu himself and his blackmailers, Ministers (National Security) Itamar Ben Gvir and (Finance) Bezalel Smotrich,” he said, adding that they (the two ministers) “are preventing Israel from taking action for the sake of its security.” In coordination with the United States, they are dragging it into the abyss to serve their own interests.”

He said: "Netanyahu realizes that the reactivated Palestinian Authority (in Gaza) means the loss of Ben Gvir and Smotrich and the acceleration of the end of his government."

Families' anger

He added: "There must be early elections, and this will happen when the hostage families, the displaced communities, the reservists, and the large numbers of Israelis who remember October 7, 2023 well, are outraged."

Barak's article comes after Netanyahu announced Thursday that he informed Washington of his opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state "within any scenario for the post-war period in Gaza," contrary to the American desire and his insistence on continuing the war in Gaza in order to achieve a "decisive victory over Hamas."

Source: Anadolu

By Naddaf Tamir

Israeli citizens and their voting trends are the least of Netanyahu's concerns currently. The Prime Minister has in mind one audience consisting of only 6 people: Ben Gvir [leader of a Jewish force]; Smotrich [leader of religious Zionism]; Deri [Shas party leader]; Ghafni [HaTorah Judaism]; Goldknoff [Agodat Yisrael Party]; And Donald Trump. He needs to have politicians in the coalition who allow him to continue holding his position, and for the winner of the US presidential elections in November to be kind to him.

Netanyahu understood that his position in the opinion polls had not changed fundamentally, and he also realized that he had no reason, or personal political interest, in holding elections, at a time when his term witnessed the greatest catastrophe in the history of the State of Israel, and therefore, the only card that was still up his sleeve. It is Trump's return to the White House, followed by the political rapprochement between the two emerging dictatorial rulers.

It is true that Netanyahu was somewhat late in congratulating Joe Biden on his election victory, but Bibi and Donald did not remain close friends as they were. Netanyahu realizes that in addition to preserving the coalition, he must prove to Trump his “repentance” and “return to the bosom of his old friend,” and this is a very dangerous matter for us...

Netanyahu watches the polls in the United States and the damage to Biden's standing as a result of the war. He sees and wants the war to continue because that means less political talk in Israel, less internal accountability, as well as less support in the United States for Biden, whose sincere concern for Israeli citizens led him to stand by our side, and now, he feels that he was stung by the scorpion, Netanyahu. But the danger lies not only in the continuation of the fighting, but also in the delay in the arrival of US aid amounting to about 14 billion dollars, which the US administration no longer wants to continue defending in Congress, which is obstructing it for its own reasons.

Netanyahu is interested in ambiguity and procrastination, which, even if they alienate voters from him, bring Ben Gvir and Smotrich closer together, who do not want to leave Gaza, nor do they want a plan for Palestinian civilian control in the Strip. For them, what would happen if soldiers continued to be killed without a clear purpose for fighting, what if the kidnapped remained in captivity, and what if the Israeli economy, in need of oxygen, remained without the promised American billions? What is important is that the partners in Israel, and those we are courting in the United States, are satisfied. 

For us as Israeli citizens, the lesson is that elections in the United States are not only about the future of the American people, but also about our future. We must understand that we will soon witness the US administration moving away from the Netanyahu government. We must understand and accept that this is the only way through which Biden will try to win back voters who are wary of unequivocal American support for Israel, and now, in the face of Netanyahu’s coldness, he no longer has a reason to continue this support.

We must remember that if Biden does not reach the White House, it is reasonable that we will not have democracy because Netanyahu will feel strong, and will return to pushing forward the judicial coup, whether through enacting laws, or through steps on the ground, and he can get encouragement from a supporter of dictatorship if he reaches the White House. 

We will remain with the shock of October 7, and with a state that has nothing to do with the Zionist vision of the democratic national state for the Jewish people.

According to Arab media sources, the Israeli army began a ground attack on the western parts of the city of Rafah.

These sources said that the attack coincides with the ongoing operation on Khan Yunis, adding that it aims to control the Philadelphia axis and the Rafah crossing.

Israel claimed that there were more than 12 tunnels, which it described as strategic, in Rafah, used to transport weapons into the Gaza Strip from Egypt and Sinai, according to Channel 14 of Israeli television.

Winsland: Although the Israelis know the situation well, they are planning a war in Rafah, where 1.2 million people are gathering...

The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wensland, said that the possible Israeli attack on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip would constitute a “real disaster.”

Wensland said during a press conference on Wednesday that he is at the United Nations headquarters in New York to discuss how to chart a way out of the current crisis in Gaza with the permanent members of the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

He indicated that he knows very well what are the obstacles that prevent this from happening politically, stressing the need to overcome these obstacles.

The UN coordinator believed that the solution “will not be quick or easy, and it will require some very hard diplomatic work,” calling for action with the active parties on the ground.

Regarding Israel's readiness to launch an attack on the city of Rafah, he said: "Although the Israelis know the situation well, they are planning an active war in Rafah, where 1.2 million people are gathered."

He pointed out that the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings are the only active entry points for aid, warning that the Israeli attack on Rafah would constitute a "total catastrophe."

He said, "It is difficult to find words to say to the people in Gaza who have lost everything," and continued, "It is very difficult to preach hope when you are sitting in a safe place, to people sitting in the middle of hell."

Earlier Wednesday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of the consequences of any Israeli action on the city of Rafah.

While the American website "Axios" said that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Galant of Washington's "deep" concern about the expansion of military operations in Rafah.

Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war with American support on Gaza, which, as of Wednesday, left “27,708 killed and 67,147 injured, most of them children and women,” according to the Palestinian authorities, and caused “massive destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.” According to the United Nations.

A US drone strike in Iraq killed a high-ranking Kataib Hezbollah commander as Israeli bombing of Gaza enters fifth month.

Here’s how things stand on Thursday, February 8, 2024:

Humanitarian crisis in Gaza

• Reports from the United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA show that the Palestinian casualties in Gaza between Tuesday and Wednesday were 123, taking the total number of Palestinian casualties in Gaza to 27,708 as of Wednesday.
• The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that a paramedic was killed and two others were injured after Israeli forces opened fire directly at them in an area between Ahli Arab Hospital and al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City while on their way to evacuate the injured, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
• Israeli air attacks on two homes killed at least 12 Palestinians and injured many more in the Tal as-Sultan and Saudi neighbourhoods of Rafah in southern Gaza on Wednesday night, reported Wafa.
• Additionally, two Palestinians were killed and 10 were injured in an Israeli air raid on a home in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.
• More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is now sheltering in Rafah, where the original population was 250,000, according to a statement by UN humanitarian affairs chief Martin Griffiths on Wednesday.
• The Palestinian Digital Rights Coalition sent letters to Meta, X, Telegram, and TikTok regarding the proliferation of hate speech, dehumanisation, and incitement to violence and genocide against the Palestinian people on their platforms, Wafa reported.
• The coalition said the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice present a necessity to address the urgent need for online platforms to fulfil their legal and moral responsibility in upholding human rights.
• The Israeli forces posted an excerpt from Herzi Halevi’s situational assessment on Wednesday where he said bringing back Israeli captives was not possible without exerting military pressure.

Regional tensions and diplomacy

• A US drone strike blew up a car in the Iraqi capital on Wednesday night, killing a high-ranking commander of the Kataib Hezbollah, the United States military said on Wednesday, adding that the group is responsible for “directly planning and participating in attacks” on American troops in the region.
• The stabbing of a 23-year-old Palestinian American, Zacharia Doar, merits the label of a hate crime, Austin police announced on Wednesday. Bert James Baker, 36, was arrested following the Sunday evening attack.
• Police in suburban Chicago arrested 33 people on Wednesday after they blocked streets for more than six hours outside a company, which, the protesters said, has a role in the deaths of thousands of civilians in Gaza.
• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Israel that it does not have “a licence to dehumanise others”, as Washington delivered one of its harshest critiques to date of Israel amid its war on Gaza. Blinken later posted on X reiterating his support for an independent Palestinian state.
• US President Joe Biden is sending senior aides to Michigan on Thursday to meet Arab-American and Muslim leaders. The visit comes as Biden’s handling of Israel’s war on Gaza has frustrated members of the community in a key constituency for the 2024 presidential elections.

Occupied West Bank

• Local sources reported that armed Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian shepherds and prevented their access to pastures south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday evening, reported Wafa.
• Two Palestinian men were killed on Wednesday night by Israeli forces in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem city, in the northern occupied West Bank. Israeli forces shelled a home belonging to one of the men killed using Anerga missiles, causing fire on the top floor, as bulldozers proceeded to demolish other parts of the house.
• Wafa reported that a Palestinian man was wounded and another arrested during a large-scale incursion into the Wadi al-Fara area, south of Tubas governorate in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday.
• Israeli forces again stormed Jenin on Wednesday, arresting five citizens and damaging infrastructure.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

The Israeli "War Council" discusses the deal today

Israeli sources: Procrastination in concluding a deal soon exposes the hostages to risks

Despite statements by Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejecting the Hamas movement’s conditions for concluding a deal, and emphasizing that Israel cannot accept it, he did not completely close the door on a possible deal, according to what a number of Israeli officials and commentators believe.

Political affairs correspondent for the newspaper "Haaretz" Yonatan Liss said today, Thursday, that Netanyahu has not closed the door on a deal despite his statements regarding the deal proposal that was included in the Hamas movement's response, and his clarification to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and the public in general that the submitted proposal does not allow any progress in negotiations.

He stressed that Netanyahu did not announce the cessation of talks or that Israel was abandoning the proposal, nor did he clearly say that he would oppose the release of Palestinian prisoners who carried out operations that led to the killing of Israelis. He merely said that Israel did not commit to that.

The writer pointed out that since Israel received the paper submitted regarding the deal, the members of the government have not met to discuss it, and the “War Council” will only discuss it today, while political sources who spoke to the newspaper considered that Netanyahu’s statements against the deal may contribute to preparing the ground for negotiations in the coming days and weeks.

An Israeli official, who was not named by the newspaper, considered that Hamas had drawn up a paper that Israel could not accept, but which might contain indications that “the movement is ready to conduct negotiations and perhaps also serious negotiations later.”

According to another source, whom the newspaper did not name, the series of statements made by Netanyahu against Hamas’s proposal and the number of prisoners it demands to be released, especially his statements regarding the expected Israeli occupation army operations in Rafah and other refugee camps, “would increase the pressure on the movement in the hope of softening its position.” 

But the same source also indicated that “this is a dangerous adventure,” and that procrastinating in reaching a deal with Hamas in the coming month “will expose the hostages to serious risks, whenever the Israeli army surrounds the hiding places of the movement’s leaders. This may lead to the hostages being killed, injured or to deepen their suffering, until the parties reach understandings."

Adina Moshe, one of the detainees who was released, said in a press conference held by the families of the detainees yesterday, addressing Netanyahu: “I fear that if you continue with this path to eliminate Hamas, there will be no prisoners left for the sake of liberating them.”

“Hamas is not under the pressure we imagine.”

For his part, Michael Milstein, head of Palestinian Studies at the Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University, who spoke today to Hebrew Radio 103, believes that despite talk about Hamas receiving major blows, “in the end this organization provides a very negative response and does not They show any level of flexibility. I think they are not under pressure to the degree that we imagine. They (in Hamas) see a reduction in the Israeli army forces in Gaza and also the beginning of their return to the northern Gaza Strip, and perhaps the reality is not that bad. Today we are talking about the return of delegations from both sides to Cairo to negotiate.

He added: “Hamas indicates, in the wording that I passed a few days ago, that the main goal of the settlement is to end the war once and for all. In contrast to that, we heard the Prime Minister’s response yesterday that this is not something that can be accepted, and it seems that we can find a point in the middle... that remains an end.” The agreement is open.

More serious negotiations

Correspondent and political analyst Barak Ravid wrote on the Hebrew "Wala" website that Israeli officials were surprised by Hamas' response to the proposal and the conditions for releasing Israeli detainees, "which seemed like a list of exaggerated Ramadan gifts" by Hamas.

He added: “Although Netanyahu described it as ridiculous, he did not announce that he completely rejected it.” The writer also considered that American pressure to reach a truce would soon push the parties to indirect negotiations in Cairo regarding the details.

He pointed out that "quite a few senior Israeli officials believe that despite the current high tone, the parties will enter into more serious talks within several days than they are today."

"Netanyahu decided to sacrifice the kidnapped"

On the other hand, journalist Uri Misgav, in an article in Haaretz newspaper today, considered that Israel failed miserably in its attempt to liberate the detainees through a military operation, noting that a number of them were killed during attempts to reach them and release them.

Misgav considered that Netanyahu decided to sacrifice the detainees and that “the decision to sacrifice the kidnapped led to changing the declared goals of the war. Netanyahu stopped repeating the phrase defeating Hamas and returning the kidnapped, and moved on to talk about absolute victory. This goal was formulated vaguely and cannot be measured... with the aim of preventing the achievement of "To reach an agreement and prolong the continuation of the fighting to serve Netanyahu's own interests."

He also considered that the Israeli press leaks about the death of 32 detainees, and the presence of 20 others estimated to be dead, came “in order to reduce the urgency and feeling of necessity of the deal, as the number 84 (the number of living detainees) is much less than 136, and this reduces the price of the deal,” in the writer’s opinion. .

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war between Israel and Hamas, calling for his ouster.

In an interview with msnbc, Clinton said: “Netanyahu must go. He is not a trustworthy leader. The October 7 attack occurred during his watch. He needs to leave, and if he is an obstacle to a ceasefire, and if he is an obstacle to exploring what has to be done the next day, he definitely has to go."

After previously expressing her strong support for Israel's war efforts, she indicated in the interview that "we hope that there will be a ceasefire," considering that "if Hamas agrees to a ceasefire, there will be a ceasefire."

In response to a question about US President Joe Biden’s relationship with Netanyahu, she said: “I think Biden did everything he could do in order to respond to the legitimate concerns of the Israeli people after October 7, to ally with Israel in the face of a terrorist attack from a terrorist organization. But I think it is also clear “Biden is doing everything he can to influence Netanyahu.”

Source: "The Times of Israel"

At the conclusion of his visit to Tel Aviv, on Thursday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken renewed his country's "commitment" to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Blinken said in a post on the X platform, that during his seventh trip to Israel since October 7, 2023, he met with officials “in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to discuss the latest developments, my trips and meetings this week with regional leaders, and the urgency of the work that awaits us.”

He added: "Many lives have been lost, the hostages (Israelis in Gaza) are still being held far from their loved ones, and civilians (in Gaza) are still suffering as a result of this conflict," as he put it.

Blinken stressed, "We must continue to work on finding solutions while keeping these challenges in mind."

He claimed that "the United States is committed to achieving lasting peace and security in the region," and stated that this would be through "an Israel integrated (in reference to normalization with Arab countries) in the region and an independent Palestinian state living side by side in peace with Israel with security arrangements for both peoples." 

During his tour, Blinken visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, the Palestinian territories, and Israel, as part of discussing the prisoner exchange deal and the ceasefire in Gaza.

On Tuesday, Hamas announced that it had delivered its response to Egypt and Qatar regarding the “framework agreement” for the prisoner exchange and ceasefire proposal, and the Israeli mini-ministerial council is scheduled to discuss Hamas’ response.

Tel Aviv estimates that there are about 136 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, while it holds no less than 8,800 Palestinians in its prisons, according to official sources from both parties, but there is no confirmation of the final number by both parties.

Today, Thursday, the Israeli forces arrested 6 citizens and seized 5 vehicles from Jenin and Tubas.

According to local sources, the Israeli forces arrested five citizens at a military checkpoint they set up at the Ya`bad-Kafirat intersection, south of Jenin. 

These forces also seized two vehicles, two trucks, and a concrete pump.

In Tubas, the Israeli forces arrested a young woman, a resident of the city of Nablus, while she was passing through the Hamra military checkpoint in the northern Jordan Valley.

The Israeli forces committed 15 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, claiming 130 dead and 170 wounded, during the past 24 hours.

According to the Ministry of Health, the number of killed has risen to 27,840 and wounded to 67,317, since the start of the aggression on the Gaza Strip on the seventh of last October.

Thousands of victims remain under rubble and on the roads, as the Israeli army prevents ambulance and civil defense crews from reaching them.

Five citizens were killed, and others were injured, in the Israeli artillery shelling, which targeted the maintenance room in the Shifa Medical Complex.

The Al-Rimal neighborhood also witnessed violent bombardment by land, air, and sea, which led to the death of a number of citizens, and the injury of dozens. Ambulance crews were unable to reach them and take them to the hospital, due to the continued shelling and shooting.

Since this morning, dozens of citizens have been killed, and others sustained various injuries, in the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, which enters its 125th day.

The Israeli warplanes bombed homes in various neighborhoods of Gaza City, specifically in the neighborhoods of Al-Rimal, Al-Sabra, and Al-Zaytoun, resulting in dozens of Palestinians being killed, and others sustaining various injuries.

The Israeli artillery also fired shells at the Al-Rimal and Al-Sabra neighborhoods in Gaza City.