Palestinian-American Representative Rashida Tlaib (Democrat from Michigan) accused President Joe Biden of supporting “genocide” of Palestinians, warning of the repercussions of this in next year’s elections.

Tlaib renewed her calls for Biden to support a ceasefire in the conflict that has been ongoing for nearly a month between Israel and Hamas.

This came in a video recording she posted on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) late on Friday evening.

Tlaib said in the recording, which showed pictures of the dead and wounded from the bombing in Gaza, pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the United States, Biden’s declaration of support for Israel, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s thanks to the US president, that “Joe Biden supported the genocide of the Palestinian people.”

The Israeli occupation forces launched an air, artillery and ground attack on the besieged Gaza Strip, killing more than 9,400 people and wounding 23,000 citizens so far.

The besieged Gaza Strip is witnessing a scarcity of foodstuffs, and its residents resort to drinking salt water, while medical services there collapse.

Washington maintains strong military and political support for Israel while calling on Israel to take steps to avoid civilian deaths and address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, to no avail.

Tlaib said, "The American people will not forget. Biden, support the ceasefire now or do not depend on us in 2024... Mr. President, the American people are not with you on this matter. We will remember that in 2024."

Several cities and international capitals witnessed demonstrations this Saturday evening, denouncing the continued aggression of the Israeli occupation and its continuing crimes against our people.

Thousands of Britons gather in London in solidarity with our people

In Britain, the capital, London, witnessed a massive demonstration in solidarity with our people and denouncing the ongoing Israeli aggression against our people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Thousands of British supporters of Palestine gathered in central London, raising Palestinian flags and chanting the slogan “Freedom for Palestine,” until the demonstration ended outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster.

Demonstrator Camille Revuelta said: “The superpowers are not doing enough at the moment. That is why we are here: we are calling for a ceasefire and demanding that the Palestinians be given their rights to exist and live, human rights and all the rights that we enjoy.”

Tens of thousands demonstrate in Paris

In France, tens of thousands demonstrated in the capital, Paris, to denounce the ongoing Israeli aggression against our people.

Thousands of people set off during the demonstrations, called for by left-wing organizations, associations and parties, from the Place de la République in central Paris. They denounced the continued aggression and massacres against civilians. They also expressed their anger at the difficult humanitarian situation experienced by citizens in the Gaza Strip, and denounced the French political position biased towards the occupying state.

The cities of Toulouse and Strasbourg also witnessed mass demonstrations denouncing the ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip.

Thousands demonstrated in Berlin in solidarity with our people

In Germany, thousands demonstrated in Berlin in solidarity with our people in the Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to continuous Israeli bombing since the seventh of last October.

According to Agence France-Presse, many families participated with their children in the demonstration, raising banners reading “Save Gaza,” “Stop the genocide,” and “Ceasefire.”

Many demonstrators wore the Palestinian keffiyeh, and the demonstrators gathered in Alexanderplatz Square in central Berlin, shaded by Palestinian flags, and chanting, “Liberate Palestine.”

Thousands demonstrated in Milan in support of Palestine

In Italy, thousands demonstrated in the city of Milan in support of Palestine and in rejection of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.

Participants in the march chanted slogans in support of Palestine, demanding an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, calling for an end to the killing of civilians, and an end to the massacres committed against them.

Participants in the march, which was organized by several youth organizations, raised banners demanding an end to Israeli military operations against the Gaza Strip, and denouncing genocide and the bombing of children and civilians.

Thousands demonstrate in Denmark in solidarity with our people

Today, Saturday, thousands participated in a demonstration organized in Denmark, in solidarity with our people, and denouncing the continuing Israeli aggression against our people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The demonstrators gathered in the city hall square in the center of the capital, Copenhagen, and waved Palestinian flags and banners reading “Stop the siege on Gaza,” “Stop Israel now,” and slogans supporting the struggle of the Palestinian people and affirming their national rights to build their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, and the right of return of refugees as approved by international resolutions. .

The participants called on the world to stop the genocide carried out by the occupying state in the Gaza Strip.

The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Saturday that the continued aggression on the Gaza Strip complicates its efforts to mediate the release of prisoners held by Hamas.

She added in a statement, "Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated during a meeting in the Jordanian capital, Amman, with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that the continuation of the bombing doubles the humanitarian catastrophe in the Strip and complicates securing the release of prisoners."

He also stressed "the necessity of concerted regional and international diplomatic efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire, and to permanently open the Rafah crossing to ensure the flow of relief convoys and humanitarian aid to Gaza."

The Ministry reiterated that the expansion of Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip "is considered a dangerous escalation in the course of confrontations, and portends dire consequences for the security and stability of the region."

Warning against expanding the circle of war

It also warned that "the international community's complicity, sometimes through silence and other times through selectivity, regarding war crimes and crimes against humanity, increases the state of tension and expands the cycle of violence," according to what was reported by the Qatari QNA agency.

The Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, called for an end to the war in Gaza, “which has exceeded all limits,” and for blood to be spared, and for civilians to be spared the consequences of the war.

In his speech at the opening of the 52nd session of the Qatari Shura Council, the Emir of the State of Qatar said, “It is not permissible for Israel to be given an unconditional green light and an unrestricted license to kill, and it is not permissible to continue to ignore the reality of occupation, siege and settlement, and it is not supposed to be allowed in our time to use water cuts and prevent medicine and food.” Weapons against an entire people.

The Emir of Qatar called for a serious regional and international stand in the face of this dangerous escalation that threatens the security of the region and the world, stressing that “it is not permissible to remain silent about the unprecedented barbaric bombing that civilians are being subjected to in the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, nor to ignore the enormous numbers of civilians.” "His innocent victims are children and women."

He said, "What is happening is very dangerous, including trampling on all religious and worldly values, customs and laws, not just international law, and Israel's public declaration of illegal intentions such as displacement and others."

Republican US House of Representatives member Ryan Zinke has prepared a bill that would prevent Palestinians from obtaining visas to the United States, and could pave the way for the deportation of Palestinians from the country.

Citing security reasons, Zinke submitted the bill to the House of Representatives, which would prevent Palestinian passport holders from entering the United States, and could lead to the deportation of Palestinians on entry visas.

Zinke - who served as Secretary of the Department of the Interior under former US President Donald Trump - claimed that he prepared the draft law - which he called the “Protection from Extremism Act” - to preserve the safety of American citizens.

Zinke said of the bill, which was signed by 10 Republican members of Congress, “Given the conditions and threats to our immigration system, and the past of terrorists abusing asylum and visa procedures around the world, the requirements in this bill are necessary to preserve "Safety of Americans."

If the law is enacted, the US Department of Homeland Security will prevent granting asylum to those who hold Palestinian passports.

The Arab Parliament submitted an official letter to the United Nations Human Rights Council to form an international investigation committee, to investigate “the war crime committed by Israel against defenseless civilians, including children, women and the elderly, with the backing and backing of major countries, and to hold them accountable for the genocidal war that is being practiced against them day and night.”

The Arab Parliament said that the number of victims since “the start of this bloody war has reached ten thousand, and more than thirty-two thousand wounded, in a full-fledged war crime and a crime against humanity that is criminalized and forbidden by international and humanitarian law and all human rights treaties, and a flagrant violation of the Geneva Conventions related to the treatment of civilians in times of war.” ".

The Arab Parliament added that what is happening in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially the Gaza Strip, is a genocidal war against civilians, including children, women and the elderly, “in blatant defiance of all international and humanitarian conventions, customs and laws.”

The Arab Parliament called on the international community and the Security Council to break their silence and assume their responsibilities, by applying the rules of international law and international legitimacy resolutions, holding Israel accountable, providing international protection to the defenseless Palestinian people, and putting pressure to stop the bloodshed.

The Arab Parliament renewed its support for the just struggle of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights, including their right to return and establish their independent state with the city of Jerusalem as its capital.

IDF forces refused to engage militants at Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7 and left kibbutz security personnel to fight the militants alone, members of the kibbutz's civilian security team recounted.

“What I remember most, and what was most shocking to me from this ordeal, was arriving at the entrance to the kibbutz and seeing 500 soldiers positioned in an organized and orderly manner standing and looking at us,” Yair Avital, a survivor of the kibbutz’s security team, told Channel 12 in a report broadcast on Wednesday. .

Be'eri was one of the communities most affected by the attack. More than 10% of the kibbutz's 1,200 residents were killed when about 3,000 Hamas gunmen stormed the Gaza border into Israel, killing 1,400 people in southern towns, army bases and at a music festival, wounding more than 5,400 others and detaining at least About 240 hostages and transporting them to Gaza.

Speaking to Channel 12 from the charred ruins of the kibbutz, Avital and other surviving members of the security team recounted their ordeal and the way they say the Israeli army abandoned them.

By 7:30 a.m., less than an hour after gunmen entered the kibbutz through its main entrance and through gaps in the fence, two members of the security team were killed and three others wounded, Avital recalled.

At that moment, five police officers arrived at the scene for the first time with only their pistols. Realizing they were ill-equipped, they withdrew to get more weapons. But as the scenes from Beeri were repeated across the Gaza border towns, they were transferred to other locations and did not return.

“You see it with your own eyes, you see the terrorists flocking into the kibbutz,” said Elam Maor, a survivor. Truck after truck drives here, probably under the influence of drugs. “They were an army with endless ammunition.”

(Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

IDF forces refused to engage militants at Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7 and left kibbutz security personnel to fight the militants alone, members of the kibbutz's civilian security team recounted.

“What I remember most, and what was most shocking to me from this ordeal, was arriving at the entrance to the kibbutz and seeing 500 soldiers positioned in an organized and orderly manner standing and looking at us,” Yair Avital, a survivor of the kibbutz’s security team, told Channel 12 in a report broadcast on Wednesday. .

Be'eri was one of the communities most affected by the attack. More than 10% of the kibbutz's 1,200 residents were killed when about 3,000 Hamas gunmen stormed the Gaza border into Israel, killing 1,400 people in southern towns, army bases and at a music festival, wounding more than 5,400 others and detaining at least About 240 hostages and transporting them to Gaza.

Get The Times of Israel daily newsletter in your inbox and never miss exclusive articles. Register for free!

Speaking to Channel 12 from the charred ruins of the kibbutz, Avital and other surviving members of the security team recounted their ordeal and the way they say the Israeli army abandoned them.

By 7:30 a.m., less than an hour after gunmen entered the kibbutz through its main entrance and through gaps in the fence, two members of the security team were killed and three others wounded, Avital recalled.

At that moment, five police officers arrived at the scene for the first time with only their pistols. Realizing they were ill-equipped, they withdrew to get more weapons. But as the scenes from Beeri were repeated across the Gaza border towns, they were transferred to other locations and did not return.

“You see it with your own eyes, you see the terrorists flocking into the kibbutz,” said Elam Maor, a survivor. Truck after truck drives here, probably under the influence of drugs. “They were an army with endless ammunition.”

Israeli soldiers walk past homes destroyed by Hamas militants in Kibbutz Be'eri, October 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

At 9 a.m., the first team of IDF soldiers arrived at the kibbutz, more than two hours after the first gunmen stormed the entry gate. But the soldiers, a team of 14 members from the elite Shaldag unit, quickly retreated to the entrance to the kibbutz.

On Wednesday, as he toured the dental clinic where medics treated the wounded and a security team fought until they ran out of bullets on October 7, Avital recounted to Channel 12 what he saw there that morning.

“At this point, Shahar and Eitan [from the security team] were fighting and we felt like we were winning,” he recounted. “Everyone who passed by (the gunmen), the men here killed him.”

But outside the clinic, fighting raged, and the exhausted security team continued to appeal to the IDF to send fighter jets and reinforcements.

Only at one o'clock in the afternoon, the squad of soldiers from the Shaldag unit returned, this time accompanied by a team from the elite Sayeret Matkal unit.

“They were able to make an impact for the first time; They were finally able to turn the tide a little in the areas where they were stationed,” said Yuval Weiss, a member of the security team.

By 2 p.m., the feeling inside the clinic had changed. As fighting raged outside, the clinic was surrounded by a squad of Hamas gunmen, while the pilot of a combat helicopter told the security team that he did not have permission to fire inside the kibbutz.

“At least eight grenades exploded here and we have already run out of ammunition,” Avital said as he walked through the destroyed and blood-stained clinic.

He continued, saying: “Shahar shouted at the terrorists in English, ‘I am not your enemy, please, I am not your enemy.’ Another hand grenade was thrown, and Shahar was no longer with us.”

Trapped in the clinic, surrounded by corpses and his own blood, Avital played death, holding his breath while the gunmen examined each body and executed anyone they thought might be alive.

At 6:30 p.m., IDF forces finally arrived at the clinic, where Avital and kibbutz nurse Nirit were the only survivors.

When he was evacuated from the kibbutz on a stretcher, Avital realized he could no longer put his trust in the army, he told Channel 12.

He said: “There were five hundred soldiers outside, organized, with dogs, equipment, weapons and armored vehicles; They stood outside and none of them moved a muscle.”

“I remember screaming at them from the stretcher: ‘They are slaughtering us!’ Come in! “Save us.’ None of them looked at me, and none of them said anything.”

“They kept repeating: ‘The field is not sterile, the square is not sterile,’” he continued, explaining that the insistence that the area needed to be “sterile” before the soldiers could enter it was a sign that none of them understood what was happening inside the kibbutz.

“No one understood that the well-known and familiar doctrine of the IDF no longer existed. People were bleeding every minute, and the army was not there and did not understand what was happening, and this broke my heart.”

It took the Israeli army two days to complete the evacuation of Kibbutz Be'eri and ensure that no militants remained there. Before the October 7 attack, the kibbutz was the largest population center among the 25 communities that make up the Eshkol Regional Council.

The militants recorded multiple scenes in Be'eri that day, including scenes of civilians pleading not to be killed.

The kibbutz, whose establishment preceded the establishment of the State of Israel by two years, emerged as a symbol of the attack due to its size and the volume and level of documentation of the killings committed there.

It has been almost a month since October 7, and Avital still cannot sleep, he told Channel 12 as he sat with other survivors from the Civil Security team.

“Once you close your eyes, many things appear,” he said. There is no bush or rock that I cannot imagine. What if we had gone in this direction or perhaps that direction? Perhaps we could have changed things and saved another family.”

Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh called on the European Union to call for a ceasefire and the occupation’s aggression against the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and to allow the entry of relief, medical and fuel aid and to restore electricity and water to the Strip.

This came during his meeting today, Saturday, in Ramallah, with the European Special Envoy for the Middle East Peace Process, Sven Koopmans.

Shtayyeh reiterated his rejection of the ongoing Israeli attempts to separate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank, the latest of which is deducting the funds allocated to the Gaza Strip from the clearance funds.

He stressed that providing humanitarian and relief support to our people is important, but what is more important is that there be a comprehensive and just political solution to the Palestinian issue, by ending the occupation and embodying the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital.

Shtayyeh said: “Israel, in addition to its aggression against the Gaza Strip, is carrying out its aggression against the West Bank and making it a killing field, where more than 340 martyrs have risen since the beginning of the year, including more than 140 martyrs since the beginning of the recent events at the hands of the occupation army and its settlers.”

Democratic members of the US Senate called in a statement, on Friday, for “a short-term cessation of hostilities that pose a significant risk to civilians, relief workers, or the delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza.”

The 13 senators stated in a statement issued by the office of Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey that, “As senators, we are closely monitoring the war in Gaza and believe that more must be done to protect civilian lives,” according to what was reported by CNN. ".

The senators stressed that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas, but stressed that it must "minimize harm to civilians and allow humanitarian aid to reach those suffering."

According to the statement, the members hope to achieve “three goals through a short-term cessation of hostilities,” namely: “successfully delivering the necessary humanitarian aid to civilians under strict and necessary supervision, additional focus on the release of all kidnapped hostages, and providing an opportunity for a broader discussion among the leadership.” Israeli and Palestinian governments, together with regional and global partners, on long-term strategies to reduce the decades-long conflict in the region.

The statement coincides with the arrival of US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, in Israel, on Friday, to pressure the Israeli government regarding its ongoing attack on Gaza.

US President Joe Biden and his senior advisors warned Israel that it will become increasingly difficult for it to pursue its military goals in Gaza as global anger intensifies over the extent of human suffering there, according to what CNN reported Thursday.

The network reported, on Thursday, that “there is an American warning to Israeli officials that time is running out before support erodes,” in the continuation of the intense bombing of Gaza, which has claimed the lives of more than 9,000 people, most of them civilians.

The report stated, “US President Joe Biden and his senior advisors are increasingly warning Israel that “it will become difficult for it to achieve its military goals in Gaza, as global anger intensifies over the scale of human suffering in the Strip.”

Alhurra

The Israeli police forcefully dispersed a group of ultra-Orthodox Jews in the Mea Shearim neighborhood in East Jerusalem during a solidarity protest with Gaza, and the police lowered Palestinian flags and banners showing solidarity with Gaza on Wednesday, the first of this November.

Mea Shearim is a neighborhood inhabited by Haredi Jews who oppose Zionism and some of whom do not recognize the Israeli state according to their religious belief.

Today, Saturday, settlers attacked olive pickers in the Qawawis area, in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron.

According to local sources, settlers attacked olive pickers in the Qawawis area in Musafer Yatta, and stole the olives. Among them were identified as: Radwan Ismail Awad, his brother Alyan, and Muhammad Tawfiq Awad, and all of them suffered bruises.

Israel announces that it will allow the Palestinians to use a highway to the southern Gaza Strip

The Israeli army said it would allow Palestinians to use a major highway in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, as part of attempts to urge civilians to move south, away from areas where it is focusing its war on the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

"If you care about yourself and your loved ones, go south."

Hundreds of officials from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) signed a letter calling on the administration of US President Joe Biden to push for an “immediate ceasefire and cessation of hostilities” in the war between Israel and Hamas, according to Foreign Policy magazine.

The magazine reported that the letter, a copy of which was obtained, reflects the growing concern within the American government regarding how the American administration supports Israel in its war against Hamas.

The petition represents a growing disagreement between the Biden administration and ordinary American officials who are internally opposed to the White House’s approach to the war, according to the magazine.

The scale of the Israeli response to the Hamas attack led to widespread international condemnation and pressure on the United States to push Israel, its closest regional ally, to ease its military operations.

A White House official said in an interview with reporters on Friday, "Our conversations with Israel contributed to convincing it to follow a strategy in Gaza that is different from its original plans."

Israeli officials insist they follow international law, including issuing advance notices to civilians in Gaza before carrying out strikes, and assert that Hamas regularly uses civilians as human shields in its operations.

The internal letter, which is being distributed for signature among USAID employees, calls for an “immediate ceasefire” and “cessation of hostilities,” according to the magazine.

As of Friday morning, the magazine says, citing its sources, that 370 USAID officials had signed the letter, while the number of signatories did not exceed about 200, as of Thursday evening.

The petition states that the signatories are not being identified due to “concern for our personal safety and the risk of losing our jobs due to our appeal for an immediate ceasefire and cessation of hostilities.”

The magazine reported that three sources from the agency confirmed the existence of the letter and that the signatures were collected via an anonymous Google form circulated among USAID employees. Foreign Policy indicated that it was unable to independently confirm the number of signatures.

In response to a request for comment on the letter to the magazine, agency spokeswoman Jessica Jennings said, “The United States has been clear that every possible measure must be taken to protect Palestinian civilians, and that we support the humanitarian truce in the fight to bring in life-saving humanitarian aid and distribute it to those in need in Gaza".

“We value the ongoing dialogue we have with our dedicated employees and partners, and we continue to welcome our team to share their opinions with leadership,” she added.

Dave Harden, former director of USAID's mission in the West Bank and Gaza, questioned the impact of the letter, saying: "This agency-wide letter, which was likely written in Washington and not in the Middle East, is simply unconvincing and ill-advised."

“USAID, starting at the top level, needs to be more effective within the agencies and operationally on the ground to provide practical steps to increase the flow of... "Aid." “Right now, impact is needed (on the ground), not more words in Washington, D.C.,” he said.

On Friday, 13 US Senate Democrats called in a statement for “a short-term cessation of hostilities that pose a significant risk to civilians, relief workers, or the delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza.”

The senators stressed that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas, but stressed that it must "minimize harm to civilians and allow humanitarian aid to reach those suffering."

Israel used "the second largest bomb in its military arsenal" during the bombing of the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, the New York Times reported.

According to the newspaper, the Israeli strike came with “at least two bombs weighing more than 900 kilograms, which can be used to target underground infrastructure.”

But the use of this type of bomb in a densely populated area such as Jabalia prompted the newspaper to ask the question whether “Israel’s intended targets justify the number of civilian deaths and the destruction caused by its strikes.”

Health officials in the Gaza Strip said, "Dozens of civilians were killed and hundreds injured as a result of this Israeli raid on Tuesday."

On the other hand, Israel said that it was "targeting a senior Hamas leader, as well as the network of underground tunnels that the armed group uses to hide weapons and fighters."

The Israeli army refused to comment to the New York Times on the number and type of weapons it used in the Jabalia attack.

The two craters caused by the explosion are “about 40 feet” wide, dimensions that are “compatible with the explosions that this type of weapon might produce in light sandy soil,” according to a technical study conducted by the munitions research company “Armament” in 2016.

“The bombs may have had a delay fuze, which delays detonation until milliseconds after penetrating a roof or building, so that the destructive force of the explosion reaches a greater depth,” said Mark Garlasco, one of the authors of that study.

In a related context, “The US administration asked Israel for an explanation for the air strike that targeted the Jabalia camp,” according to Politico newspaper.

According to an American official who requested anonymity, the administration of US President Joe Biden “urged Israel to carry out precise strikes, to avoid harming civilians.”

The official said: “The United States requested clarification regarding (the attack) on Jabalia,” adding that the conversation was in the context of “demanding Israel to make more efforts to avoid civilian casualties.”

A senior White House official spoke to reporters on Friday, requesting anonymity, saying, “The Israelis informed us that the collapse of residential buildings in the Jabalia camp occurred as a result of the bombing of a network of trenches housing part of a Hamas battalion.”

For his part, a senior US Department of Defense official said, “In private conversations, Pentagon officials asked the Israeli army to think about their operations and take the lives of innocent civilians into account.”

On the other hand, an Israeli official, whose identity was not revealed by Politico, said, “Pentagon officials specifically asked the Israeli army about the bombing of the Jabalia refugee camp, north of Gaza,” adding that Israel “is making a lot of effort to ensure that civilians are kept out of harm’s way.”

On Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder told reporters: “When we provide military assistance to our partners, including Israel... we make clear that this support must be used in accordance with international law, to include the law of war and obligations related to the protection of civilians.”

The war broke out on October 7 after the Hamas movement, which is listed as a terrorist organization, launched an unprecedented attack in the history of Israel, killing more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians, including women and children, according to the Israeli authorities.

Israel responds with continuous air strikes and a ground incursion by its forces into the Palestinian Strip, which is inhabited by 2.3 million people, causing the death of more than 9,000 people, most of them civilians, including women and children, according to the latest statistics from the health authorities in Gaza.

According to the newspaper, the Israeli strike came with “at least two bombs weighing more than 900 kilograms, which can be used to target underground infrastructure.”

But the use of this type of bomb in a densely populated area such as Jabalia prompted the newspaper to ask the question whether “Israel’s intended targets justify the number of civilian deaths and the destruction caused by its strikes.”

Health officials in the Gaza Strip said, "Dozens of civilians were killed and hundreds injured as a result of this Israeli raid on Tuesday."

On the other hand, Israel said that it was "targeting a senior Hamas leader, as well as the network of underground tunnels that the armed group uses to hide weapons and fighters."

The Israeli army refused to comment to the New York Times on the number and type of weapons it used in the Jabalia attack.

The two craters caused by the explosion are “about 40 feet” wide, dimensions that are “compatible with the explosions that this type of weapon might produce in light sandy soil,” according to a technical study conducted by the munitions research company “Armament” in 2016.

“The bombs may have had a delay fuze, which delays detonation until milliseconds after penetrating a roof or building, so that the destructive force of the explosion reaches a greater depth,” said Mark Garlasco, one of the authors of that study.

In a related context, “The US administration asked Israel for an explanation for the air strike that targeted the Jabalia camp,” according to Politico newspaper.

According to an American official who requested anonymity, the administration of US President Joe Biden “urged Israel to carry out precise strikes, to avoid harming civilians.”

The official said: “The United States requested clarification regarding (the attack) on Jabalia,” adding that the conversation was in the context of “demanding Israel to make more efforts to avoid civilian casualties.”

For his part, a senior US Department of Defense official said, “In private conversations, Pentagon officials asked the Israeli army to think about their operations and take the lives of innocent civilians into account.”

On the other hand, an Israeli official, whose identity was not revealed by Politico, said, “Pentagon officials specifically asked the Israeli army about the bombing of the Jabalia refugee camp, north of Gaza,” adding that Israel “is making a lot of effort to ensure that civilians are kept out of harm’s way.”

On Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder told reporters: “When we provide military assistance to our partners, including Israel... we make clear that this support must be used in accordance with international law, to include the law of war and obligations related to the protection of civilians.”

The war broke out on October 7 after the Hamas movement, which is listed as a terrorist organization, launched an unprecedented attack in the history of Israel, killing more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians, including women and children, according to the Israeli authorities.

Israel responds with continuous air strikes and a ground incursion by its forces into the Palestinian Strip, which is inhabited by 2.3 million people, causing the death of more than 9,000 people, most of them civilians, including women and children, according to the latest statistics from the health authorities in Gaza.

The "Politico" report came at a time when US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, stressed in a press conference the need for Israel to give "the greatest consideration to protecting civilians, including journalists."

Blinken, who is on his second tour in the Middle East since the outbreak of war, urged Israel to "protect civilians caught in the crossfire and deliver aid to those who urgently need it."

He continued: "When I see a Palestinian boy or girl being pulled out of the rubble of a collapsed building, it pains me as much as seeing a child in Israel or anywhere else in this situation."

Former US envoy for peace in the Middle East, Dennis Ross, said on Saturday that the war between Israel and Hamas “will not end unless the Palestinian movement’s rule of the Gaza Strip ends,” expressing his desire to see “Gaza and the West Bank under one authority.”

In an interview with Al-Hurra TV, Ross said, “A ceasefire necessarily means ending the conflict, which leaves Hamas in a position where it can build its power again,” adding: “A temporary humanitarian truce must be established to bring in aid without there being a complete ceasefire.” ".

He added: "There is understandable humanitarian concern in the world about what is happening in the war between Israel and Hamas... but Israel cannot live under this threat after what happened on October 7, and Hamas' infrastructure must be eliminated to prevent its continued control over the Gaza Strip."

Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist organization in the United States and a number of countries, has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007.

Ross said, "Ending control over Hamas is a realistic goal for the war, which could lead to a transitional phase for the Strip, before a new administration is in place."

However, Ross believed that Hamas “has a strong point in the issue of the kidnapped,” noting that Israel “needs a delicate balance between inflicting a military defeat on Hamas and recovering the kidnapped.”

He continued to Al-Hurra: “There must be a transitional phase in Gaza led by efforts from the Palestinian Authority, and there must be a political path for the Palestinians to build a two-state solution,” after the end of the war.

He explained, "There will be no future for the Palestinians with the presence of Hamas, which is working to develop tunnels and continues to fight for its own goals."

Israel had declared war with the aim of "eliminating Hamas", in response to attacks carried out by the Palestinian movement on towns surrounding the Gaza Strip.

On October 7, Hamas launched an attack on Israel by launching thousands of rockets and infiltrating towns and areas surrounding the Gaza Strip, killing more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians, including women and children.

Israel responded to the attack with intense bombing of Gaza and a ground incursion, which caused the death of more than 9,227 Palestinians, the majority of whom were civilians, including women and children, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Ross said that the future management of the Strip “must be under one authority with the West Bank,” adding: “This is something that will not happen quickly, because the Palestinian Authority needs reforms.”

He continued by saying that the Palestinian Authority "must have a better and transparent administration, capable of reducing corruption, and this is essential in order to bring the West Bank and Gaza together."

Turkey announced, on Saturday, that it had summoned its ambassador to Israel for consultations against the backdrop of Israel's refusal to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it was summoning Ambassador Şakir Ozkan Turunlar "in light of the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Gaza due to the ongoing Israeli attacks against civilians and Israel's refusal to ceasefire."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced earlier, on Saturday, that he would cut off contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in light of what Israeli forces have committed in the Gaza Strip since October 7.

Turkish media quoted Erdogan as saying, "Netanyahu is no longer someone we can talk to."

The ambassador's summoning, and Erdogan's comments, came a week after Israel announced a "re-evaluation" of relations with Ankara after statements made by the Turkish President that included sharp criticism of the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

Israel had previously withdrawn all its diplomats from Turkey and other countries in the region as a security measure.

The population of the Gaza Strip, numbering 2.4 million people, is living in a catastrophic humanitarian situation under the violent bombardment carried out by Israel, threatening to "eliminate" the Hamas movement after the attacks it carried out that left nearly 1,400 dead inside the territory of the Hebrew state, the majority of whom were civilians who died on the first day of the attacks, according to Israel.

The death toll from the Israeli bombing in the Gaza Strip exceeded 9,488 deaths, including 3,900 children and 2,509 women, according to a new toll issued by the health authorities in Gaza on Saturday.

Turkey will not break ties

Erdogan confirmed on Saturday that Turkey would not sever its diplomatic relations with Israel, explaining, “Complete severing of relations is not possible, especially in international diplomacy.”

He pointed out that the head of the National Intelligence Service, Ibrahim Kalin, is supervising Turkish efforts to try to mediate an end to the war between Israel and Hamas.

"Ibrahim Kalin is talking with the Israeli side. Of course, he is also negotiating with Palestine and Hamas," Erdogan said.

Turkish President Netanyahu held the primary responsibility for the violence in Gaza and said that he had "lost the support of his citizens."

AFP

The administration of US President Joe Biden took a hard-line stance on the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation, which was carried out by the Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas”, on the morning of October 7, 2023. It expressed its condemnation of the operation, which it described as “terrorist”, and its full support for Israel. For her “right to self-defense,” and to provide all the assistance she needs[1]. In a speech Biden delivered on the 10th of this month, he put the movement on an equal footing with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, and described it as “absolute evil.” On the other hand, he praised Israel and his close relationship with it, which extends for more than fifty years, while the suffering of the Palestinians as a result of the widespread Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip did not feature in his speech, and he pointed out that “Hamas does not defend the right of the Palestinian people to dignity and self-determination.”[ 2].

Absolute bias towards Israel

From the first hour of the Hamas military operation that targeted Israeli military sites and settlements spread around the Gaza Strip, Biden adopted the Israeli version of the event, including fabricated allegations about Hamas fighters beheading Israeli children, and claimed to have seen photos confirming this. Although the White House itself and some American media outlets, which are no less sympathetic to Israel, retracted those fabricated reports[3], Biden has not yet apologized for them. When Israel bombed the National Hospital (Baptist) in the Gaza Strip, on October 17, a massacre that left hundreds dead and wounded among Palestinian civilians and patients, Biden and his administration were quick to adopt Israel’s narrative, which claims that the massacre resulted from the fall of a missile launched by the Hamas movement. Islamic Jihad[4].

Biden went further in his support of Israel's policies. He said that he told Netanyahu in a phone call that if the United States faced such an attack, his response would be “swift, decisive, and overwhelming”[5], which means giving a green light for Israel to continue crimes that amount to genocide against more than 2.3 million residents. Gaza strip. A leaked internal memorandum from the US State Department confirmed this trend, including a directive to American diplomats to avoid using phrases such as “cease escalation/ceasefire,” “end violence/bloodshed,” and “restore calm”[6]. Instead, the Biden administration made the “elimination” of Hamas its primary goal, a goal announced by Israel[7]. Biden is the first American president to visit Israel while it is at war, and to meet with the Israeli war cabinet on October 18, making the United States a partner of Israel in its war against the Gaza Strip. The support provided by Washington to Israel came in several areas.

1. Political and diplomatic support

Five days after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in Israel; To show Washington's solidarity with it. His tour included Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and Egypt, in which he tried to pressure the Arab parties to condemn the Hamas attack, and asked for help in releasing American hostages in the Gaza Strip, in addition to demanding that they make efforts to prevent the expansion of the conflict[8]. The US State Department says that 29 Americans were killed in the Hamas operation, and it is believed that the number of American prisoners held by the movement ranges between 12 and 15.

The Biden administration did not refer to the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, especially after Israel decided to prevent the entry of water, food, fuel and medicine into it, and issued a warning to more than 1.1 million Palestinians (almost half of the population of the Strip) that they would be displaced from the north of the Strip to its south, except after pressure exerted by countries. Arab and humanitarian organizations have warned that the sector is on the verge of a real disaster[9]. The Biden administration began coordinating with Egypt and Israel to open the Rafah crossing and bring in humanitarian aid, the first batch of which entered on October 21, with 20 trucks, and the next day 14 trucks, covering less than 5 percent of the necessary needs, noting that the Biden administration It stipulated that Hamas would not receive any of this aid. Since the thirteenth of this month, Biden and members of his administration have begun to point out the need for Israel to respect international law and international humanitarian law. However, this administration still refuses to acknowledge that the brutal bombing operations launched by Israel against the Gaza Strip, which caused thousands of victims, most of them children. And women, displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians, and destroyed infrastructure, are considered war crimes. It argues that it is not possible to be certain of the truth of what is happening in the Gaza Strip because of the “fog of war”[10].

The Biden administration is working to undermine any international effort calling for establishing a humanitarian truce and allowing humanitarian aid to enter the besieged population of the Gaza Strip. In this context, the United States used its veto in the United Nations Security Council against two draft resolutions, the first submitted by Russia, and the second submitted by Brazil. On the pretext that they do not clearly indicate Israel's right to defend itself. On the twenty-first of this month, Washington submitted a draft resolution to the Security Council that stipulates “Israel’s right to defend itself” and demands that Iran stop exporting weapons to “militias and terrorist groups that threaten peace and security throughout the region.” The draft resolution calls for the protection of civilians, including those trying to reach safe areas, notes that states must abide by international law when responding to “terrorist attacks,” and urges “unimpeded delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip”[11].

2. Military support

As soon as the news of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation spread, Biden ordered emergency military aid to be sent to Israel, which included ammunition and interceptor missiles for the Iron Dome system. He decided to deploy two nuclear aircraft carriers with their battle groups in the region, the first, the USS Gerald R. Ford, which is the most advanced in the American fleet, carries with its combat group more than 5,000 Marines, and includes additional American special forces, intelligence gathering equipment, and attack aircraft[12], and it is anchored in the eastern Mediterranean. The second, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, was deployed in the Arabian Gulf, with the aim of sending a message of deterrence to Iran[13], after initial orders had been issued for it to sail towards the eastern Mediterranean.

The two aircraft carriers give the United States a "strike force" in the region, as they together provide about 80 aircraft with attack capabilities, as well as cruisers, destroyers and submarines equipped with Tomahawk missiles. They could also help Israel fend off potential Iranian medium-range ballistic missile attacks. Washington says that placing these military assets in the region is aimed at preventing any other party from exploiting the opportunity for Israel to engage in a conflict in the Gaza Strip, and thus opening new regional fronts against it, in reference to Iran and its allies in the region, specifically the Lebanese Hezbollah[14].

In addition, 2,000 members of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit were placed on high alert. This unit is considered a rapid reaction force capable of carrying out special operations, if orders are issued to it to support a large-scale evacuation of American citizens or prisoners held by Palestinian factions[15]. Another group of Marines, numbering more than 4,000, will join the American fleet off the coast of occupied Palestine[16]. The Biden administration denies that there is any intention to deploy these forces on the battlefield[17].

On October 19, Biden announced that he would ask Congress for $100 billion in aid to Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel, in addition to allocations to protect the US border with Mexico. The administration stated that the amount that Israel will receive is $14 billion[18], in addition to what it receives annually; It receives at least $3.8 billion worth of US military aid. Over the decades, Israel has received more than $154 billion in military aid from the United States. If we take inflation rates into account, the total amount that Israel received from the United States in the period 1946-2022 amounts to approximately 245 billion US dollars.

Backgrounds of the absolute American bias towards Israel

A number of reasons explain the absolute bias of Biden and his administration towards Israel, which are:

Biden's personal passion for Zionism and Israel, and he keeps repeating a statement he made decades ago bragging about his Zionism, “You don't need to be a Jew to be a Zionist”[19]. He always repeats that “If there had been no Israel, we would have had to invent Israel”[20]. He reiterated these positions in his speech on the 10th of this month, which was the most closely aligned with Israel, and he absolutely adopted its position.

political calculations; The approaching presidential elections next year represents an opportunity for Biden and the Democrats to present themselves as strong supporters of Israel and its security, after years of tension with Netanyahu and his right-wing government, and Republicans exploiting this to accuse them of abandoning Israel, especially in light of the Biden administration’s efforts to revive the nuclear agreement with Iran. Opinion polls show a decline in Democratic support for Israel, specifically among the progressive wing of the party[21]. Biden's relations with Netanyahu were marred by great tension, this year in particular, against the backdrop of the latter's government's insistence on passing a package of "judicial reform" laws, which caused a sharp Israeli division. Republicans claim that the prisoner exchange deal between Iran and the United States, last month (September), and the conditional release of six billion frozen dollars belonging to Iran, contributed to financing the Hamas operation, although Iran has not received it yet. The Biden administration also found itself in a position of defending its Middle East policy. Some experts held it responsible for what happened on October 7, and considered it evidence of the failure of its approach to the Middle East, which was based on expanding the Abrahamic Accords, initiated by the Donald Trump administration, for normalization between Arab countries and Israel, while ignoring the Palestinians. Critics here cite a statement by the US National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, on September 29, 2023, in which he praised the administration’s approach to the Middle East, saying: “The Middle East region is calmer today than it was two decades ago”[22]. The existing assumption was that achieving some kind of peace between the Arabs and Israel would force the Palestinians to accept what Israel wants to impose on them, after they find themselves isolated under Arab-Israeli political and economic normalization, while events prove that the suffering of the Palestinians and their legitimate demands cannot be overlooked. With freedom, dignity and independence.

The close American-Israeli alliance relationship; The United States views Israel as an advanced base in the region, and it constitutes the cornerstone of its security approach in the Middle East. However, the security and military fragility that Israel appeared to exhibit on the morning of October 7 surprised Washington, shocked it, and shook its confidence in it. In this sense, direct American intervention aims to prevent a possible Israeli collapse if the conflict expands, and the resulting repercussions on American strategic calculations. Since the Biden administration came to the White House declaring that China was the primary “geopolitical challenge” to the United States, and to a lesser extent Russia[23], it sought to reduce American commitments in the Middle East. To achieve this, this administration attempted to build on the Trump administration’s approach to expanding the scope of Arab-Israeli normalization, especially at the level of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and to build a new regional security structure linked to it, and strengthened it with an economic component, represented by the economic corridor between India and the Middle East. And Europe, which was proposed on the sidelines of the G20 summit held in New Delhi, last month (September), to compete with China’s Belt and Road Initiative. In all of this, the Biden administration assumed that Israel would serve as a lever for its Arab allies to offset Iranian influence and capabilities in the region, but this seemed to be crumbling after the recent Hamas attack. This is what prompted the Biden administration to return to the region to enable Israel to restore its image of deterrence, which had suffered a major blow, and to prevent the opening of new fronts against it, which might cause a regional war that Israel may not be able to confront.

Conclusion

The military operation carried out by the Hamas movement and the approach adopted by the Biden administration in confronting it threaten to undermine the American strategy in the Middle East region. The Israeli collapse in the first hours of the operation and the increase in the American military presence in the region, with the aim of deterring Iran and its agents from opening a new front with Israel, if its aggression against Gaza continues, may drag the United States into a regional war that it does not want, as it wants to focus on China’s challenge to it. In addition, the absence of a clear American vision in the region and the tense situation there may destabilize some allied Arab countries, which fear popular protests, in addition to the concerns of Egypt and Jordan that Israel will push the Palestinians into new waves of asylum towards their borders. At the level of Biden’s electoral calculations, his absolute bias towards Israel in its brutal aggression against the Gaza Strip, although it may benefit him in terms of his relationship with the pro-Israel lobby in the United States, may cost him dearly in terms of the support of the progressive movement for him and the youth base in the Democratic Party, as well as votes. Arabs and Muslims are in swing states, such as Michigan, Virginia, Georgia, and Arizona[24], and from here, his calculations may turn against him. The position of Biden and his administration, which is excessively biased towards Israel and their disregard for the suffering of the Palestinians, has resulted in resignations and widespread dissatisfaction in the State Department, and this dissatisfaction has expanded to include employees and members of Congress, specifically from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, as well as divisions in society, in universities, and even in American technology companies, and its repercussions reached Hollywood[25].

[1] “Remarks by President Biden on the Terrorist Attacks in Israel,” The White House, 7/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/2mnnwupw

[2] “Remarks by President Biden on the Terrorist Attacks in Israel,” The White House, 10/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/3hspnhfn

[3] Peter Alexander, Summer Concepcion & Megan Lebowitz, “White House Clarifies Biden's Claim He Saw Photos of Terrorists Beheading Children in Israel-Hamas War,” NBC News, 11/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/2474ksje

[4] “Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel before Expanded Bilateral Meeting | Tel Aviv, Israel,” The White House, 18/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/bdekn68m

[5] Toluse Olorunnipa, “Biden Sends a Pointed Message with His Impassioned Embrace of Israel,” The Washington Post, 13/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/4pkawkdv

[6] Akbar Shahid Ahmed, “Stunning State Department Memo Warns Diplomats: No Gaza 'De-Escalation' Talk,” Huffington Post, 13/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/3nrp47x3

[7] Lloyd Lee, “Biden Says a Palestinian State Should be Established and Hamas Eliminated Entirely,” Business Insider, 16/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/5eh3dnu3

[8] Peter Martin, Jennifer Jacobs, & Courtney McBride, “As Israel Readies Gaza Invasion, US Sees No Plan for What’s Next,” Bloomberg, 13/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/mrk8s7um

[9] Paul Blumenthal, “Joe Biden Finally Acknowledges 'Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza' As Priority,” Huffington Post, 13/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/27j22y7k

[10] Miranda Nazzaro, “Sullivan Blames ‘Fog of War’ over Israel’s Targeting of Basic Infrastructure in Gaza,” The Hill, 15/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/yhat57da

[11] Michelle Nichols, “US Pushes UN to Back Israel Self-Defense, Demand Iran Stop Arms to Hamas,”

Reuters, 21/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/ysekd8y2

[12] Brian Bennett, “Biden Faces Hard Choices on American Hostages in Gaza,” Time, 10/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/mrxccapx

[13] “Statement from Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on Steps to Increase Force Posture,” U.S. Department of Defense, 21/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/avwx75x4

[14] “Blinken Says US is Ready to Respond to Escalation or Targeting of US Forces during Israel-Hamas War,” The Times of India, 22/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/7p5uzryk

[15] Oren Liebermann & Natasha Bertrand, “US Sends Second Aircraft Carrier to Mediterranean as Israel Prepares to Expand Gaza Operations,” CNN, 14/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/25svk4j4

[16] Peter Martin & Jennifer Jacobs, “Biden’s Carriers and Troops Send a Signal of Force if Diplomacy Fails,” Bloomberg, 19/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/muvw449b

[17] Liebermann & Bertrand.

[18] “Biden to Seek Billions in Military Aid for Israel as Invasion of Gaza Nears,” The New Arab, 19/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/3vpuucwz

[19] Lahav Harkov, “Biden in Israel: You don't Need to be a Jew to be a Zionist,” The Jerusalem Post, 13/7/2022, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/568th5np

[20] Kathryn Watson, “Biden Tells Israel, ‘You're not Alone’; Says Military Data Show Gaza Militants to Blame for Hospital Explosion,” CBS News, 18/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/yeyvjj23

[21] Lydia Saad, “Democrats' Sympathies in Middle East Shift to Palestinians,” Gallup, 16/3/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/mu2swmcw

[22] Zachary Basu, “Sullivan Denies White House Took ‘Eye off the Ball’ before Hamas Attack,” Axios, 15/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/4zn69hxb

[23] The White House, National Security Strategy (Washington, October 2022), p. 8, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/ytzn96rs

[24] Will Bunch, “Will Biden’s Resolute Stance on Israel Cost Him the 2024 Election?,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, 22/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/2efh5534

[25] Joe Flint & Sabrina Siddiqui, “Israel-Hamas War Sows Division within Entertainment Industry,” The Wall Street Journal, 22/10/2023, accessed on 24/10/2023, at: https://tinyurl.com/hytfh6y4

More than 130 people were killed in an earthquake that struck Nepal, according to what the authorities announced on Saturday. The earthquake occurred just before midnight on Friday, Saturday, local time, at a depth of 18 kilometers below the surface of the earth, near the sparsely populated area of Jumla, according to the US Geological Survey.

The earthquake was felt by residents of areas far from its epicenter, such as the Indian capital, New Delhi, located about 500 kilometers from the area where it occurred.

Interior Ministry spokesman Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said, "92 people died in Jajarkot and 40 in Rukum," which were the two provinces most affected by the earthquake in the border province of Karnali.

National Police spokesman Cooper Katayat said that the authorities counted that more than 100 other people were injured in the two provinces.

Suresh Sonar, head of the local administration in the Jajarkot region in western Nepal, indicated in a statement to the agency that the authorities are trying to calculate the damage.

He added, "There are homes damaged and people injured, but we are trying to obtain more details."

The National Seismological Center in Nepal stated that the earthquake occurred at 11:47 pm (18:02 GMT) in the Jajarkot region, which is located about 500 kilometers west of the capital, Kathmandu.

Officials fear the death toll could rise because they were unable to contact the mountainous area near the epicenter, located 500 kilometers west of the capital, Kathmandu, where tremors were also felt. The population of this region is 190 thousand people, and its villages are spread in the remote hills.

Footage published by local media showed the dilapidated facades of multi-storey houses.

Citizens said that residents felt the tremors in neighboring and distant areas such as Kathmandu.

Social media users in India reported that they felt the earthquake in the northern cities of Lucknow and Patna.

Six people died in November 2022 when a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck the Doti area near Gamla.

In 2015, two earthquakes that struck Nepal killed about nine thousand people, turned entire cities, centuries-old temples and other historical sites into rubble, and destroyed more than a million homes, costing the economy six billion dollars.

While winter is a heavy guest on millions of Yemenis, especially in displacement camps where the number of people arriving has doubled due to Houthi attacks and climatic conditions, the United Nations has predicted that hunger and food shortages will expand during the next six months.

The UN report expected the level of acute food insecurity in Yemen to worsen during the period between the middle of this fall and next spring, with 20 percent of the population suffering from severe difficulty in obtaining food.

He explained that there are about 10.8 million people at the Integrated Interim Classification level for food insecurity, and 6.1 million people at the emergency level, which is the fourth stage of the classification.

According to what was stated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme, in their joint semi-annual periodic report on hunger hotspots in the world; Acute food insecurity in Yemen is expected to remain at critical levels during the forecast period extending between this November and next April.

Yemen is the fourth hotspot of hunger

The UN report attributed its expectations to the continuation of the conflict, the economic crisis, the lack of humanitarian funding, and climate changes, ranking Yemen fourth in the list of 18 hunger hotspots around the world, after the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Ethiopia in terms of the number of people suffering from acute food insecurity.

The report stated that the food security situation will witness a significant deterioration during the last quarter of this year, warning that the situation will continue to worsen until next December, with 20 percent of the population throughout Yemen suffering from serious food insecurity.

More than half a million Yemeni children under the age of five face the risk of acute malnutrition, including 456,000 children in the central and southern governorates, while more than 97,000 others suffer from severe acute malnutrition.

The report called for the need to take emergency measures to confront the rapid deterioration of food insecurity in Yemen, primarily providing $2.2 billion for food security and agriculture and $398 million for nutritional interventions, within the framework of the 2023 humanitarian response plan.

The two UN organizations stressed the need to provide livelihood support in emergency situations, stimulate economic recovery to increase the availability of food and safe access to it for the most vulnerable families, and provide food aid and malnutrition prevention services, while continuing to provide cash assistance to displaced persons, refugees and migrants.

Continuous displacement

A few days ago, the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs in Yemen (OCHA) warned that bad weather conditions during the winter threaten nearly a million people, most of whom are displaced people displaced by the war, and that families residing in certain areas in the governorates of Sana’a, Amran, Dhamar, Ibb, Al-Bayda, the capital, Sana’a, Al-Dhalea, and Saada. Marib has the highest risk of severe winter weather.

The United Nations International Organization for Migration also reported the displacement of 26,000 Yemenis within a week, and the number of displaced people has risen since the beginning of the year to more than 55,000 people, following Cyclone Tej, which struck the eastern governorates of the country.

Between the beginning of the year and the end of last month, the organization monitored the displacement of 9,187 families, including 55,122 individuals, and during the last week of this period, it tracked the displacement of 4,392 families, numbering 26,352 individuals, at least once.

Yemen is witnessing one of the largest internal displacement crises around the world, which has doubled the repercussions of the humanitarian crisis that the United Nations describes as the largest in the modern era in terms of the numbers of those affected. The current truce has not succeeded in alleviating this crisis due to the fears of the displaced about the return of military escalation or the practices of the Houthi group. .

UN authorities have warned of increasing food insecurity for Yemenis during the coming winter (United Nations)

A relief source in the Yemeni government believes that international organizations have failed to help the Yemenis and alleviate the humanitarian crisis that the country has been experiencing since the outbreak of war in 2015, and that they have marginalized the roles of government agencies, such as the Supreme Relief Committee, and turned them into coordination bodies only, and allocated large amounts of aid grants. For the benefit of its operating budget.

The source, who preferred to remain anonymous, accused international bodies of putting the dignity of displaced Yemenis at the bottom of their list of priorities, stressing that these bodies have ignored the warnings and demands of the Yemeni government since the start of the war, preferring to work in the capital, Sanaa, which is under the control of the Houthi group.

The result of this neglect - according to the official - was the situation of the Yemenis affected by the humanitarian crisis and the displaced, especially in the Houthi-controlled areas, where these parties carry out most of their activities.

The Jordanian King, King Abdullah II, stressed that it is the duty of the Arab countries to put pressure on the international community and the active international forces. To stop the war on Gaza, bring aid into the Strip on an ongoing basis and protect civilians, stressing the need to continue Arab coordination to speak with one voice with the international community about the dangerous developments in Gaza.

The Jordanian King renewed his country's condemnation of the massacres committed against innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip, warning that the continuation of the war would lead to an explosion in the situation in the region. He stressed the condemnation of the Israeli escalation in the West Bank, and the need to continue supporting the Palestinian National Authority.

This came during King Abdullah II's reception (Saturday) of Arab foreign ministers, who are participating in the Amman-Gaza ministerial meeting, which Jordan is hosting in the context of efforts to stop the war on Gaza. The Jordanian King met with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, the Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Prime Minister and Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman bin Jassim Al Thani, and the Secretary of State. Secret of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hussein Al-Sheikh.

Abdullah II called for continued support for international organizations working in the Gaza Strip, especially the Palestinian Refugee Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), stressing that a military or security solution will not succeed in ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but rather that the only way is a political solution. To achieve just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution. The Jordanian King expressed Jordan's complete rejection of any attempt to separate the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as they are an extension of the one Palestinian state.

In addition, the coordination meeting of a number of Arab foreign ministers and the Palestine Liberation Organization began a short while ago in Amman, in the context of efforts aimed at stopping the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and the humanitarian catastrophe it is causing. After the coordination meeting today, the ministers are scheduled to hold a joint meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, during which they will affirm the Arab position calling for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to the sector. They will discuss with Blinken all the repercussions and ways to end this dangerous deterioration that threatens the security of the entire region. 

Source: Al-Sharq Al-awsat

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk denounced today (Saturday) the “sharp increase in hatred” in the world since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.

In a statement, Türk expressed his deep regret at the increasing cases of “anti-Semitism,” Islamophobia, and other hate speech. He said: “The repercussions of this crisis...have reverberated everywhere, leading to the dehumanization of Palestinians and Jews. “We are witnessing a significant increase in hate speech, violence and discrimination, deepening social divisions and polarization, as well as the denial of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”

The UN official added: “I heard Jews and Muslims saying that they do not feel safe, and this saddens me,” according to Agence France-Presse.

The Israeli army is encircling Gaza City, declaring that it wants to eliminate the Hamas movement in response to the October 7 attack, which the Israeli authorities say resulted in the deaths of about 1,400 people in Israel, most of whom were civilians.

For its part, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that about 9,500 people were killed in Gaza, the majority of them women and children, in Israeli raids.

Around the world, “harassment, attacks, anti-Islamic hate speech and anti-Semitism have increased, including in the context of conflict-related protests,” Türk said.

He pointed out that “in some cases we have witnessed comprehensive or disproportionate restrictions on gatherings, especially in the context of pro-Palestinian protests.”

Türk stressed that any restrictions on peaceful gatherings must be proportionate and based on the law.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also condemned the “inflammatory, toxic and hate speech” used by political leaders. He said, “The torrent of hate speech used, including on social media, is abhorrent.”

He concluded that “international law is clear on this issue. Any call for national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence is prohibited.”

Source: agencies

US Special Envoy David Satterfield said today (Saturday) that US officials have not received any reports that the Hamas movement is obstructing the arrival of or seizing humanitarian aid directed to the Gaza Strip amid shortages of food, medicine and fuel, according to Reuters.

He explained to reporters in the Jordanian capital, Amman, that those who distribute aid in Gaza have not reported any aid transfer process since the resumption of truck crossings from the Rafah crossing with Egypt on October 21 after diplomatic efforts.

He added that those responsible for the aid “did not provide us with reports within ten or 12 days of the delivery of the aid about obstruction or seizure of shipments by (Hamas).”

Between 800,000 and 1 million people moved to the southern Gaza Strip, while between 350,000 and 400,000 remain in the northern Gaza Strip.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Alexander Grushko, said that Moscow does not rule out the possibility of NATO's involvement in the conflict in the Middle East if Washington needs to "legitimize" its actions, according to the German News Agency.

Grushko added in a statement to the “Novosti” agency on the sidelines of the Eurasian Economic Forum conference at its 16th session in Samarkand (Uzbekistan), broadcast today (Saturday): “NATO is not currently considered the player that wants to come to the fore in this issue. “Most likely, the NATO factor may emerge there if the United States needs to legitimize its actions or position in that region.”

According to the Deputy Minister, there are currently no contacts between Russia and NATO at all, including on the conflict in the Middle East.

Grushko stressed that Moscow “clearly sees that NATO’s intention is to globalize the alliance and expand the scope of application of the Washington Treaty on the ground.”

He said: “NATO has long been formulating plans for interaction with partners in the Middle East, but many forms of such cooperation are de facto suspended due to contradictions between Israel and the Arab world. Of course, at this stage, most likely, attempts will be made to revive all this and try to somehow strengthen the position of the Alliance in the region, already relying on the strongholds created in many countries.

Grushko continued: “But the main Western factor in the Middle East is the United States. The United States acts when it matters, and never asks permission from its allies. For example, the war in Iraq – two NATO countries were categorically opposed to US operations there. But when Washington needs to legitimize its actions, we see it trying to gather the largest number of countries to support it in doing so.

The forum brings together business representatives, diplomats, heads of Russian and Italian commercial and public institutions and key public figures on one platform.

The forum is traditionally organized by the Russian RosCongress Foundation, the Petersburg International Economic Forum, and the Italian non-profit “We Know Eurasia” Foundation.

Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat

King Abdullah said, "It is the duty of the Arab countries to put pressure on the international community and the active international forces to stop the war on Gaza, and we affirm our complete rejection of any attempt to separate the West Bank and the Gaza Strip."

The Jordanian King, Abdullah II, condemned “the massacres committed against civilians in Gaza and the Israeli escalation in the West Bank,” in light of the visit of US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, to Amman to meet with Arab foreign ministers and a representative of the Palestinian Authority, against the backdrop of the war on the Gaza Strip.

King Abdullah said, "It is the duty of the Arab countries to put pressure on the international community and the active international forces to stop the war on Gaza, and we affirm our complete rejection of any attempt to separate the West Bank and the Gaza Strip."

While receiving a number of Arab foreign ministers, the Jordanian king called for speaking with one voice with the international community regarding Gaza.

The US Secretary of State will meet with the Jordanian King, King Abdullah II, today, Saturday, the day after a quick visit to Israel, from which he came out generally empty-handed due to Israel's rejection of the American proposal for a "temporary humanitarian truce" in the war with Hamas.

Blinken, who arrived in Amman on Friday evening, is also scheduled to participate in a ministerial meeting with several Arab countries and to hold a bilateral meeting with the Jordanian Foreign Minister, Ayman Safadi.

The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed, in a statement on Friday evening, that this meeting was held with foreign ministers. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, and Qatar, in addition to Jordan and the United States.

The ministers will initially prepare “a coordination meeting in the context of their efforts aimed at stopping the Israeli war on Gaza and the humanitarian catastrophe it is causing,” and then they will hold a “joint meeting” with Blinken to discuss ways to stop the war in Gaza, according to the ministry’s statement.

The statement said that the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization will participate in the meeting, which will discuss "the repercussions and ways to end this dangerous deterioration that threatens the security of the entire region."

For the 29th day in a row, Israeli occupation aircraft continue to launch intense raids on the Gaza Strip, leaving behind a series of mass massacres that claimed the lives of more than 9,000 Palestinian martyrs, while violent clashes continue between the Palestinian resistance and the occupation army forces that are trying to penetrate into the Strip in several Axes.

The occupation bombed Al-Fakhoura School, which houses displaced people in Jabalia camp

Israeli occupation aircraft bombed Al-Fakhoura School, which houses thousands of displaced people in the Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Gaza told Al Jazeera that the bombing of the school resulted in 12 martyrs and more than 54 wounded so far.

This came after the occupation targeted the Osama Bin Zaid School in the Al-Saftawi area, which houses dozens of displaced people directly north of the Gaza Strip, with tank shells, resulting in the death of 20 Palestinians and the injury of others.

Jabalia camp was subjected to two Israeli massacres last Tuesday and Wednesday, which resulted in the death and injury of more than 400 Palestinians.

An Israeli drone bombed the home of Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza with a missile

An Israeli drone bombed with a missile the home of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), in the Beach camp in Gaza, according to what Al-Aqsa Radio reported today (Saturday).

Dozens of citizens were martyred, and others were injured, since dawn today, Saturday, in the continuous Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip, by land, sea and air, for the 29th day in a row.

Local sources reported that the occupation warplanes targeted a house for the Al-Najjar family in a parking lot in the center of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, resulting in at least four deaths and dozens of injuries.

The sources added that an Israeli raid targeted the gate of Al-Nasr Hospital on Al-Nasr Street, north of Gaza City, killing dozens of displaced citizens and wounding many.

The occupation aircraft also bombed the main electricity generator at Al-Wafa Hospital in Gaza City, causing a major fire in the place and putting the generator out of service, in addition to targeting electrical and solar generators in the Al-Rimal neighborhood in central Gaza.

The occupation aircraft bombed a water tank that supplies several neighborhoods east of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, and 14 fishing boats were burned due to the intense bombardment along the coast of the Rafah Sea.

Today, Saturday, a coordination meeting was held in the Jordanian capital, Amman, for a number of Arab foreign ministers and the Palestine Liberation Organization, in the context of their efforts aimed at stopping the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and the humanitarian catastrophe it is causing.

The meeting includes Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs Ayman Al-Safadi, Secretary of the Executive Committee of the PLO, Hussein Al-Sheikh, and the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar, and the Arab Republic of Egypt.

After today's coordination meeting, the ministers are scheduled to hold a joint meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, during which they will affirm the Arab position calling for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

All repercussions and ways to end this dangerous deterioration that threatens the security of the entire region will also be discussed with Blinken.

Recent days have witnessed diplomatic movements between a number of countries and Israel, in light of the ongoing war between the latter and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, where Bolivia severed its diplomatic relations, while other countries decided to take a less severe step by summoning ambassadors.

Below is a list of countries that have taken decisions regarding their diplomatic relations with Israel:

Bolivia

The South American country has taken its strongest step yet, completely severing diplomatic relations with Israel.

On Tuesday, Bolivia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the severing of diplomatic relations with Israel, accusing it of committing "crimes against humanity" during its operations in the Gaza Strip.

Bolivia had previously severed its diplomatic relations with Israel in 2009 due to the Gaza War at the time, and relations were resumed in 2020, according to Reuters.

Israel responded to Bolivia's decision, considering it a "surrender to terrorism and the regime in Iran." She added in a statement through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that by cutting relations with Israel, "the Bolivian government is placing itself on the side of the terrorist organization Hamas."

She noted in a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that, “Since the change of government in Bolivia, relations between the two countries have become devoid of substance in any case.”

Colombia

The diplomatic battle between Colombia and Israel was very strong, and it reached social media sites, and indeed, Colombian President, Gustapo Petro, announced on Tuesday that he had summoned his country’s ambassador to Israel due to the situation in Gaza.

Petro said on the “X” platform: “I have decided to recall our ambassador to Israel. If Israel does not stop the massacre committed against the Palestinian people, we will not be able to stay there.”

The crisis began in the first days of the war, when Israel accused the Latin president of "endangering the lives of Jews and encouraging the horrific actions of the terrorist Hamas movement," after he compared Israel's practices to "Nazism."

On October 8, Petro commented, through his official account on the “X” platform, on the statements of the Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, regarding cutting off water, electricity, and fuel from Gaza and imposing a complete siege on the Strip, in a battle he said was against “human animals.”

Petro wrote that the Israeli minister's statements "are the same as what the Nazis used to say about the Jews," adding that "democratic peoples cannot allow Nazism to re-establish itself in international politics."

He continued, "If hate speech continues in this way, we will reach a new Holocaust."

The Israeli ambassador, Dagan, commented on these statements to a local newspaper in Colombia, saying that he had “never seen in the humane, democratic world compare the Israelis to Nazism,” according to what was reported by the British newspaper “The Guardian.”

Honduras

Honduras decided, on Friday, to recall its ambassador to Israel for consultations due to the humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip.

Foreign Minister Enrique Reyna wrote on the X platform: “In light of the serious humanitarian situation suffered by the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip, the government of President Xiomara Castro has decided to immediately summon the Ambassador of the Republic of Honduras to Israel, Mr. Roberto Martinez, for consultations.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry responded to the resolution, considering that it “condones Hamas committing terrorist acts in which 1,400 people were killed and 241 were kidnapped, and this includes women, the elderly, and children,” adding, “We expect Honduras to condemn Hamas.”

Chile

Chile took the same step and, on Tuesday, summoned its ambassador to Israel for consultations, due to what it described as “violations of international humanitarian law” in the Gaza Strip.

A Foreign Ministry statement, reported by Reuters, said: “Chile strongly condemns and monitors with great concern... these military operations,” considering that the Israeli operations amount to “collective punishment” of the civilian population in Gaza.

The ministry also called for "an immediate cessation of hostilities, the release of hostages held by Hamas, and the allowing the passage of humanitarian aid to the residents of the Strip."

In a separate statement, Chile also indicated its “support for the two-state solution in order to end the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis.”

Jordan

Jordan announced, on Wednesday, that it had “immediately” recalled its ambassador from Israel, and informed the latter “not to return its ambassador to Amman,” in light of the continuing military operations in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement by the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was stated that the decision comes “as an expression of Jordan’s position rejecting and condemning the raging Israeli war on Gaza, which is killing innocent people, causing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, and carries dangerous possibilities for its expansion, which will threaten the security of the entire region and international security and peace.”

The statement indicated that "the return of the ambassadors will be linked to Israel stopping its war on Gaza, stopping the humanitarian catastrophe it is causing, and all its measures that deprive the Palestinians of their right to food, water, medicine, and their right to live in a safe and stable life on their national soil."

Al-Safadi stressed that “Jordan will continue to work to stop the war on Gaza, bring in humanitarian aid, protect civilians, protect the region from its consequences and its catastrophic impact on the future of the region, and its right to a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution that embodies the independent and sovereign Palestinian national state with Jerusalem as its capital.” occupied on the lines of June 4, 1967, which represents the only way to guarantee the security of all the peoples and countries of the region.”

It is noteworthy that the Israeli ambassador was not actually in Jordan after Israel expelled diplomats from Arab countries, in light of the massive demonstrations in many Arab countries in support of the Palestinians.

Bahrain

The Bahraini Parliament said, on Thursday, that the Israeli ambassador “left the Kingdom, in exchange for the return of its ambassador from Israel,” in addition to “stopping economic relations with it.”

A statement by the Council indicated that these steps come as "a confirmation of Bahraini's established historical position in support of the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people, which the King announced in all conferences and events."

The Bahraini House of Representatives affirmed that "the continuation of the war and military operations, and the continuing Israeli escalation in light of the lack of respect for international humanitarian law, prompts the Council to demand more decisions and measures that preserve the lives and lives of innocent people and civilians in Gaza and all Palestinian regions."

But at a time when such decisions were supposed to be issued through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which did not happen, the Israeli Foreign Ministry clarified, later Thursday, that “it had not received any notification or decision from the government of Bahrain and the government of Israel to return the ambassadors of the two countries.”

In a statement that followed the Bahraini Parliament’s announcement of the departure of the Israeli ambassador and the cessation of economic relations, Israel said that relations between the two countries are “stable.”

Source: Al Hurra Channel

As of yesterday evening, about ten thousand dead had fallen in the Gaza Strip, including about four thousand children, and more than 23 thousand wounded. A large number of buildings and institutions were also destroyed, including a number of hospitals in which thousands of citizens took refuge in the hope that it was a safe place, but the bombing pursued them. Many of them were killed there, and among the dead were a number of fellow journalists.

The blind Israeli bombing continues over all areas, including the south, where many citizens have taken refuge on the grounds that it is far from the focus of the bombing, but this bombing pursued them even as they tried to take refuge on the Egyptian side of the border.

Within the framework of the “Help Gaza” campaign, Agricultural Relief was able to distribute 1,300 parcels to displaced families in Khan Yunis, but this number remains very small and completely insufficient to provide relief to those in need.

If Israel possesses force capabilities and is exploiting them extensively in this attack, on the other hand, on the economic side, it is incurring heavy and costly losses, as the head of the Budget Department in the Ministry of Finance said that the war had cost Israel, as of yesterday, about thirty billion shekels due to the costs of the war on the one hand and the slowdown in economic activity on the one hand. On the other hand, it loses about a billion shekels every day.

Unemployment also increased, and Israel laid off about 49,000 workers because of this war. The economic conditions weakened as a result, and the income of 51% of companies declined because of this war on Gaza, after tens of thousands were recruited to serve in the army and face the consequences of the war on the Gaza Strip.

This crazy war on Gaza, or against Hamas as they say, brings disaster to those who carried it out, despite what they say are field military victories, because if they advance the war, they are destroying the economy. Also, what they call eliminating Hamas is a great illusion because Hamas is not just a military organization, but rather an expression of a reality and a natural result of this Israeli arrogance that provokes not only our people but all those who believe in justice, logic and rights, including some opinion-makers in America and Israel.

The solution will not be by force and orgy, but by accepting logic and not attacking others, their property, or their future. Those who do not want to understand or are unable to understand must realize this truth and act according to it. But the future ultimately belongs to the owners of the truth, and we are its owners, as is known to everyone, including even many Jews.

On Saturday, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati renewed his calls to the international community for the “necessity of pressuring Israel” for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon.

During a meeting with US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, in the Jordanian capital, Amman, Mikati said, “The priority of action must be a ceasefire in Gaza and southern Lebanon.”

He added: “Lebanon, which is committed to international legitimacy and the implementation of International Resolution 1701, and in coordination with UNIFIL, calls on the international community to put pressure on Israel to stop the daily encroachments and violations on its land and sovereignty on land, sea and air.”

The land border between Lebanon and Israel is witnessing mutual attacks, by Israeli forces on the one hand, and Hezbollah on the other, after the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas.

Even in the months before the war, the border witnessed tensions between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, which fought their last major war in July 2006.

Blinken is visiting Jordan from Israel, where he will also meet in Amman with the Jordanian King, King Abdullah II, and a number of Arab foreign ministers.

The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed in a statement, on Friday evening, that this meeting was held with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Qatar, in addition to Jordan and the United States.

Blinken said in Israel, on Friday, after a quick one-day visit, that he "discussed with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the possibility of a humanitarian truce, which would allow in particular to protect civilians trapped in the war, and accelerate the delivery of aid."

But Netanyahu announced his rejection of a "temporary truce without the release of the hostages" who were kidnapped by Hamas during its attack on Israel on October 7.

Source: Al Hurra Channel

Eight citizens were injured by bullets today, Saturday, after the Israeli occupation forces stormed the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron.

Media activist Muhammad Awad said that the occupation forces stormed the town of Beit Ummar, which led to the outbreak of confrontations, which included the firing of bullets and poisonous tear gas bombs, which resulted in eight citizens being injured by live bullets in the lower extremities, and they were transferred to Hebron hospitals, to receive treatment.

Awad added that the occupation forces, with military reinforcements, raided dozens of homes and shops, and the Beit Ummar Grand Mosque, and placed the flags of the occupying state on the roofs of the houses that were raided, and they stationed themselves on their roofs, after searching them and tampering with their contents. They also destroyed the furniture of the Diwan Al Awad Al Zaqaqiq, and photos. They killed the family and set it on fire.

He pointed out that a member of the occupation intelligence threatened a number of citizens not to place pictures of their martyred children in their homes.

By Fares Khashan

Yesterday, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah dropped the label of “resistance” for his party, which it had long sought to “perpetuate” its weapons. In a long speech that many had been waiting for after it was promoted as the “Speech of Passage to Jerusalem,” Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah spoke about everything except the liberation of the Lebanese lands that he had previously classified as occupied, so the Shebaa Farms and the Lebanese part of the town of Ghajar were completely absent from the forefront!

Nasrallah presented himself, in a speech in which he devoid of any regard - even in the slightest - for the Lebanese constitutional authorities, as the ruler of the country and guarantor of the people, setting the conditions that prevent him from taking the decision to expand the war that he began on the Lebanese-Israeli border on the eighth of last October. It systematically completely dropped Resolution 1701, which controls the southern reality, since the Israeli-Lebanese war ended in August 2006.

In dropping the label of “resistance” from his party and assuming the mantle of “ruler,” Nasrallah presented himself and “Hezbollah” in accordance with the image that the Lebanese and those interested in Lebanese affairs paint of them!

For years, Hezbollah has ceased to be a resistance organization in the eyes of the majority of Lebanese, as it abandoned the act of liberation and turned to the act of defense, in a way that overthrew the sovereign role assigned to the Lebanese army, withdrew the decision on war and peace from the constitutional authorities, and prevented any personality from reaching senior positions through a democratic process. If you do not take into account the specifications that serve the party’s dominance over sovereign decisions, which leaves the position of the Presidency of the Republic, with the sovereign role it symbolizes, vacant!

In one of his most polarizing appearances, Nasrallah went, voluntarily or spontaneously, to where he denied he was!

From this position, and far from the literature that was preceded by the youngest analyst supporting the “axis of resistance,” Nasrallah delivered, in his speech, his main messages centered around Iran, “the unity of the arenas,” and the role of Lebanon!

His first goal, to which he devoted a large amount of effort, was to give the Iranian diplomatic discourse that Hossein Amir Abdollahian seeks to establish, high credibility, by confirming that Tehran stands in support of the resistance forces and does not issue decisions on their behalf, and that it is “innocent” of the attack it carried out by the "Hamas movement" was on the cover of Gaza on the seventh of last October, and that it had absolutely nothing to do with the decision of "Hezbollah" to enter a war against Israel on the eighth of the same month, nor to the involvement of the "Houthis" and the Iraqi organizations in the "Al-Aqsa Flood." ".

Naturally, Nasrallah was not successful in this part of his speech, because the reports prepared by the world's largest intelligence agencies confirm that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is coordinating the steps and decisions of these forces and organizations.

Since Hamas declared the “Al-Aqsa Flood” war, Iran has been striving to distance itself from the role of “combatant” and take on the role of “supporter,” which qualifies it to play a role it dreams of, given its high gains on the one hand and its zero cost on the other hand: negotiating on behalf of the “axis.” "Resistance" as his best friend!

If Iran succeeds in the role that Nasrallah tried to help it qualify for, it will become the only interlocutor for the United States of America in the region.

As for the second message that Nasrallah worked to formulate, it revolves around spreading reassurance from the “unity of the arenas” and the future of the region after the “Al-Aqsa Flood” war, in an attempt to summon the countries of the region and their secular forces to support.

He was not successful in this either, as everyone realizes that the “resistance axis”, composed of the alliance of “Shiite and Sunni political Islam”, wants to cross to Jerusalem through all the Arab countries, as “Hezbollah” itself abandoned liberation in favor of extending its complete hegemony over Lebanon, and similar forces. It has it in Iraq and Yemen as well, while the Syrian regime is exterminating its people, killing, arresting, and displacing, in order to continue in power.

This axis is practically looking forward to extending its hegemony over other countries, and it has had attempts in Bahrain, and it will continue to have attempts in a number of Arab and Gulf countries.

Nasrallah's speech cannot erase from reality what many, led by official spokespersons for Hezbollah, have previously admitted, as one of the most prominent goals of the "Al-Aqsa Flood" is to overturn the path of normalization with Israel, considering it a "path of treason."

It is not valid to argue against the abhorrent nature of the current government of Benjamin Netanyahu, which Nasrallah did well in satirizing, because instead of harming it, the “Al-Aqsa Flood” prolonged its life, as it was in deep disagreement with the United States of America and the European Union, and half of the Israeli people were facing it, not by opinion polls, rather, by taking to the streets weekly against it, as it was offensive to the Palestinians, it was offensive to Israel’s allies and its people!

In addition, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, according to a “rare” intersection with the American leadership, linked any progress in the path of normalization with Israel to agreeing to permanent solutions to the Palestinian dilemma.

The destruction, killing, and arrest that the “Al-Aqsa Flood” made possible for the Palestinians in general and the people of Gaza in particular were not possible, even to a small extent, before it, no matter how bad the actions of the “government of lunatics” were.

The final message that Nasrallah wanted to convey revolves around the role of Hezbollah. In fact, and contrary to the promotional campaign, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah did not appear to announce “pleasant surprises for the Palestinians,” but rather to inform them, officially, regardless of the redemption, that the limits of its participation in the “Al-Aqsa Flood” had been demarcated on October 8. In the past, he offers Gaza what no one offered him in 2006, which was the stark example in his speech, as he distracts, at great cost, almost half of the Israeli army from working against Gaza.

In an unsuccessful approach, and based on the authority of the Guide of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Ali Khamenei, Nasrallah compared the situation of Israel in 2006 with its situation in its current war against Gaza, promising on this basis the victory of the “axis of resistance” in Palestine.

Nasrallah ignored that the nature of the two wars is different, as Israel in 2006 was not fighting an existential war, while it is currently in this situation, because it links its loss of the war with its loss of existence.

It was clear that Nasrallah's reasons for limiting the confrontation with Israel to its current borders were multiple: there was the popular pressure of rejection, the Israeli willingness to destroy, and the American-British assistance that became available at sea.

These are the points that were the focus of the Lebanese part of his speech. Naturally, he threatened and mocked, but what is true is that these standards constitute his greatest concerns.

Thus, Nasrallah found himself shifting from threatening to expand the war against Israel to fearing the possibility of expanding the war against him, until he found himself asking the Israeli army to stop targeting civilians, a number of whom were killed in the bombing of recent days.

It is true that Nasrallah threatened to expand the war later if the Lebanese necessity or the need of Gaza necessitated it, but what is more true is that whoever was able to follow the speech up to this point noticed that Nasrallah was in the position of the seeker and not the target. Perhaps he would be able to keep the ambiguity prevailing!

In any case, for a speech of this kind, Nasrallah did not need to remain silent for 28 days, nor did he need to do without teasers, because “the promise was not true”!