What happened on the border between Israel and Gaza on Saturday?

Shocked Israelis woke on the last day of the Jewish high holidays to the wail of sirens as Hamas and Islamic Jihad fired thousands of rockets from Gaza and armed militants broke down the hi-tech barriers surrounding the strip to enter Israel, shooting and taking hostages. Militants in boats also tried to enter Israel by sea.

It was a staggering and unprecedented offensive by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and a catastrophic intelligence failure by Israel – and both will have long-lasting repercussions and consequences. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, declared that Israel was at war and that Palestinians would pay a heavy price.

Militants infiltrated Jewish communities near the border with Gaza, killing and seizing civilians and soldiers. Unverified videos showed terrified Israelis covered in blood, and with hands tied behind their backs, being taken by Palestinian gunmen. Many people rushed to safe rooms in their homes as the carnage unfolded around them.

Hundreds of young people at an all-night dance festival in southern Israel found themselves under fire. “They were going tree by tree and shooting. Everywhere From two sides. I saw people were dying all around,” said one survivor.

By nightfall on Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) estimated there were still 200-300 Palestinian militants inside Israel. There were eight “points of engagement” where the IDF was trying to regain control from militants.

How did Israel respond?

Israel called up army reservists and launched a wave of airstrikes on the tiny strip, which is home to 2.3 million people. Netanyahu warned Palestinians in Gaza to “get out of there now” as he vowed to reduce Hamas hideouts to “rubble”, but there is nowhere for those in the blockaded territory to escape to.

Warplanes targeted several buildings in the centre of Gaza City, including Palestine Tower, an 11-storey building that houses Hamas radio stations.

Israel has indicated it may launch a ground invasion, although this would carry huge risks both for IDF troops and for Israeli hostages being held in the territory.

Israel has cut off electricity and fuel supplies to Gaza, which may soon affect the strip’s medical facilities that are already under extreme pressure from people injured in the bombardment.

Video recorded in Gaza showed a mosque destroyed in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, and several large buildings in Gaza City in ruins.

Palestinians in Gaza shared images of text messages sent by the Israeli military to people in the Beit Hanoun area in the north of the strip that ordered them to leave their homes before the airstrikes.

How many people have been killed and injured? And how many Israelis have been taken hostage?

At least 300 Israelis were killed and about 2,000 people were being treated in hospitals – 19 of them in critical condition – according to reports on Sunday.

The IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said more than 400 Palestinian militants had been killed in southern Israel and the Gaza Strip, and dozens more had been captured.

The Palestinian health ministry said on Sunday morning that at least 313 Palestinians had been killed, including 20 children, and nearly 2,000 wounded as a result of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza since Saturday. Seven people were also killed by Israeli army fire in the West Bank, including a child, it said.

Hamas has reportedly taken as many as 100 Israelis hostage – both soldiers and civilians, alive and dead.

Why did Hamas and Islamic Jihad launch the attack?

The exact reasons for the attack are not clear, but there has been growing violence for months between Israeli soldiers and settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank. Armed settlers have attacked Palestinian villages; militants in the West Bank have attacked soldiers and settlers, and there have been repeated IDF raids on Palestinian cities.

During the past week, some Jews have prayed inside the compound of al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City. The area around the mosque is known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif and is the third holiest place for Islam after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. To Jews, it is known as Temple Mount, and is venerated as the site of the biblical Jewish temple. Jews are not permitted to pray inside al-Aqsa compound; to do so is highly provocative. Hamas has called its current offensive Operation al-Aqsa Deluge.

The longer backdrop is a 16-year blockade of Gaza by Israel and Egypt that has almost destroyed the strip’s internal economy and has caused hardship for the people living there.

Extreme religious nationalists who are part of Israel’s rightwing coalition government have repeatedly called for the annexation of Palestinian territory. There has also been speculation that the offensive could have been encouraged by Iran as a means of scuppering moves by Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel.

Why did the attack take Israel by surprise?

Hamas must have planned this offensive for many months, and it is a mystery why Israeli intelligence appears to have had no idea it was coming.

Israel’s surveillance of Gaza is intense. It monitors activity, communications and daily life via state-of-the-art surveillance equipment, including drones flying over the strip. It also relies on human intelligence via informants, many of whom are blackmailed or otherwise coerced into assisting Israel.

The intelligence failure is monumental, and will shake the Israeli public’s faith in their government and army’s ability to protect civilians.

“All of Israel is asking itself: where is the IDF, where are the police, where is the security?” said Eli Maron, a former head of the Israeli navy, on Channel 12. “It’s a colossal failure; the [defense] establishments have simply failed, with vast consequences.”

What does Hamas hope to gain?

The militant organization that has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007 has shown the world that it is a force to be reckoned with, but it is hard to see how there can be a positive outcome for Hamas or Gaza from the events this weekend.

Israel is likely to use the full force of its military might to crush militant activity, not just in Gaza but also the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In the process, a huge number of Palestinian civilians are likely to be killed, and homes and infrastructure destroyed.

The hostage-taking will also complicate Israel’s response and gives Hamas a significant bargaining chip. Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier held in Gaza by Hamas for five years, was finally released in 2011 in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

If Iran is involved, it will hope the violence will scupper any deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Does Hamas have the support of ordinary people in Gaza?

Many people in Gaza just want to get on with their lives, free from the blockade and repeated wars and conflicts. 

However, others are driven to take up arms by the lack of hope and the misery that is characteristic of life in Gaza. They see militant action as the only way of asserting themselves and fighting for a better future.

Support for Hamas has not been tested since the last elections in Gaza in 2006.

What has been the international reaction to the Hamas offensive?

There has been overwhelming condemnation of Hamas and support for Israel’s right to defend itself. Joe Biden told Netanyahu that the US “stands with the people of Israel in the face of these terrorist assaults … My administration’s support for Israeli’s security is rock solid and unwavering.”

The UN security council is to hold an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the crisis. Meanwhile, UN peacekeeping forces have been deployed along the Lebanon-Israel border to “maintain stability and help avoid escalation”.

The Egyptian government said it was in talks with Saudi Arabia and Jordan to try to find a way to defuse the crisis. Egypt has been heavily involved in brokering ceasefires in the past.

 From The Guardian

The Israeli army said, Sunday evening, that dozens of aircraft attacked about 120 targets in the town of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, during 3 rounds carried out by dozens of aircraft in the past hours.

The Israeli military spokesman stated that tens of tons of explosives were dropped during the attack.

He claimed that the town of Beit Hanoun is considered a "terrorist" den for Hamas, and many activities are carried out from there.

He claimed that a tunnel he was using in the area was attacked, and another tunnel in Gaza City was destroyed.

He stated that 800 targets were attacked in the Gaza Strip.

US President Joe Biden renewed, this Sunday evening, his unlimited and unconditional support for Israel.

This came in the second phone call between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after a call that took place yesterday.

According to the Hebrew channel Reshet Kan, Biden confirmed his support for Israel in its attack on Gaza.

Biden promised to provide military support from offensive and defensive ammunition to Israel.

This Sunday evening, settlers attacked the town of Qasra, south of Nablus.

According to local sources, armed settlers from the “Yesh Kodesh” settlement, established on the town’s lands, attacked the residents on the eastern side of it, under the protection of the occupation army.

He added that the settlers used motorcycles to reach citizens' homes, stressing that the residents confronted them, which led to the outbreak of confrontations, amid heavy gunfire.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh said, “From the first moment of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, we began taking Arab and international action to stop the aggression and stop the bloodshed.”

Shtayyeh added, in his speech about the developments in the situation in the Gaza Strip, “We made it clear to the world that the security solutions adopted by Israel will not benefit anything, as the only solution lies in ending the occupation.”

He continued: "Under the guidance of President Mahmoud Abbas, we began a campaign to alleviate the suffering of our people in the Gaza Strip, and we asked our embassy in the Arab Republic of Egypt to examine options with our brothers in Egypt, in order to deliver aid through the Rafah crossing."

Shtayyeh said: “Yesterday we started a blood donation campaign and it is continuing, and we call on our people to donate blood through the centers designated for that. We have also communicated with the World Health Organization and UNICEF in order to deliver an aid package of medicines to our people in the Gaza Strip, and to send a medical delegation as well.”

He added: "We have instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to direct our ambassadors to explain the situation and situation that our people are suffering from, whether in the city of Jerusalem, settler terrorism, or the siege of the Gaza Strip," stressing that "our people, wherever they are, are one and united. When they suffer in one place, we suffer everywhere, and this suffering ends with an end to it." Occupation".

Three Palestinian citizens, including a teen, were injured by live bullets this Sunday evening, during confrontations that broke out with the Israeli occupation in various areas in the West Bank.

In Bethlehem, a 17-year-old boy was injured by a bullet in the thigh and was taken to a clinic in the town.

In the city of Al-Bireh, a citizen was injured by live bullets in the thigh, at the northern entrance to the city.

A 13-year-old teen was injured by live bullets in the thigh near the Huwwara checkpoint, south of Nablus, and was taken to the hospital.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced, this evening, Sunday, the appointment of a new official for the file of the coordinator of Israeli prisoners and missing persons, a day after dozens of them were captured by members of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement.

According to the Hebrew Channel 12, General Gal Hirsch has been appointed reserve, indicating that all government agencies will submit to his instructions.

This comes in light of talk about Israel’s request to Egypt to intervene and negotiate the release of sick and elderly Israeli prisoners, which was denied by Israeli sources.

Jordanian King Abdullah II stressed the need to strengthen Arab coordination to stop the escalation in Gaza and its surroundings, and to support the Palestinian people in achieving their legitimate rights.

King Abdullah II, during a phone call he received from Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, today, Sunday, stressed the importance of respecting international and humanitarian law.

He explained that there is communication with regional and international partners to discuss urgent international action to stop the escalation.

A number of citizens suffered from suffocation, today, Sunday, during confrontations with the Israeli occupation forces in Bethlehem.

According to security and local sources, the confrontations centered at the northern entrance to the city, during which the occupation forces fired stun grenades and poisonous gas, which led to a number of residents of Al-Azza camp suffocating, and they were treated in the field.

Today, Sunday, the Media Office of the Ministry of Interior and National Security called on citizens not to respond to recorded voice messages that were randomly sent by the Israeli occupation to the phones of citizens in Gaza, asking them to leave their homes.

It added: These messages aim to incite panic and fear within the framework of the psychological warfare accompanying the occupation’s aggression against the Palestinian people.

The Prisoners' Club reported that since yesterday, the occupation prison administration had imposed "punitive measures" against the detainees, which consisted of closing sections in all prisons, withdrawing the limited number of television sets available to detainees, increasing jamming devices, stopping visits to the detainees' families, and informing lawyers of the cancellation of visits made to them.

The Prisoner's Club added, in a statement on Sunday, that the occupation also decided, pursuant to a military order, to increase the period of extending the detention of detainees from 96 hours to 8 days, and to prevent all detainees from meeting with a lawyer during the first four days of detention.

Yesterday, the repressive forces stormed the detention section of the “Damoun” prison, using poisonous gas, cutting off their electricity, and isolating the prison representative, Marah Bakir, and transferring her - according to available information - to the “Jalmatt” prison. In light of this, the female detainees decided to take protest steps, namely: Return meals, refusing the so-called "count" procedure.

It is worth mentioning that the number of detainees in the occupation prisons is more than 5,250, including 39 female detainees, 170 children, and more than 1,300 administrative detainees.

Israel and Hamas fighters are still trading fire in Israeli towns a day after the Palestinian militants breached the heavily fortified border from Gaza and poured into nearby settlements, killing and taking hostage both soldiers and civilians in an unprecedented attack.

British citizen Jacob Marlowe is among the missing after Hamas stormed a music festival and seized partygoers as hostages on Saturday morning.

The death toll for Israelis has risen to almost 600, several local media outlets have reported including Times of Israel and Haaretz.

Vowing brutal retaliation, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared the country to be at war and vowed to turn Hamas sites to rubble – warning Palestinians they should leave besieged Gaza, despite them being unable to do so.

Gaza health authorities reported 313 fatalities, as relentless Israeli strikes continued overnight. Israel’s military claimed on Sunday to have killed more than 400 Hamas gunmen as battles continued to dislodge and root out militants from eight settlements within Israel.

The military gave Israeli residents 24 hours to evacuate homes near the border, warning that “every attacker located in a house, all the commanders in houses, will be hit by Israeli fire”.

Today, Sunday, Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh discussed with British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly the ongoing escalation in the Gaza Strip.

The Prime Minister said in a phone call with the British Foreign Minister: “Israel bears full responsibility for what is happening, by creating a climate of hatred, violence, incitement, and violating international law.”

He added: "We have always warned of the seriousness of the repercussions that will result from continuing the siege of our people in the Gaza Strip, continuing to storm cities, towns, villages and camps, violating sanctities, attacking Muslim and Christian worshipers, and spitting on monks."

He considered that the international alignment behind Israel encourages it to commit more crimes in the Gaza Strip against our people, and that our people are one in Gaza, the West Bank, and the diaspora.

He continued: "Now, the world is required to stop the aggression against Gaza and create a political horizon that meets the rights of our people."

An Israeli political source denied, Sunday evening, the existence of any contacts or negotiations with Egypt in order to hold negotiations regarding prisoners held by Hamas.

The source told Hebrew Channel 13 that these reports are incorrect and there are currently no communications.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein discussed, by telephone today (Sunday), efforts to stop the escalation between the Palestinian and Israeli sides and enhance the calm in order to reach a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian issue.

Counselor Ahmed Fahmy, spokesman for the Egyptian presidency, said in a statement on his Facebook page that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received a phone call from King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Fahmi said that the call covered consultations on efforts to stop the ongoing escalation between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, where recent developments were reviewed and the priority of concerted regional and international efforts to work to stop escalation and violence, and exercise self-restraint, to stop bloodshed and prevent further deterioration of the situation.

He explained that it was agreed, during the call, to continue and intensify consultation and coordination between Egypt and Jordan with the aim of strengthening efforts to achieve calm, in order to advance the path of a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian issue, on the basis of the two-state solution, in accordance with the relevant references of international legitimacy, and in a way that ensures the establishment of peace and stability in the region. .

RT Russian channel reported that Russia and Ukraine, which have been locked in a major conflict for more than a year and a half, have reacted to the escalation of hostilities between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

On Saturday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov urged both sides of the conflict to cease hostilities immediately. Russia’s stance on the latest Israel-Palestine escalation was further outlined by Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, who released a special statement on the matter.

“We call on the Palestinian and Israeli sides for an immediate ceasefire, renunciation of violence, exercising necessary restraint, and the launch, with the assistance of the international community, of a negotiation process aimed at establishing a comprehensive, lasting, and much-awaited peace in the Middle East,” Zakharova said.

The escalation in the region is yet another manifestation of the “closed cycle of violence,” the spokeswoman noted, adding that Russia believes the 75-year-long conflict cannot be solved through military means. The flare-up is a “result of a chronic failure to comply with relevant UN and Security Council resolutions,” as well as a derailment of the peace process by the collective West, Zakharova explained.

Meanwhile, Kiev proclaimed its full support for Israel, denouncing Hamas as “terrorists.” “Ukraine strongly condemns the ongoing terrorist attacks against Israel, including rocket attacks against the civilian population in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. We express our support for Israel in its right to defend itself and its people,” the Ukrainian foreign minister wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This stance was amplified by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who took to Telegram to urge the “whole world” to support Israel in its fight against Palestinians.

“Horrible reports from Israel. My condolences to everyone whose family and friends died in the terrorist attack … Israel’s right to defense is beyond any doubt,” Zelensky stated.

Hamas initiated a major assault on Israel early on Saturday, launching dozens of rockets from Gaza, as well as attacking border checkpoints and infiltrating multiple locations across southern Israel. Footage circulating online suggests multiple Israeli military installations were overrun by Hamas militants, with a significant number of Israelis, both servicemen and civilians, killed or captured.

Israel responded with massive airstrikes on Gaza, which have already killed more than 150 people and injured nearly 1,000, according to the local health authority. Israel has also announced the mobilization of military reservists, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the country was now “at war.”

Germany should urgently review the money it spends on humanitarian aid for Palestinians, given the ongoing large-scale attacks by Hamas militants on Israeli civilians, Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on Saturday. 

“I therefore hope to receive a recommendation from the foreign minister on how the German state should proceed with the financial support for the Palestinians in light of this violence.” The minister added that any decision regarding the aid should be “implemented immediately.” 

According to Lindner, Berlin transferred €340 million ($360 million) in humanitarian and development aid for Palestinians in 2021 and 2022 alone. 

Meanwhile, Gregor Gysi, an MP for the Left Party (Die Linke), opposed cutting aid to Gaza. “Palestinian organizations can and must be supported, but not Hamas,” the politician told Der Spiegel magazine. He also condemned Hamas for killing civilians and taking Israelis hostage.

Hamas launched an attack on Israel on Saturday morning, firing rockets from Gaza and sending groups of militants across the border. Israel responded by striking targets in Gaza which it said were used by the group.

The UN Security Council members will convene on Sunday for emergency closed consultations on "The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question". The Council members will discuss the recent escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza. 

Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland is expected to brief. It is noteworthy that the meeting was initially requested in the private meeting format but was later changed to consultations after several members expressed a preference for the latter format. 

While both formats are closed to the public, consultations differ from a private meeting in that it is not a formal meeting of the Security Council.

 In addition, only Council members can participate in consultations, whereas member states whose interests are directly affected may be invited to participate in a private meeting in accordance with rule 37 and rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure. The next regular meeting on this file is the quarterly open debate on "The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question" scheduled for 24 October.

Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry held a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov where they discussed the role of the UN Security Council in stopping the recent escalation in Palestinian-Israeli clashes, dubbed the “Al-Aqsa Storm”.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Ahmed Abu Zeid, confirmed that both ministers called for an immediate halt to the ongoing escalation in the Gaza Strip and the violent clashes between the Palestinian and Israeli sides. The UN Security Council meeting on Sunday, called for by the Brazilian Presidency of the Council, will provide a significant opportunity to discuss the escalation and attempts to end it.

The spokesperson also revealed that Shoukry stressed to his Russian counterpart the importance of the UN Security Council in shouldering its responsibility in dealing with the Palestinian issue, taking all comprehensive measures to protect Palestinian rights – foremost of which is the right of the Palestinian people to establish an independent state. Egypt has a long history of mediation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and will likely play a major role in attempting to bring about a ceasefire.   

Escalation into war

The Israeli military on Saturday declared that Israel was in a ‘state of war’ after Hamas militants fired rockets and sent forces into Israeli territory.

“If you have a gun, get it out. This is the time to use it – get out with trucks, cars, axes, today the best and most honorable history starts,” Hamas military commander Muhammad Al-Deif said in a recorded message as reported by CNN. 

Israeli media on Sunday have reported 350 deaths so far in the clashes. The “Al-Aqsa Storm” operation was a series of coordinated attacks launched by Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip and Israel on Saturday.

The Izzedine al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced on Sunday morning the killing of the commander of the communications battalion in the Israeli army – amid the escalation of clashes taking place since Saturday. 

The Palestinian group also reported that artillery units are supporting its fighters with rockets in Ofakim, Sderot, Yad Mordechai, and more.

The Israeli repressive forces stormed the female prisoners’ section in the “Damoun” prison, isolated the female prisoner’s representative, Marah Bakir, and transferred her to the “Jalama” prison.

  The Prisoner Club added in a statement issued today, Sunday, that the occupation forces cut off the electricity supply to the department after storming it yesterday.

He pointed out that the female prisoners decided to take protest steps, which included returning meals, and not specifying the “number,” which is one of the “security” measures imposed by the prison administration on detainees.

China said the latest escalation of violence after Hamas attacked Israel showed a long-term stagnation of the peace process is “unsustainable,” as it reiterated support for an independent Palestinian state.

“All parties” should act with restraint and cease fire immediately to prevent further deterioration, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement Sunday. A fundamental way to stem the recurrence of conflict between Palestine and Israel is a “two-state solution,” according to the statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared his country is “at war” after Gaza Strip militants fired over 3,000 missiles and infiltrated its southern parts early Saturday. Hundreds have been killed on both sides. Peace talks around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have been stalled since 2014.

“The international community should increase its sense of urgency, increase investment in the Palestinian issue, promote the early resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel, and seek a path to lasting peace,” the Chinese foreign ministry said. “China will continue to work with the international community to make unremitting efforts to this end.”

China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has been increasingly vocal on Israeli-Palestinian issues as it tries to raise its presence in the Middle East. In June, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas visited China and met President Xi Jinping, who proposed an international peace conference on the conflict.

The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas launched its biggest assault on Israel in years early on Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets from Gaza and sending fighters across the border.

Israel said it was on a war footing and began its own strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza, with Israeli media reporting gunbattles between bands of Palestinian fighters and security forces in southern Israel.

The following timeline, which begins with Israel's 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, details the major flare-ups in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian groups in the crowded coastal enclave, which is home to 2.3 million people.

August 2005 - Israeli forces unilaterally withdraw from Gaza 38 years after capturing it from Egypt in the Middle East war, abandoning settlements and leaving the enclave under the control of the Palestinian Authority.

Jan. 25, 2006 - The Islamist group Hamas wins a majority of seats in a Palestinian legislative election. Israel and the U.S. cut off aid to Palestinians because Hamas refuses to renounce violence and recognize Israel.

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June 25, 2006 - Hamas militants capture Israeli army conscript Gilad Shalit in a cross-border raid from Gaza, prompting Israeli air strikes and incursions. Shalit is finally freed more than five years later in a prisoner exchange.

June 14, 2007 - Hamas takes over Gaza in a brief civil war, ousting Fatah forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is based in the West Bank.

Dec. 27, 2008 - Israel launches a 22-day military offensive in Gaza after Palestinians fire rockets at the southern Israeli town of Sderot. About 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis are reported killed before a ceasefire is agreed.

Nov. 14, 2012 - Israel kills Hamas's military chief of staff, Ahmad Jabari. Eight days of Palestinian militant rocket fire and Israeli air strikes follow.

July-August 2014 - The kidnap and killing of three Israeli teenagers by Hamas leads to a seven-week war in which more than 2,100 Palestinians are reported killed in Gaza and 73 Israelis are reported dead, 67 of them military.

March 2018 - Palestinian protests begin at Gaza’s fenced border with Israel. Israeli troops open fire to keep protestors back. More than 170 Palestinians are reported killed in several months of protests, which also prompt fighting between Hamas and Israeli forces.

May 2021 - After weeks of tension during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, hundreds of Palestinians are wounded in clashes with Israeli security forces at the Al Aqsa compound in Jerusalem, Islam’s third holiest site.

After demanding Israel withdraw security forces from the compound, Hamas unleashes a barrage of rockets from Gaza into Israel. Israel hits back with air strikes on Gaza. Fighting goes on for 11 days, killing at least 250 people in Gaza and 13 in Israel.

Aug 2022 - At least 44 people, including 15 children, are killed in three days of violence that begin when Israeli air strikes hit a senior Islamic Jihad commander.

Israel says the strikes were a pre-emptive operation against an imminent attack by the Iranian-backed militant movement, targeting commanders and arms depots. In response, Islamic Jihad fires more than 1,000 rockets towards Israel. Israel's Iron Dome air defense system prevents any serious damage or casualties.

Jan 2023 - Islamic Jihad in Gaza fires two rockets towards Israel after Israeli troops raid a refugee camp and kill seven Palestinian gunmen and two civilians. The rockets set off alarms in Israeli communities near the border but cause no casualties. Israel responds with air strikes on Gaza.

Oct 2023 - Hamas launches the biggest attack on Israel in years from the Gaza Strip, with a surprise assault combining gunmen crossing the border with a heavy barrage of rockets. Islamic Jihad says its fighters have joined the attack.

Israel's military said it was on a war footing, adding it had carried out strikes targeting Hamas in Gaza and had called up reservists.

Dozens of citizens suffocated today, Sunday, during confrontations with Israeli occupation forces in the Bab al-Zawiya area in central Hebron.

According to local sources, these forces fired stun grenades and poisonous gas towards demonstrators and citizens’ homes in the Bab al-Zawiya area during confrontations that took place in the area, causing a number of them to suffocate.

The occupation forces also tightened their procedures at military checkpoints, especially at the Shuhada checkpoint in the center of Hebron.

On Sunday evening, the Israeli occupation forces arrested three Palestinian from Old Jerusalem and Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Local sources reported that the occupation forces abused a young man - whose identity is not yet known - near Bab Al-Zahra in the Old City before arresting him. They also arrested two young men, Thaer Abu Sarah and Issam Abu Diab, from the town of Silwan.

In a related context, Jerusalemite citizens from Sheikh Jarrah said that Israeli violent settlers smashed the windows of their vehicles, which were parked in front of their homes in the neighborhood.

Today, Sunday, massive Palestinian crowds mourned the bodies of 3 martyrs in Ramallah, Hebron, and Qalqilya.

In Ramallah, large crowds carried the body of the young martyr, Amr Youssef Abed (18 years old), to his final resting place in the cemetery of the town of Beitunia.

The funeral procession started in the morning from the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah, and the body was transported to the family home to pay their respects. Then it was carried to the Great Beitunia Mosque, where the funeral prayer was performed over it after the noon prayer, before it was buried.

The young man, Amr Abed, was martyred yesterday evening, Saturday, as a result of being wounded by bullets from the occupation forces, in confrontations that broke out at the northern entrance to the city of Al-Bireh, following the suppression of a march that took place to denounce the Israeli occupation’s aggression against our people.

In Hebron, the masses carried the body of the martyr Yousef Nader Suleiman Idris to his final resting place.

The funeral procession started from Al-Ahli Hospital, arriving at his family’s home to pay his last respects, before praying for him at the Tariq Bin Ziyad Mosque in the southern area of Hebron, to be buried in the Martyrs’ Cemetery in the Wadi Al-Hariya area, south of the city.

The young man, Idris, was martyred yesterday evening, Saturday, as a result of being wounded by occupation bullets during confrontations with the occupation forces in the Wadi al-Nasara area in Hebron.

In Qalqilya, citizens carried the body of the martyr, the child Ahmed Abdel Nasser Rabi (13 years old), to his final resting place.

The funeral procession started from Darwish Nazzal Governmental Hospital, arriving at his family’s home to bid farewell to him, then to the Souq Mosque in the city, where the funeral prayer was performed over him after the noon prayer, before he was laid to rest.

The child, Ahmed Rabi, died yesterday as a result of his wounds shot by the Israeli occupation forces, during confrontations that broke out at the northern entrance to the city of Qalqilya.

On Sunday, two Israelis and another Egyptian were killed by gunfire in the Mansheya area in Alexandria, Egypt.

According to a security source, while one of the Israeli tourist groups was at the Umud al-Sawari shrine, a police officer assigned to serve as security in the area randomly fired shots from his personal weapon.

The shooting led to the death of two Israelis and an Egyptian, and the injury of another, who was taken to the hospital for treatment.

The security source indicated that the police officer was immediately arrested, while legal measures are being taken against him.

Adnan Abu Hasna, media advisor to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said, “20,300 Palestinians have been displaced to UNRWA schools in the Gaza Strip since yesterday.”

Abu Hasna added, in a call with the official Wafa news agency, on Sunday, that 44 UNRWA schools, including 28 schools equipped for shelter, received displaced people from various governorates of the Gaza Strip, with the exception of Khan Yunis.

He pointed out that the numbers of displaced people were concentrated in the northern Gaza Strip, the eastern border and the south of the Strip, expecting their numbers to increase in the coming hours.

Today, Sunday, President Mahmoud Abbas directed the Palestinian government and the relevant authorities to work immediately to provide the available capabilities to provide relief to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

President Abbas said: “Our people in Gaza are subjected to comprehensive aggression, attacks and killings by the Israeli occupation forces, which requires that we provide everything that will alleviate their suffering, whether at the governmental level, the private sector, or civil and charitable institutions, by running humanitarian relief convoys on an urgent basis” to alleviate their suffering.”

President Abbas stressed that Gaza will not remain alone in facing this aggression, like the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory.

He held the Israeli occupation government responsible for cutting off basic supplies to our people in the Gaza Strip, including water, electricity, and foodstuffs.

President Abbas called on the international community to intervene immediately and oblige the occupying authority to fulfill its responsibilities and legal obligations towards the occupied people, saying: “The international community must also bear its responsibilities towards providing immediate relief to our people who are suffering from the scourge of the Israeli siege and wars.”

The Prisoners' Club reported today, Sunday, that (559) prisoners were sentenced to life imprisonment.

The club indicated in a statement that the highest prison sentence among them is the prisoner Abdullah Al-Barghouti, whose term is (67) life sentences.

It is noteworthy that there are prisoners who were arrested during the past year and this year on the grounds of carrying out commando operations, and they are still under trial, and the occupation is demanding that life imprisonment sentences be issued against them.

The United Nations forces operating in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) urged to exercise restraint and de-escalate the security situation between Lebanon and Israel.

This came according to the official Lebanese National News Agency in a statement by UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti.

Tenenti confirmed that "early this morning, UNIFIL peacekeepers monitored the launching of several missiles from southern Lebanon towards the territory occupied by Israel in the Kafr Shuba area, and artillery fire from Israel into Lebanon in response."

He added, "We are in contact with the authorities on both sides of the Blue Line at all levels, to contain the situation and avoid a more dangerous escalation."

Tenenti pointed out that "UNIFIL peacekeepers are in their positions, carrying out their tasks and continuing to work, including from shelters for their safety."

He added, "We urge everyone to exercise restraint and take advantage of UNIFIL's liaison and coordination mechanisms to reduce the escalation and prevent the rapid deterioration of the security situation."

The Lebanese Hezbollah claimed in a statement that its military arm had fired large numbers of artillery shells and missiles directed at 3 Israeli sites in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms, including the Mount Hermon Observatory site, the largest Israeli army observatory on the border line with Lebanon.

Sources in the Lebanese army intelligence confirmed to Xinhua News Agency that the exchange of artillery and missile shelling between Hezbollah and the Israeli army stopped completely after it continued for about an hour and a half.

The sources indicated that the Israeli 155 mm heavy artillery responded by firing about 70 shells at several areas in eastern southern Lebanon, including the heights of Mount Sadana and the outskirts of the villages of Shebaa, Kafr Shuba, Halta, and Al-Habbariyeh, without recording any casualties.
She added that Israeli marches were flying densely over the Shebaa Farms, Kfarshouba Hills, and the villages of Arqoub, east of southern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese army declared a state of maximum alert, while UNIFIL intensified its patrols along the Blue Line separating Lebanon and Israel.