Dr. Aql Salah: The Israeli criminal policy depends on using the blood of the Palestinians as a bargaining chip in any future truce

Raed Al-Dabai: The escalation of massacres in Gaza reveals Netanyahu’s efforts to pressure Hamas to accept Israeli conditions in any potential deal

Naaman Abed: What the Fakh Brigade is doing in terms of destruction and genocide comes in the context of enhancing the competitiveness of the occupation army in terms of brutality against the Palestinians.

Suleiman Basharat: The Israeli killing policy is an established methodology that targets the Palestinian people and their existence and has no relation to a specific occasion.

Daoud Kuttab: What has been revealed about Fakh's crimes confirms the need to take urgent steps to file direct complaints with the International Court of Justice

Adnan Al-Sabah: The ongoing war of destruction and genocide is not individual actions or random mistakes, but rather systematic behavior by the entire occupying state.

The Israeli occupation state continues its systematic crimes in the Gaza Strip with the beginning of the new year 2025, in order to achieve its goals that have exceeded the declared goals to the goal of exterminating and displacing the Palestinian people.

In separate interviews with “I”, writers and political analysts believe that this war of extermination in the Gaza Strip aims to implement strategic plans of the Israeli occupation that go beyond the declared goals, as the daily killings and destruction, which claim dozens of lives and comprehensively destroy the infrastructure, reflect Israel’s desire to end the Palestinian presence through direct killing or creating impossible living conditions that force the population to forcibly migrate.

They point out that the scene in Gaza shows an integrated strategy that includes destroying the necessities of life, such as hospitals, water and electricity networks, as part of a plan to exterminate the population or force them to leave under what is called “voluntary migration,” and that these crimes come in the context of an Israeli campaign targeting civilians and the Palestinian resistance alike, using flimsy justifications, such as eliminating the resistance or recovering captured soldiers, but the real goal is to strike the pillars of the Palestinian existence as a whole.

Writers and analysts believe that what was revealed about the actions of the "Yehuda Bach" brigade, known for its brutality and the destruction of 60 buildings daily in the Gaza Strip, comes within the context of a systematic policy by the Israeli occupation state, within the framework of a policy aimed at displacing the people of Gaza and emptying the Strip.

The ongoing crimes in Gaza are based on direct American support

Writer and political researcher Dr. Aql Salah confirms that the ongoing Israeli crimes in the Gaza Strip are based on direct American support and international and Arab silence, which constitutes a cover for Israel to continue committing daily massacres against the Palestinians.

Salah points out that the United States pressured Israel to reduce the daily number of victims from hundreds of martyrs to dozens, but it did not show any real objection to these crimes.

Salah explains that Israel relies on several strategies in its criminal policies, the most prominent of which are: taking revenge on Gaza after carrying out Operation “Noah’s Flood” on October 7, 2023, which dealt a heavy blow to Israel, as well as seeking to pressure the Palestinian resistance to accept the occupation’s conditions in any future truce, according to the vision of Benjamin Netanyahu, who uses the blood of the Palestinians as a bargaining chip.

Among the foundations of this criminal strategy of Israel, according to Salah, is the attempt to strike the popular incubator of the resistance with the aim of creating a state of popular rebellion against it, especially the Hamas movement, but this goal failed largely despite the passage of more than 450 days of war, as the Palestinians in Gaza continued to stand firm despite the harsh conditions and repeated crimes.

Salah points to the most dangerous pillar, which is the extermination of the Palestinian people and the implementation of a strategy aimed at forcing them to submit, and sending a message that fighting against Israel will not be a useful option, and through this Israel seeks to re-impose its military and political prestige in the region.

In a related context, Salah believes that the crimes recently revealed by Israeli reports, which included systematic destruction of infrastructure and killing of civilians, by a squad led by Yehuda Vach, responsible for destroying 60 buildings and annihilating entire residential blocks, are operating under the directives of the far-right Israeli government.

Salah asserts that the statements of the occupation leaders, such as former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant, who described the Palestinians as "animals," reflect the bloody mentality that drives Israel's policy.

Salah stresses that these crimes by Fakh are not individual actions, but rather part of a systematic government strategy that seeks to pressure Gaza through killing, destruction, and starvation. Israel aims to destroy the basic components of life in Gaza, including infrastructure, water and sewage networks, communications, and the Internet, to make life impossible in the Strip and push its people to emigrate.

Salah points out that Israel's continuation of these crimes is due to the absence of international accountability, which gives it greater freedom to implement genocidal policies against the Palestinians. Salah asserts that the Israeli government uses killing and destruction as a negotiating tool, while the Israeli army reflects a clear retaliation for the steadfastness of the people of Gaza and their continued fighting, inflicting daily losses on the occupation.

Netanyahu is not seeking any calm or ceasefire

The head of the Political Science Department at An-Najah National University, Raed Al-Dabai, confirms that the escalation of massacres in the Gaza Strip at the beginning of the new year clearly reveals that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not seeking any calm or ceasefire, but rather to pressure Hamas to accept Israeli conditions in any potential deal.

Al-Dabai points out that Netanyahu finds himself under great internal pressure as a result of his partnership with hardline right-wing ministers such as Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oppose international trends, whether American or Qatari, calling for a ceasefire.

Netanyahu believes that any conflict with these partners could threaten the stability of his government, which is what drives him to adopt a hardline policy in Gaza, despite international pressure.

In a deeper reading, Al-Dabai explains that Netanyahu believes that the current circumstances are favorable for launching a major strategic strike against Iran. After “evacuating the Syrian airspace” and limiting the role of Iraqi forces, Netanyahu believes that Israel has a “golden opportunity” that may not be repeated to launch a qualitative strike against Iranian nuclear reactors.

Al-Dabai points out that any calm in Gaza could hinder these plans, whether during the last days of US President Joe Biden’s administration or with Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

Regarding Gaza, Al-Dabai explains that Netanyahu's current policy aims to exert intense pressure on Hamas to force it to accept Israeli conditions in any truce agreement, despite Hamas showing increasing flexibility.

Al-Dabai points out that Israel is following a policy of excessive military pressure, with the aim of destroying the infrastructure and causing a deep psychological shock among the Palestinians, pushing them to accept any solutions imposed on them.

Regarding the reports revealed by Haaretz newspaper regarding Yehuda Wach’s role in committing crimes in Gaza, Al-Dabai explains that Wach, who works within the Israeli military system, represents part of a dual policy in which Israel uses the settlers as a tool to carry out crimes on the one hand, and evades responsibility for them on the other hand, by pinning them on the settlers themselves.

Al-Dabai points out that this strategy reflects a deliberate approach to integrating settlers into the Israeli army to turn them into a direct tool of terrorism and violence.

Al-Dabai asserts that what has been happening in Gaza since October 7 is an extension of a long-standing Israeli policy based on the excessive use of force.

Premeditated intentions to empty the Gaza Strip of its population

The writer, political analyst and international relations specialist, Noman Abed, confirms that the continuation of the war of genocide in the Gaza Strip for the 451st day, and the intensification of killing on the first day of the year 2025, where dozens were martyred, comes in the context of the systematic targeting of the Palestinian population and infrastructure, and reveals the occupation’s premeditated intentions to empty the Strip of its residents, by adopting repressive and brutal methods that combine direct killing, comprehensive destruction and forced displacement.

Abed explains that since the first day, the occupation forces have adopted a policy of systematic killing that directly targets Palestinian civilians. The air strikes have included destroying homes, bombing schools that shelter displaced people, and even targeting hospitals and places of mass displacement.

Abed points out that the confessions made by soldiers and officers in the Israeli army about deliberately targeting civilians and bragging about the killings reflect the extent of the brutality and violations committed against the Palestinian people.

Abed says that the occupation forces are deliberately using other means of extermination, including imposing a stifling siege that has starved the population and deprived them of basic supplies. The catastrophe is exacerbated by the spread of diseases and epidemics, amidst a scarcity of medical resources, which makes death an inevitable outcome for many, whether by bombing, extreme cold, or deprivation of treatment.

According to Abed, the facts indicate that the Israeli occupation seeks to radically change the geography and demographics of the Gaza Strip, according to statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and provocative visits by extremist officials such as Itamar Ben-Gvir. Therefore, the Israeli plan includes establishing buffer zones on the borders with Egypt and occupied Palestine, in addition to destroying residential areas in the northern Gaza Strip.

Abed confirms that the occupation aims to forcibly displace the population and prevent them from returning to their homes after the end of the aggression, which makes these areas uninhabitable in the future. The occupation also seeks to establish military bases and a strategic road network that serves its expansionist purposes.

Abed confirms that the occupation's policies of destruction to ensure that the population does not return in other contexts, such as southern Lebanon and the occupied Syrian Golan, where the occupation has implemented similar policies of destruction and demographic change.

Meanwhile, Abed confirms that the Israeli military teams play a pivotal role in implementing these plans, and the most prominent of these teams is “Brigade 252,” led by the settler Yehuda Fach, which undertakes the mission of population extermination by targeting civilians and destroying their homes. These teams rely on a policy of exchanging roles between their units to achieve the highest levels of destruction, within a systematic military plan that enjoys the support of the Israeli government and the army staff, which enhances competition in brutality against the Palestinians.

Abed points out that the Israeli aggression enjoys extensive American coverage, which enhances the occupation’s ability to continue its violations without fear of accountability, as the American administration provides military and logistical support, including drones and satellites, which are used to monitor the Strip and carry out precise destruction operations.

On the other hand, Abed stresses that despite the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for some occupation leaders, the lack of international will to activate these warrants constitutes an obstacle to achieving justice, which requires reminding the world of its responsibility, as it shows that international pressure can be an effective means of holding occupation leaders accountable.

Meanwhile, Abed expects that if the aggression stops, Gaza will face a new reality imposed by the occupation, as the border areas and the northern areas of the Strip will become uninhabitable, which will reinforce the occupation’s plans aimed at reducing the population and imposing complete control over the Strip. This demographic and geographical change aims to achieve the Israeli vision of expanding its borders and taking complete control of resources.

The Israeli policy of killing and genocide is ingrained and not fleeting.

Writer and political analyst Suleiman Basharat believes that the policy of killing and genocide practiced by the Israeli occupation is not fleeting or a product of circumstances, but rather is an inherent part of the Israeli settlement identity since the beginning of the occupation project until today.

Basharat stresses that this policy constitutes one of the basic pillars of the conflict from the Israeli perspective, as it aims to create a permanent state of fear and terror in the Palestinian collective consciousness.

Basharat explains that the Israeli occupation seeks to portray itself as a machine of oppression, killing and destruction, making these tools the essential relationship that connects it to the Palestinian people under occupation.

Basharat points out that this policy is not linked to a specific time or stage, whether in the past or current year, or even in the first or last days of each year, as it represents a methodology rooted in the settlement and criminal ideology upon which Israel is based.

Regarding Israeli behavior in the Gaza Strip, Basharat explains that the possibilities of stopping the war or Israel refraining from targeting the Palestinians are merely illusions. The occupation is continuing its destructive project that aims to transform Gaza into an uninhabitable area, and to push the population either to direct death by the killing machine or to forced migration when exit routes are opened for them.

Basharat believes that Israel seeks to weaken the Palestinian human presence in Gaza to the minimum possible, as part of its long-term project to empty the Strip of its population or turn them into a fragile and unstable society.

Basharat believes that Israel's continued use of excessive force, including the destruction of hospitals and health facilities in northern Gaza, is being done under the pretext of confronting the Palestinian resistance, to justify all these crimes before the world with the so-called "right to self-defense."

Basharat points out that the occupation repeatedly promotes claims that the resistance is reorganizing its ranks, to justify the continuation of killing, genocide, and targeting of civilians, which is unfortunately accepted by many international parties as part of legitimizing the occupation and its aggressive policies.

Basharat discusses how Israel is trying to present itself to the world as a democratic society that is held accountable for mistakes by opening investigations into some crimes, such as the systematic destruction carried out by military units such as the one led by Yehuda Vach.

But Basharat believes that these investigations are nothing but attempts to beautify the image of the occupation and cover up the crimes of genocide and mass murder, as the occupation portrays these crimes as if they were the individual actions of officers or soldiers, while in reality they are systematic institutional policies.

Basharat asserts that Israel does not need real justifications to continue killing, as it sees the promotion of terms such as “the right to self-defense” and “national security” as sufficient tools to justify its behavior before the international community.

Basharat points out that the occupation is trying to exploit these arguments to market them as internationally acceptable, relying on the weakness of international responses that are often limited to condemnation without taking practical steps to stop its crimes.

Regarding the transformation required to stop these policies, Basharat believes that the world is required to take a decisive stance that categorically rejects the tools of the occupation and its aggressive behavior.

Basharat asserts that the continued provision of political, diplomatic and military support to Israel enhances its ability to fabricate pretexts and narratives to continue the killing in Gaza.

Basharat stresses that the Palestinians are the real victims of these policies, as they pay the price for the international silence and the cover given to Israel.

Basharat concludes that the Israeli occupation, in light of this international support, will continue its destructive project in Gaza, unless there is a radical shift in international positions that strips Israel of its tools of killing and puts an end to its criminal policies.

The ongoing war has not lost its bloody momentum, as if it had just begun.

Writer and political analyst Daoud Kuttab asserts that the continued killing in the Gaza Strip at the beginning of 2025, and the martyrdom of dozens in its first days, indicates that the ongoing war has not lost its bloody momentum, as if it had just begun. This is an Israeli approach that reflects “clear sadism” in dealing with the civilian population, pointing out that international silence, especially American silence, has given Israel the green light to continue its war of genocide against the Palestinian people.

Writers point out that the Israeli justifications for escalating military operations under the pretext of "reducing Hamas' conditions" are nothing more than attempts to justify war crimes.

Writers explain that the Israeli occupation, even with Hamas’s concessions on some issues, continues to escalate its demands in an unreasonable manner, which reveals the exploitation of the blood of civilians to achieve political goals.

In the context of daily crimes, writers point to what was revealed about the 252nd Division led by Yehuda Wach, which demolishes 60 buildings daily in Gaza, stressing the need to take urgent steps to submit direct complaints to the International Court of Justice.

Writers assert that the crimes that some Israeli officials, such as Fakh, boast about committing, reflect a clear disregard for international law and human rights.

Writers stress that full responsibility for these crimes lies with Israel, both its political and military branches.

Writers believe that the continuation of these crimes on a daily basis, in full view of the world, necessitates accelerating the process of international accountability, stressing that the global silence encourages Israel to continue its violations, as the absence of deterrence is the main factor that allows this destructive approach against the Palestinians to continue.

The writers call on the international community to take immediate action to hold Israel accountable for its war crimes, stressing the importance of confronting these blatant violations before their repercussions worsen.

The occupation continues its crimes in Gaza to achieve goals that go beyond those announced

Writer and political analyst Adnan Al-Sabah confirms that the Israeli occupation continues its crimes in the Gaza Strip to achieve goals that go beyond those announced, pointing out that the real goal is to get rid of the Palestinian people by all possible means.

Al-Sabah points out that this criminal behavior seeks to exterminate the Palestinians, whether through direct killing or turning their lives into an unbearable hell that pushes them to forced migration under the guise of “voluntary migration,” a concept that even US President Joe Biden has long promoted.

Al-Sabah stresses that Israel is not content with killing people, but is practicing genocide against all aspects of life in Gaza, from destroying stones, trees, and infrastructure, including hospitals, water lines, electricity, and everything that forms the basis of normal life.

Al-Sabah confirms that the occupation seeks to make life in Gaza completely impossible, not just difficult, in order to force the Palestinians to leave their land, in a way that serves the occupation’s aspirations to end the Palestinian presence in the Strip, by any means possible.

Al-Sabah points out that Israeli talk about goals such as ending Hamas’s authority, recovering Israeli prisoners, or eliminating the resistance, are nothing but pretexts to justify the main goal, which is targeting the entire Palestinian people and striking at the roots of the Palestinian national cause.

Al-Sabah explains that since October 7, the occupation has been working according to a clear and systematic plan, where roles are distributed among the various state institutions and the army to achieve these goals.

Regarding the Israeli opposition, Al-Sabah asserts that it is not a real opposition, but rather an attempt to divert attention from the crimes committed in Gaza and hold Netanyahu responsible as one person.

Al-Sabah points out that this opposition issues statements that have no real value, as it has not presented any tangible steps to stop the war, but rather seeks only to change the political leadership, without touching the institutional structure that carries out the crimes.

Al-Sabah confirms that the war of destruction and genocide taking place in Gaza is not merely individual actions or random mistakes, as is being promoted by the Israeli media, as happened in the investigation revealed by the newspaper "Haaretz" regarding the practices of the division led by Yehuda Wach, but rather it is systematic behavior by the entire occupying state.

Al-Sabah points out that the ongoing battle is targeting everything in the Strip, from people to homes and infrastructure, without exception, which makes talking about accurate numbers of martyrs or the extent of the destruction pointless, because the war is not over, and the main goal is to completely annihilate Gaza.

Al-Sabah confirms that the Palestinians in Gaza were left in a pile of rubble, surrounded by the smell of death from every direction, amid shameful international silence.

Al-Sabah stresses that these ongoing crimes are part of the occupation's long-term policy, which aims to end the Palestinian cause by targeting the head of the resistance and the people, and thus liquidating the entire national cause.