Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan announced on Wednesday the arrival of 3,500 blood and plasma units collected during the sixth round of the "One Blood" campaign to Nasser Medical Center in the Gaza Strip.

He stressed that this step comes within the framework of strengthening the steadfastness of our people in the southern governorates, and embodies the unity of blood and destiny among the sons of the one Palestinian people.

He said that the sixth round, which began on June 14 and continued until June 21, came in response to the health emergency and the severe shortage of blood units needed by health facilities in Gaza, especially in light of the ongoing aggression and blockade.

Abu Ramadan added: "Today we say to our people in Gaza: The blood of your brothers in the West Bank has reached you. Your blood is our blood, and your wounds are our wounds. These units that have reached you are not just preserved blood, but messages of life, love, and unbreakable unity."

The Minister of Health paid tribute to the laboratory crews working in blood banks at government hospitals in the West Bank for their exceptional efforts in withdrawing, testing, and storing blood units throughout the campaign, adding, "The dedication and tireless work of our colleagues in medical laboratories and blood banks reflects a spirit of belonging and high national responsibility."

He commended the role of donors who responded to the call of humanitarian and national duty, donating their blood to save the lives of the wounded and sick in Gaza, stressing that this widespread popular solidarity is the highest form of solidarity.

Abu Ramadan explained that the transfer of blood units from blood banks in the West Bank to Gaza was carried out through the World Health Organization and in full coordination with the Palestinian Ministry of Health. He added that these units will be distributed from Nasser Hospital to medical centers in the Gaza Strip as needed, ensuring their safe delivery to patients and the wounded.

For his part, Assistant Undersecretary for Medical Support Services and Blood Banks Osama Al-Najjar affirmed the readiness of blood bank and Central Blood Bank staff to organize more blood donation campaigns and meet the urgent needs of blood types and blood derivatives for the wounded and sick in all northern and southern governorates of the country.

CNN reported on Tuesday that the US military strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities last Saturday did not destroy key components of the country's nuclear program and likely set it back by only several months, according to a preliminary US intelligence assessment.

According to CNN, this assessment, which has not been previously published, was prepared by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon's intelligence arm. A source said it is based on a battle damage assessment conducted by US Central Command following the US strikes.

Analysis of the damage to the sites and the impact of the strikes on Iran's nuclear ambitions continues, and the conclusion may change as more intelligence becomes available. However, the initial findings contradict US President Donald Trump's repeated claims that the strikes "totally destroyed" Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also stated on Sunday that Iran's nuclear ambitions were "eliminated." Two people familiar with the assessment told CNN that Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed. One said its centrifuges were largely "intact." Another source said the enriched uranium assessed by intelligence was removed from the sites before the US strikes. This person added, "So, the DIA assessment is that the US delayed them by a few months at most."

The White House acknowledged the assessment, but said it disagreed with it, according to CNN.

“This alleged assessment is completely false,” White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt told CNN in a statement. “It was classified as ‘top secret,’ but was nevertheless leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level, and failing member of the intelligence community. Leaking this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to discredit President Trump and the brave fighter pilots who carried out a perfectly executed mission to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program. Everyone knows what happens when you drop 14, 30,000-pound bombs with precision: total destruction.” The U.S. military stated that the operation went as planned and was a “stunning success.”

It is still too early for the United States to develop a comprehensive picture of the impact of the strikes, and none of the sources described how the Defense Intelligence Agency's assessment compares to the views of other intelligence agencies. The United States continues to collect intelligence, including from within Iran, as part of its damage assessment.

Israel had been carrying out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities for days prior to the US military operation, but claimed it needed US-made 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs to accomplish the mission. While US B-2 bombers dropped more than a dozen bombs on two nuclear facilities – the Fordow fuel enrichment plant and the Natanz uranium enrichment complex – these bombs did not completely destroy the centrifuges and highly enriched uranium at the sites, according to people familiar with the assessment.

Instead, the impact at the three sites—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan—was largely confined to above-ground structures, which were severely damaged, according to the sources. This includes the sites' power infrastructure and some above-ground facilities used to convert uranium into bomb-making metal.

The Israeli assessment of the impact of the US strikes also found less damage at Fordow than expected. However, Israeli officials believe that the joint US-Israeli military action against multiple nuclear sites set back Iran's nuclear program by two years, assuming they can rebuild it unhindered, which Israel will not allow. However, Israel had publicly stated before the US military operation that the Iranian program had been set back by two years.

“Based on everything we’ve seen—and I’ve seen it all—our bombing campaign has eliminated Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons,” Hegseth told CNN. “Our massive bombs hit exactly the right spot on every target, and they worked very effectively. The impact of those bombs is buried under a mountain of rubble in Iran, so anyone who claims the bombs weren’t devastating is just trying to undermine the president and the successful mission.”

On Tuesday morning, Trump reiterated his belief that the damage caused by the strikes was significant.

"I think it was completely destroyed," he said, adding, "The pilots hit their targets. Those targets were wiped out, and the pilots should get the credit."

When asked about the possibility of Iran rebuilding its nuclear program, Trump replied: "That place is under the rocks; it's destroyed."

While Trump and Hegseth expressed optimism about the success of the strikes, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Keane said on Sunday that while damage assessments were still underway, it would be "premature" to comment on whether Iran still retained some nuclear capabilities.

Republican Representative Michael McCaul, the honorary chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, declined to confirm Trump's claim that Iran's program had been "destroyed" when pressed by CNN on Tuesday.

"I've been briefed on this plan in the past, and it was never intended to completely destroy the nuclear facilities, but rather to cause significant damage," McCaul told CNN, referring to US military plans to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. But it was always understood to be a temporary setback.

According to the network, Jeffrey Lewis, a weapons expert and professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, who closely reviewed commercial satellite imagery of the strike sites, agreed with the assessment that the attacks do not appear to have ended Iran's nuclear program.

"The ceasefire came without Israel or the United States being able to destroy several key underground nuclear facilities, including near Natanz, Isfahan, and Parchin," Lewis said, referring to the ceasefire between Israel and Iran announced by Trump on Monday.

It is noteworthy that Parchin is a separate nuclear complex located near Tehran.

"These facilities could be the basis for quickly rebuilding Iran's nuclear program," he added.

Earlier on Tuesday, classified briefings for both the House and Senate on the operation were canceled.

The full House briefing was also postponed, and it was not immediately clear why or when it would be rescheduled. Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan of New York said on Channel X on Tuesday, "Trump just canceled a classified House briefing on the Iran strikes without any explanation. The real reason? He claims he destroyed 'all nuclear facilities and capabilities,' and his team knows they can't support his threats and nonsense."

As CNN reported, questions have long been raised about whether US bunker-buster bombs, known as massive explosively formed penetrators (MOPs), would be capable of destroying Iran's heavily fortified nuclear sites buried deep underground—particularly at Fordow and Isfahan, Iran's largest nuclear research complex.

It's worth noting that the United States struck Isfahan with submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles rather than a bunker-buster. One source said this was due to an understanding that the bomb would likely fail to penetrate Isfahan's lower levels, which are buried deeper than Fordow.

The US capital is witnessing a concerted effort by the Israeli lobby, supporters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and hawkish and neoconservative figures to push the Trump administration to back down from the ceasefire and launch more intensive and sustained strikes on Iran.

They promote the idea that Iran also maintains secret nuclear facilities that were not targeted in the strike and are still operating.

DropSite reported that for the first time in more than a month, "thanks to the ceasefire between Iran and Israel," there appears to be the beginnings of a renewed US focus on resuming ceasefire negotiations in Gaza.

US President Donald Trump expressed optimism on Wednesday in The Hague, where he is participating in the NATO summit, that a deal on Gaza could be reached soon. He said, "I think there's a lot of progress being made on Gaza. And because of this attack that we've launched on Iran, I think we're going to have some very good news." Trump added that his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, told him that a deal on Gaza was "very close."

An envoy to President Trump said in an interview Tuesday evening that he believes an agreement between Israel and Hamas is within reach. Since the Iran issue has been resolved, Egyptian, Qatari, and American mediators are now focused on reaching a permanent ceasefire as soon as possible. "God willing, a ceasefire can be reached within days," said Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian-American and unofficial envoy to the Trump administration.

It's worth noting that with the world's focus on the US-Israeli war on Iran over the past two weeks, Israel has intensified its campaign of mass killings against Palestinians in Gaza. The situation in the besieged enclave is more dire than at any time during Israel's genocidal war, which has been ongoing for more than 20 months. Dozens of Palestinians are killed daily as they make the perilous journey to secure some of their meager food rations, the distribution of which is tightly controlled by the United States and Israel.

While Bahbah sought to portray a sense of renewed momentum in a wide-ranging Arabic interview with Egypt’s Al-Ghad TV, a source close to the Palestinian negotiating team told DropSite that no senior Hamas leaders have recently met with Bahbah or other US officials, and that any optimism expressed by the Trump envoy that does not include pressure on Israel to make concessions is meaningless. “There are some delegations in Cairo, but no one senior,” the source said. “Bahbah is trying to give the impression that something is happening based on personal conversations with some people, but the key decision-makers are not there.”

Bahbah, who is currently in Cairo, recently met with Hamas official Ghazi Hamad. "Hamas has a strong understanding of the need to find a quick solution to the situation in Gaza," Bahbah said, according to the report.

Although Hamad is a longtime Hamas member and has been the main point of contact with Bahbah, he does not have the authority to conclude any deals for Hamas. Bahbah is also not a US government official and must obtain Witkoff's approval for any decisions or offers. "I convey Hamas's considerations to Mr. Witkoff and the US administration," Bahbah said in his interview. "I am also limited by what Witkoff allows me to do. I convey all the information to him, and the decision is his."

Hamas confirmed to DropSite that it is continuing to communicate with American, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators, although sources within the movement have warned that no substantive steps have been taken toward an agreement. Hamas's position remains that Israel's insistence on reserving the right to resume genocide is the main obstacle to reaching an agreement. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Bahbah wrote, "The Israeli delegation has been summoned to Cairo" to resume ceasefire talks. "Hamas informed us that it is fully prepared to begin negotiations now."

According to DropSite, an internal Hamas assessment of the current situation (published Wednesday and obtained by DropSite) confirmed that "Trump is trying to exploit what happened in Iran to strike a deal with Gaza, and his recent statements about progress in the negotiations indicate this. Israel is talking about progress, but without agreeing to an end to the war."

The assessment also added that Hamas believes the recent ambushes and killing of Israeli soldiers by armed Palestinian resistance fighters from Hamas's Qassam Brigades and the Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades are contributing to the domestic pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Tuesday, seven Israeli soldiers were killed in the southern city of Khan Yunis in a complex ambush using an improvised explosive device.

Hamas's assessment concluded that "after the Khan Yunis operation, voices rose within the [Israeli] opposition, the ruling coalition, and media and political circles regarding the need to stop the war, its futility, and the resulting losses, including the increase in casualties and the continued detention of prisoners inside Gaza."

Sources within the Palestinian negotiating team have also told DropSite over the past few weeks that, despite continuing disagreement over a range of technical details, Hamas has indicated a willingness to make concessions on the timing of the release of Israeli prisoners, the number of prisoners to be released, the duration of the initial phase of the ceasefire, and other issues. This flexibility was reflected in the ceasefire proposals Hamas drafted in May, when it submitted several written amendments to its previous positions following discussions with US officials. Hamas also offered the immediate release of all Israeli prisoners as part of an extended truce—known in Arabic as a hudna—of between five and seven years. Israel rejected all of Hamas’s offers. “Hamas offered months ago to release all Israeli hostages, living and dead, in a single deal in exchange for a permanent ceasefire to end the war in the Gaza Strip,” Bahbah said. “However, Israel rejected this initiative by Hamas.”

Bahbah confirmed that Hamas had agreed to cede all governing authority in Gaza to an independent Palestinian technocratic committee, and that Israel had removed this clause from the draft ceasefire proposal Hamas presented to mediators in May. “[Hamas] proposed this,” Bahbah said. “In one of the versions we wrote, this point was clearly stated. Unfortunately, [Israel] came and tried to sabotage it.” Bahbah said that Hamas’s offer to relinquish power in Gaza was again part of renewed US efforts to reach an agreement. Bahbah said he believed both the US and Hamas wanted to end the war. When asked if he believed this was Israel’s position, Bahbah replied, “God knows. It is in Netanyahu’s interest to end it. Let’s say he might not want to, but it is in his interest to end the war.”

A Palestinian citizen was injured in the head on Wednesday after settlers threw stones at him in the village of Asira al-Qibliya, south of Nablus.

According to security sources, a number of settlers attacked the village and threw stones at a number of residents, resulting in one of them sustaining a head injury.

Earlier today, settlers had set fire to lands in the village and prevented civil defense crews from reaching the blaze to extinguish it.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Club and the Palestine Liberation Organization's Prisoners' Affairs Commission said that Israeli intelligence issued 600 administrative detention orders (without charge) in the past two weeks.

A joint statement by the two bodies stated that "Israeli occupation intelligence issued no less than 600 administrative detention orders during the past two weeks, which are among the thousands of orders issued since the genocide (on the Gaza Strip) on October 7, 2023."

The statement noted that "we have witnessed an unprecedented increase in the number of administrative detainees, including women and children, since the beginning of the genocide. As of June, the number of administrative detainees reached 3,562, including 95 children under the age of 18."

He explained that "the number of administrative detainees since the beginning of the genocide is the highest in history, and today it is higher than the number of prisoners, convicted detainees, and those under arrest."

The statement said, "The crime of administrative detention constitutes one of the most prominent historical and systematic policies practiced by the occupation authorities against citizens, in a continuous attempt to undermine any escalating confrontation against it and target actors on all social, political, and cultural levels."

He stated that 72 Palestinian detainees, including eight administrative detainees, have been martyred in Israeli occupation prisons since the Al-Aqsa Intifada.

Administrative detention is a detention order issued by an Israeli military order, based on the pretext of a security threat, without indictment. The detention period extends to six months, subject to extension. The intelligence service presents a so-called secret file to the court, which the detainee's lawyer is prohibited from reviewing.

More than 10,400 Palestinians are languishing in Israeli prisons, suffering torture, starvation, and medical neglect, many of whom have died, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, leaving more than 188,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, more than 11,000 missing, hundreds of thousands displaced, and a famine that has claimed the lives of many, including children.

In parallel with the annihilation of Gaza, the Israeli army and settlers escalated their attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, resulting in the deaths of at least 981 Palestinians and the injury of approximately 7,000, according to Palestinian data.

The World Food Programme announced that only 9,000 tons of food aid have been sent to the Gaza Strip since May 19, an amount "less than the food required for one day" for the Strip's residents, amid the ongoing Israeli genocide since October 7, 2023.

The UN program said in a post on its X platform on Wednesday that this aid "is less than the amount of food required for one day, not a month, for the entire population of the Gaza Strip."

He explained that he is "ready to expand the scope of work in the besieged sector, and we need access and better conditions to carry out our duties safely," stressing that "the time has come to act."

US President Donald Trump said in statements reported by US media that the strikes carried out by the US military against Iranian nuclear facilities caused "fires underground," stressing that the operation was precise and powerful.

Trump added that US intelligence reports about the bombing of the Fordow nuclear facility were issued a few days after the attack, considering the early announcement to be premature.

For his part, the US Secretary of Defense emphasized that Iran's nuclear program was "completely destroyed" by the strikes, asserting that Tehran fully understands the extent of the losses it has incurred, which prompted it to agree to return to the negotiating table.

The US Secretary of State criticized some media reports that questioned the effectiveness of the bombing, describing them as "politicized" and not based on accurate intelligence assessments.

The United Nations on Tuesday condemned what it described as Israel's "weaponization of food" in Gaza, describing it as a war crime, and urged its military to "stop shooting at people trying to get food."

The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) also described the new US- and Israeli-backed food distribution system in the Gaza Strip as an "abhorrent act."

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began distributing food in Gaza on May 26, after Israel completely cut off supplies to the occupied Palestinian territory for more than two months, sparking warnings of widespread famine.

The United Nations and major aid organizations have refused to cooperate with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation—a private, official organization with opaque funding—over concerns that it is designed to serve Israeli military objectives.

To date, the US State Department has refused to disclose what it knows about who funds the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) or the nature of its relationship with the United States and Israel.

According to the spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Thamin Al-Khitan, "Israel's militarized humanitarian aid mechanism is inconsistent with international standards for aid distribution."

He added, "Israel's use of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza as a weapon, in addition to restricting or denying their access to essential services, constitutes a war crime," stressing that only the court can issue a legal ruling on whether war crimes have been committed.

Khaitan referred to "scenes of chaos around the World Food Foundation's food distribution points." He told reporters (in Geneva): "Desperate and hungry Gazans continue to face the inhumane choice between starving to death or being killed while trying to access food," noting that "since the World Food Foundation began its work, the Israeli army has bombed and shot at Palestinians trying to reach distribution points, resulting in numerous deaths."

Khaitan pointed to reports that "more than 410 Palestinians were killed as a result, (while) at least 93 others were killed by the Israeli army while trying to approach the very few aid convoys of the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations."

"These figures come from the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip and from other sources, including NGOs," he said, stressing that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is in the process of verifying the figures. In both cases, other people may have been killed by gunfire from other sources, something his office cannot confirm. He added, "At least 3,000 Palestinians were injured in these incidents. Every killing must be promptly and impartially investigated, and those responsible held accountable."

Khaitan also warned that this regime "endangers civilians and contributes to the catastrophic humanitarian situation."

It is noteworthy that the United Nations warned last May that "100% of the population" of the besieged Gaza Strip "is at risk of famine."

Meanwhile, Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), criticized GHF, describing it as a "hateful act that humiliates and degrades desperate people."

"It is a deadly trap that costs more lives than it saves," he said at a press conference in Berlin.

Israel accused UNRWA of providing cover for Hamas militants and earlier this year banned the agency from operating in Israeli territory or contacting officials.

Lazzarini called on UNRWA to restore access to the Palestinian territories and resume its relief efforts.

"The humanitarian community, including UNRWA, has the expertise and must be allowed to do its work and provide assistance with respect and dignity," he said, stressing that "there is no other alternative to address the challenges of widespread hunger in the Gaza Strip."

A child was killed this Wednesday evening by Israeli occupation forces in the town of Yamoun, west of Jenin.

Local sources said that the child, Rayan Tamer Hawshiya (15 years old), was martyred by Israeli occupation forces’ bullets after he was shot directly during the raid on the town. He was transferred to the Yamoun Medical Center as a martyr.

The occupation forces stormed Al-Yamoun this evening, deployed infantry units in the streets and on the rooftops of houses, and fired live ammunition at civilians.

With the martyrdom of Hawshiya, the number of martyrs in Jenin Governorate since the beginning of the aggression on the city and Jenin camp on January 21st has risen to 39.

Today, Wednesday, settlers attacked the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, and assaulted a citizen from the town of Al-Mazra'a Al-Sharqiya, northeast of Ramallah. The Israeli occupation forces also arrested a citizen.

Local sources reported that a number of settlers fired live ammunition at citizens and their property in Sinjil after residents confronted a group of them who tried to bring their sheep between the town's houses. Another group also assaulted a citizen from the eastern farm while he was in his vehicle, causing him fractures and bruises, and destroyed agricultural property inside farms in the eastern farm.

The sources added that the occupation army arrested the freed prisoner, Suleiman Muhammad Asfour, during the settlers' attack on the town.

The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced on Wednesday that the death toll from the genocide perpetrated by Israel against Palestinians since October 7, 2023, has risen to "56,156 martyrs and 132,239 wounded."

In its daily statistical report, the ministry said that Gaza Strip hospitals received "79 martyrs (including 5 who were recovered) and 391 injuries" within 24 hours as a result of the ongoing Israeli attacks.

She explained that "a number of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and civil defense crews are unable to reach them."

She explained that "the number of martyrs (waiting for aid) arriving at hospitals since May 27 has risen to 549 martyrs and more than 4,000 wounded," after 33 Palestinians were killed and more than 267 wounded in the space of 24 hours, as a result of the deliberate Israeli targeting of Palestinians while they were waiting to receive aid.

Beyond the supervision of the United Nations and international relief organizations, Tel Aviv began implementing a plan on May 27 to distribute limited aid through the so-called "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation," which is supported by Israel and the United States but rejected by the United Nations.

The ministry stated that "the death toll and injuries since March 18, 2025 has reached 5,833 martyrs and 20,198 injuries."

She pointed out that the death toll from the Israeli aggression since October 7, 2023, has risen to "56,156 martyrs and 132,239 wounded."

Since that date, Israel, with American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and displacement, ignoring international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.

Israeli occupation forces arrested two young men, whose identities are yet to be determined, at the Deir Sharaf military checkpoint west of Nablus on Wednesday, after assaulting one of them.

Local sources reported that the occupation forces stopped a vehicle at the aforementioned checkpoint, attacked a young man who was inside, and severely beat him with rifle butts. They then took him inside the checkpoint, handcuffed him, and seized personal belongings from inside the vehicle, including his mobile phone.

The occupation forces also arrested a young man at the checkpoint after stopping his vehicle. They took him inside the checkpoint, handcuffed him, and blindfolded him.

Israeli occupation forces arrested a young man at a checkpoint east of Bethlehem on Wednesday.

Local sources reported that the occupation forces arrested the young man, Abdul Rahman Azzam Al-Wahsh (24 years old), while he was passing through the Container checkpoint.

The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip reported that 79 martyrs, including five recovered dead, and 391 injuries were admitted to Gaza hospitals in the past 24 hours.

In its daily statement, the ministry confirmed that the death toll from the Israeli aggression has risen to 56,156 dead and 132,239 injuries since October 7, 2023.

It explained that the death toll and injuries since March 18, 2025 amounted to (5,833 dead, 20,198 injuries).

It noted that the death toll from aid workers arriving at hospitals over the past 24 hours was 33, with more than 267 injuries.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza indicated that the total number of dead who arrived at hospitals for the sake of livelihood was 549 martyrs and more than 4,066 injuries.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, on Tuesday evening in The Hague, Netherlands.

The pending meeting between the two presidents took place at the Royal Palace in The Hague following a banquet hosted by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his wife in honor of the leaders participating in the NATO Leaders' Summit.

According to a statement from the Turkish Presidency's Communications Department, Presidents Erdoğan and Trump discussed bilateral relations and regional and international issues.

During the meeting, President Erdogan emphasized that the two countries possess significant potential in various fields, particularly energy and investment.

The Turkish president also indicated to the US president that strengthening cooperation in the defense industry would facilitate the achievement of the $100 billion target in trade between the two countries.

The Turkish president emphasized to his American counterpart the importance of dialogue to end the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza as soon as possible and find a peaceful solution to the war between Russia and Ukraine.

President Erdoğan expressed to Trump his welcome of the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, achieved through the US president's efforts, expressing his hope that it would be permanent.

According to the statement, the two leaders stressed the importance of taking steps to strengthen the alliance's deterrent power, as they are two of NATO's leading allies.

Wars do not end unless the causes of their outbreak are fully and comprehensively addressed, both the apparent and, more importantly, the latent ones. Latent motives are usually the root of conflicts and the primary reason behind the outbreak of wars. As long as these latent motives persist without a comprehensive settlement between the warring parties, the state of war between them remains open and ongoing. It sometimes subsides, but it resurfaces whenever one party senses a power gap over the other.

A comprehensive settlement that ends the war and the state of war between two warring parties (one party may be formed from a coalition of more than one power) is achieved in one of two ways: coercive and consensual. The coercive method ends the war if one party achieves a comprehensive and absolute victory over the other, leading to the unconditional surrender of the defeated party and its complete submission to the demands of the victorious party. However, if the outcome of the war is not decisive in favor of one party over the other, and victory is left open to mutual interpretation and future repercussions resulting from the discontent of the parties, especially the weaker party in the ongoing confrontation, then the door to war will not close. Rather, it will remain calm until the forces are regrouped to launch a new round of fighting. Therefore, ending the war in this case depends on finding effective, reliable, and permanent guarantees to ensure the continued superiority of the victorious party over the defeated party. Without these guarantees, the latent conflict is bound to re-erupt into a new war, after some time. The second method for ending the war and the state of war between the two conflicting parties, which results from an equal balance of power between them, is achieved by reaching an amicable settlement between them, resulting from a negotiation process that achieves part of each party's demands and prevents the opposing party from achieving all of its desired demands. This method reflects a mutual conviction and acceptance by both parties of the limited ability of either party to compel the other to fully and absolutely surrender to the other's demands. This leads both parties to agree to a minimum settlement, through which each party exchanges a portion of its demands, with each party convinced that the final outcome is the "best possible" outcome to achieve its interests. In this case, war and the state of war close their doors between the two parties once and for all, because the conflict between them has ended with a settlement favorable to both. It is worth noting that the two warring parties resorting to a consensual settlement may come after they reach the conclusion that they are unable to achieve military victory over each other.

****

Reflecting on the results of the two world wars may be useful in this context. In the first world war, the Allied powers were able to inflict a military defeat on the Axis powers, which had significant, albeit uneven, repercussions for the latter. Although the war led to the end of the Ottoman Empire and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, its reduction of German power was not sufficient to ensure the continued effectiveness and reliability of the measures imposed on it, preventing it from regaining its strength and repeating the war again. Due to rifts in the Allied powers' positions regarding the extent to which these measures should be pursued to ensure that Germany's power was limited, but without humiliating it, the latter was able to slip through the cracks, rearm, and wage war once again. World War I was perhaps the most important example in modern history of an unfinished war. It was an unfinished war that left the door open to a war of completion, which erupted a little over two decades later in the horrific Second World War. The outcome of the Second World War was different from the First. This time, it achieved a comprehensive and absolute victory for the Allied powers over the Axis powers, confirmed by effective and reliable measures that permanently ensured their control and continued superiority over Germany and Japan in particular. Through the occupation and division of Germany, and the US dropping two atomic bombs on Japan, the unconditional surrender of both countries was secured. The Allied powers were not satisfied with the military victory; they followed it up by imposing new constitutions and educational curricula on both countries. This not only changed their political systems, but also brought about a much more profound and radical change, represented by a change in the political culture of the German and Japanese peoples. The transformation was intense and comprehensive, radically altering the political orientations of the Germans and Japanese, resulting in the two countries' membership in the Western club of democratic nations. With this result, World War II ended the conflict between the two warring parties and closed the door to the possibility of war breaking out again between them. Unlike the first war, which was incomplete, it was the conclusion of a conflict that has not been renewed since its conclusion. World War II was a complete war, ending the state of war that had existed between its two sides. *****

Although a fragile ceasefire was achieved twelve days after the outbreak of the Israeli/US-Iran war, and although the US President congratulated the world and tweeted announcing that it was over and over, this war is a clear example of an unfinished war. It has failed to achieve an effective, reliable, and lasting solution to its apparent causes, and the available evidence so far does not indicate that it will pave the way for a consensual settlement of its underlying causes.

It is true that Israel, with vital American support, was able to inflict significant damage on the Iranian nuclear program, which will disrupt and hinder it for a period of time. However, it has not yet been proven that they and America have been able to completely and permanently end this program. The same is true of the Iranian missile program, which, despite suffering a setback whose scope has yet to be verified, has persisted and has not been eliminated. Furthermore, this war did not lead to a change in the country's ruling regime, which has thus far demonstrated a high capacity for survival. The inability to bring about the desired change in these three vital matters may be due to the limited capabilities and strength of Israel, which, as was clear, requires direct American intervention to support it. Despite the American response and intervention to bomb the three nuclear facilities, it was also clear that the American president, for both domestic and foreign considerations, did not wish to become involved and embroil his country in a new war in the Middle East. Thus, the limitations of Israel's ability and power were revealed, not only to effect change, but also, fundamentally, to impose its hegemony over the region. This war, while damaging, left Iran as a powerful force in the region.

On the other hand, while Iran was able to inflict harm on Israel by launching successive missile barrages that reached all its territories and continued to rain down on it for days, it was unable to erase its presence from the map, as it had repeatedly threatened. Therefore, the long-awaited and much-anticipated Iranian response to the setbacks suffered by its allies and proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria was not of the proportionate and expected magnitude. This also demonstrates the limitations of Iran's ability and power, which benefited greatly from remaining hidden for a long time. The threat of using force can sometimes be more effective and beneficial to the threat maker than actually using it. Despite mutual claims of victory by the three parties involved in the hostilities, the final outcome proves that, despite the disparity in the costs of war—human, material, and moral—between Iran and Israel, neither side was able to achieve a comprehensive victory, as happened in World War II. All indications also indicate that the deep-seated hostility between the two sides has remained unchanged, unaltered by the outcome of the lightning war. This, if anything, indicates that the conflict between the two sides is still raging, and that this war was not complete. Indeed, even if it has stopped for now, it will remain open to resumption in the future.

****

Describing this war as incomplete is neither a new nor a strange description, deviating from the nature of previous wars in the region. All previous wars, large and small, that have erupted in the region since the establishment of Israel, and by its actions, are incomplete wars. Each one represents a link in an extended chain of conflict that has not achieved a complete and comprehensive military resolution for one side over the other, nor a mutually acceptable settlement for the parties, due to their inability to achieve a military resolution. This is a case of the continued "hangover" of remaining in the twilight zone between the two positions, a "curse" that has afflicted the region as a result of what can be considered the "contagion" of World War I.

What makes the region's wars consistently incomplete is the failure of Israel, and its primary supporter the United States, to acknowledge that the underlying cause of the perpetual conflict in the region is the reluctance to reach the only correct conclusion: that finding a political settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that meets Palestinian standards is the necessary condition for regional stability. Beyond that, we will continue to live between rounds of incomplete wars, each one an attempt to complete a previous round that failed to complete. If Israel and America do not learn from what happened in this last war, and they most likely will not, then we will already be waiting for the next round of completion.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said, "We reiterate our full readiness to work closely with US President Trump and relevant Arab and international parties to immediately negotiate and implement a comprehensive peace agreement within a clear and binding timeframe that ends the occupation and achieves security and stability for all, a just and lasting peace based on international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative."

President Abbas expressed his deep gratitude and appreciation for US President Donald Trump's successful efforts to achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, considering it a necessary and important step to defuse the crises plaguing the world, which will positively impact the security and stability of our region.

In a letter to his American counterpart, he recalled Trump's courageous stances in which he expressed the need to stop the war on the Gaza Strip and achieve an immediate and permanent ceasefire. This constitutes an additional step in his important efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace between us, the Israelis, and the entire world, and to give hope to the peoples of our region that peace can be achieved and that justice can prevail, if there is the will and leadership that you represent.

President Abbas affirmed the State of Palestine's readiness to work with President Trump, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Arab and Islamic countries, and our European and international partners to fulfill the promise of peace and achieve security and stability for all.

"With you, we can achieve what seemed impossible: a recognized, free, sovereign, and secure Palestine, a recognized and secure Israel, and a region that enjoys peace, prosperity, and integration," he said.

He added, "We are hopeful and confident in your ability to create a new history for our region, restoring the peace that has been lost for generations."

The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said that the situation in the Gaza Strip, which is being subjected to genocide by Israel, is "absolutely horrific."

Lazzarini explained in a press statement on Wednesday that international interest in Gaza has declined significantly since Israel began its attacks on Iran on June 13.

He added that Israeli attacks are being launched daily in the Gaza Strip, and that citizens are still being displaced on a continuous basis and feel completely besieged by the aid regime imposed by Tel Aviv.

"People there are asking themselves: 'Should I let my family starve to death? Or risk my life to reach humanitarian aid?' We are facing a horrific situation in Gaza," Lazzarini continued.

He added, "We urgently need to de-escalate the situation in a region that cannot afford a new conflict. I hope that a ceasefire will allow us to refocus on reaching a truce in Gaza, releasing prisoners, lifting the blockade, and ensuring uninterrupted, large-scale humanitarian aid."

He pointed out that UNRWA had demonstrated its ability to combat hunger during previous truces, and that humanitarian aid was waiting outside the Gaza Strip's borders and was ready to enter.

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, "I think we're making a lot of progress in Gaza because of the strike we carried out," referring to the military operation against Iran.

"I think we'll hear good news about Gaza soon," he added, noting that the strike on Iran helped advance efforts to release the hostages, and that his envoy, Steve Witkoff, informed him that an agreement was close to being reached on the matter.

Regarding Iran, Trump said, "Israel has suffered significant damage in recent days," referring to the military escalation with Iran, but described the US strike on Iranian facilities as a "major victory."

He stressed that had it not been for this attack, there would have been no possibility of reaching a settlement with Tehran, as he put it.

Trump's remarks came during his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, following his arrival at the alliance's summit in The Hague, Netherlands.

These statements reflect Trump's view that the recent US intervention against Iran has created a new political and security reality that can be built upon to advance the Gaza talks toward positive outcomes.

The Jerusalem Governorate stated that the number of homes and facilities destroyed by the Israeli occupation authorities in the governorate since the start of the aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, has reached 623. These included residential homes, some of which had been inhabited for decades, and others under construction, in addition to commercial and economic facilities that constitute a source of livelihood for dozens of Jerusalemite families.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the organization added that the occupation authorities continued to implement their racist policies against our people in the governorate. Their vehicles, under heavy protection from their forces, demolished a house in the town of Hizma, northeast of occupied Jerusalem, as part of an organized campaign targeting the Palestinian presence in the holy city.

She pointed out that the ongoing demolitions, particularly the forced "self-demolition" of homes under threat of fines or arrest, constitute a systematic policy aimed at complicity in the crime, psychologically and financially draining Jerusalemites, and forcibly pushing them toward evacuation.

The governorate noted that although the majority of affected families have, over many years, paid hefty fines and penalties that may exceed the cost of construction itself, the occupation authorities have continued to deny them building permits, or have imposed prohibitive conditions for obtaining them. The approval rate for permit applications has not exceeded 2% of all applications, while Palestinians are allowed to build on no more than 13% of the area of occupied East Jerusalem.

She continued: These demolitions cannot be separated from the broader Israeli policy, which aims to impose a fait accompli, Judaize the city, empty it of its Palestinian population, and reduce the Arab and Islamic presence there. This is achieved through a series of violations that include land confiscation, restrictions on planning and construction, and the encouragement of settlements. All of these steps blatantly contravene international humanitarian law, UN resolutions, and the Geneva Conventions, which consider East Jerusalem to be occupied Palestinian territory.

The governorate considered what is happening to be a crime of forced displacement that amounts to a war crime, and calls for urgent and effective international action to hold the occupation accountable for its escalating violations and to hold it accountable for its blatant breach of international conventions, especially since these crimes are being committed in broad daylight, in full view of the international community.

She called on all international bodies, including the International Criminal Court, the Human Rights Council, and special rapporteurs, to take urgent action to halt these ongoing crimes against our people, hold those responsible accountable, and work diligently to protect the right of Jerusalemites to a dignified life in their city, on their land, and among their people.

-

Indian-American Zahran Mamdani won the Democratic nomination to run for mayor of New York City, while his rival, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, conceded defeat before the votes were fully counted.

"In the words of Nelson Mandela: It seems impossible until it's done," Mamdani said. "My friends, it's done, and you did it. I am honored to be your Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York City."

Mamdani has mobilized young and progressive voters in an effort to oppose Cuomo and organize his opponents behind his campaign. He has narrowed the gap in the polls in recent weeks and even led in the latest round of an independent public opinion poll conducted by Emerson College.

The 33-year-old democratic socialist, endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), surprised observers Tuesday night (local time) with his strong showing against the former governor.

With Mamdani officially declared the winner of the Democratic primary, he will be the favorite to face struggling Mayor Eric Adams, who is running for re-election as an independent, along with Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and independent Jim Walden. However, Cuomo and Mamdani could face off again.

Cuomo concedes defeat

Cuomo conceded defeat, telling his supporters in remarks reported by The Hill: "Tonight wasn't our night. Tonight was Councilman Mamdani's night. He ran a great campaign, and he touched young people, inspired them, moved them, and got them to vote."

"He ran a very impressive campaign," Cuomo added. "I called him and congratulated him."

He added, "The challenges we face are real and deserve serious consideration. I want to think about the best ways to address them, the best ways to support the party, and most importantly, the best ways to support the city. This is something we will consider in the future."

Cuomo formed a separate party line, called the "Fight and Redemption Party," to run outside the Democratic Party in the general election. Most polls leading up to Election Day showed Cuomo leading, though not decisively, in the first round.

Cuomo entered the primary election in March, having resigned from office in 2021 following allegations of sexual harassment from several women, which he denies, and criticism that he intentionally undercounted nursing home deaths during the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite these disagreements and the relatively large number of voters who viewed him negatively, he maintained his lead in opinion polls for months leading up to the primaries.

New York City allows mail-in ballots postmarked on the day of the primary to be counted for a week afterward, so subsequent rounds of progressive-choice voting are unlikely to be announced until July 1.

Under New York City's progressive-choice system, if no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed according to their voters' preferences. The process continues until one candidate receives a majority. This primary election will likely require multiple rounds before a winner is officially declared.

Mamdani supports Palestine and social justice

Zohran Mamdani is known for his pro-Palestinian stances, including his support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, a stance that has sparked widespread controversy within American political and media circles.

If he wins the upcoming election, he will be the first Muslim to hold the office of Mayor of New York, a historic step for the political representation of Muslims and Arabs in the United States.

Mamdani's platform focuses on issues of social and economic justice, such as rent freezes for housing subject to rent stabilization laws, a set of legislation aimed at protecting tenants from excessive rent increases and ensuring their housing stability, particularly in densely populated cities like New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

His electoral platform also includes providing free public transportation, imposing taxes on large corporations to fund public services, and establishing municipally owned grocery stores to combat rising prices.

An Israeli military spokesman acknowledged on Wednesday that attempts to rescue soldiers killed by an explosive device while they were inside an armored personnel carrier in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, had failed. This was one of the most devastating blows the army has suffered since the start of the aggression on the Gaza Strip.

In a brief statement, the spokesman said, "We failed to rescue the soldiers despite all our efforts. The forces made great efforts under complex and difficult circumstances." He added, "Words cannot describe the depth of the pain felt by the families of the soldiers killed in this horrific incident."

This statement comes hours after the army announced the deaths of seven of its soldiers, most of them from the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion, when their armored vehicle was targeted by an explosive device or an anti-tank shell.

Israeli gunboats attacked fishing boats off the coast of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, on Wednesday morning.

According to local sources, Israeli soldiers arrested three fishermen and took them to an unknown location near the seafront in Khan Yunis.

The aggressive bombing, killing and deliberate destruction by the colony against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip did not stop throughout the war on Iran.

The colony's war on Iran took priority at all levels, and the Israeli attack, and then the American one, grabbed global attention, and on the military, media and political levels in the Israeli attack. The Iranian response increased after the resistance and absorption of the Israeli and American strikes, and the Iranians' directing of painful strikes against the colony, especially against civilians who tasted the bitterness of war for the first time since 1948, increased the volume of political interest, after the surprise caused by Iran through its strikes on the colony's sites, which are painful strikes that have never been seen before, not in limited unilateral resistance operations, nor in the October 1973 war, nor in Hezbollah's strikes.

For the first time, the colony's society is paying the price for its war choices, through destruction and killing, however limited it may seem. However, it caused them pain, and they paid the price, and even fled and searched for safe havens, including fleeing outside Palestine.

The three factors pressuring Netanyahu to halt his insane, extremist, racist war on the Gaza Strip will resume:

1- Protests by the families of Israeli prisoners demanding an end to the war on Gaza and a prisoner exchange agreement.

2- The conclusions of the positions of the military and security institutions: the army, the Mossad foreign intelligence service, the Aman military intelligence service, and the Shin Bet internal intelligence service, in arriving at the conclusion: “No strategic objective can be achieved in the Gaza Strip.”

Continuing the war on Gaza will only lead to the killing and destruction of Palestinians, and the killing of Israeli prisoners.

3- Protest demonstrations in Europe and America against the war on the Gaza Strip. Israeli protests will increase following the destruction of Israeli institutions. Israeli protests with the families of prisoners will multiply, and European protests will continue. An additional new factor may emerge: the position of the US administration, which will work to stop Netanyahu's war on the Gaza Strip.

The war on Iran has brought about new transformations, most of which will be in favor of the Palestinian people, and will bring shame and disgrace upon Netanyahu's government. This includes a decline in his and his government's support ratings, which had surged in his favor throughout his war against Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Syrian army, leading up to the bombing, assault, and attack on Iran. However, this shift has been made in Iran's favor through the exchange of bombings. The referendum results will favor his opponents, and Israel will refrain from voting for him and his government.

Israeli occupation forces launched a campaign of arrests and raids in the West Bank at dawn and early Wednesday morning, and imposed a curfew.

In Jenin, Israeli occupation forces have continued to impose a curfew in the town of Ya'bad since yesterday evening, turning homes into military barracks and observation points, and arresting young men.

Ya'bad Municipality said that Israeli occupation forces stormed the town yesterday evening with a large number of military vehicles and infantry units, imposed a curfew, raided a large number of homes in the town, searched them, destroyed their contents, and stole gold jewelry and money.

She added that these forces detained a number of young men, interrogated them in the field, and arrested some of them.

It should be noted that the occupation forces declared a curfew in the town until further notice, and launched a campaign of arrests against citizens.

Villages and towns in the Jenin Governorate are witnessing repeated incursions by Israeli occupation forces, including arrests, raids on homes and businesses, and searches and attacks on citizens and their property.

In Bethlehem, the occupation forces arrested Amer Rabaya from the town of Al-Ubeidiya and Diaa Khader Salah from the town of Al-Khader, after raiding and searching their homes.

The occupation forces also raided the towns of Husan, Za'tara, Dar Salah, and Nahalin, raiding several homes without making any arrests.

In Ramallah, occupation forces stormed the town of Beitunia and arrested Yaqoub Sharaka after raiding and searching his home.

They also raided the village of Deir Ibzi', west of Ramallah, without any arrests or house raids.

In Nablus, the occupation forces stormed Balata camp, raided and searched a number of homes, wreaked havoc, and arrested the brothers Nasser and Jamal Mutab.

They also raided the villages of Duma, Beit Dajan, Beita, and Kafr Qallil in the governorate, and roamed their streets. No raids or arrests were reported.

In Tubas, special forces infiltrated the town of Tammun, followed by military reinforcements, while reconnaissance aircraft flew at low altitudes.

Meanwhile, the occupation forces raided a large number of citizens' homes and conducted field investigations with young men.

The director of the Prisoners Club in Tubas, Kamal Bani Odeh, indicated that the occupation forces detained 17 citizens for several hours before releasing them.

In Hebron, the occupation forces arrested from the city: Moamen Awida Abdul Karim Misk, Karim Misk, Yousef Ghassan Al-Natsheh, Zaid Tariq Al-Natsheh, Anas Al-Natsheh, Hamouda Hussein Al-Natsheh, and Abdullah Al-Qawasmi.

Meanwhile, the forces arrested Hussein Ahmed Al-Haih from the town of Surif, northwest of Hebron, and Nazir Muhammad Kamil Nassar from the town of Dura.

The occupation forces also raided the neighborhoods of Al-Dhaher, Safa, Beit Za'ata, Asida, and the center of the town, stormed a number of citizens' homes and commercial stores, searched them, smashed their external and internal doors, and furniture, and seized sums of money from the home of lawyer Khaled Qawqas, and 3 mobile communication devices from the home of citizen Maher Ibrahim Sabarneh, and seized a vehicle belonging to former prisoner Jalal Ahmed Brighith.

The forces also arrested three former prisoners from Beit Ummar: Suleiman Jawdat Suleiman Bahr (25 years old), Karim Ibrahim Hamdi Abu Maria (27 years old), and Khattab Wahid Hamdi Abu Maria (22 years old), and took them to Etzion camp, north of Hebron. They also prevented a number of citizens from reaching a mosque in the center of the town to perform the dawn prayer.

An elderly woman was shot dead by Israeli occupation forces early Wednesday morning during a raid on the Shuafat refugee camp, north of Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Governorate reported the death of elderly woman Zahia Jouda Al-Obeidi (66 years old), who succumbed to a bullet wound to the head fired by occupation soldiers during the raid on the Shuafat camp.

The governorate added that the occupation intelligence summoned the martyr Al-Abidi's husband for investigation.

Gaza hospital sources reported that 22 Palestinians were killed in Israeli shelling of the Strip since dawn on Wednesday, including six aid seekers.

Medical sources reported that three citizens were killed and others were injured in the occupation's bombing of Al-Mansoura Street in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City.

The same sources added that rescue teams recovered three martyrs and five survivors from under the rubble of two homes belonging to the Nasr and Dada families in Jabalia al-Nazla, north of the Gaza Strip, after they were bombed by Israeli aircraft. There are still missing people under the rubble.

It noted that 10 citizens were killed and others injured when the occupation forces bombed two homes on Al-Salam Street in Deir al-Balah and in the Mufti area north of the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.

It was said long ago, "He who starts a war ends it." This simple phrase encapsulates the apparent and hidden turmoil that the region witnessed during the past twelve-day war, in which missiles, drones, and anti-aircraft missiles intersected in open skies, their flames lighting up the skies from Tel Aviv to Tehran.
Thus the war ended; with the sudden announcement of its end, just as it had begun with the surprise of the deceptive opening strike. The region breathed a sigh of relief after holding its breath, fearing that the arc of fire would expand beyond the ability to extinguish and activate containment engines.
Only Gaza remained outside the coverage, whether in terms of the media outlets that lowered their curtains on the ongoing genocide in the blazing brazier, or in terms of the deafening silence and the absence of a human conscience regarding the scenes of death, killing, starvation, and thirst in the Strip, which has been languishing under the blazing fire for more than six hundred days.
As painful as Israel has dealt Iran, it has also received painful blows that have altered the character of the rogue state, whose "king," intoxicated by illusory victories, has changed the face of its cities. He has also threatened to change the face of the Middle East, driven by a burning ideology.
Scenes of unprecedented destruction inflicted on Israeli cities were the primary reason behind Trump's intervention to halt the war, contenting himself with his alleged and undocumented achievements regarding the destruction of the Iranian nuclear project.
The "Midnight Hammer," Washington's nickname for the surprise strike it delivered to Iran's nuclear program, may have destroyed it on the ground, but it will not be able to destroy it in the minds of Iranians, who will be even more determined to continue working on it after the cracks in its walls are repaired.

Seven Israeli soldiers were killed in an explosion targeting an Israeli Puma armored personnel carrier in the Khan Yunis area of the southern Gaza Strip, in one of the most violent attacks on Israeli forces since the start of the latest military operation, an Israeli military spokesman said in a statement on Wednesday.

The incident occurred Tuesday evening, at approximately 5:20 a.m., in the Khan Yunis area in the southern Gaza Strip, and resulted in the deaths of seven soldiers from the Israeli army's combat engineering battalion, Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

Israeli media described the explosion that destroyed the Puma armored personnel carrier in Khan Yunis as the most serious incident to hit the Gaza Strip in more than a year, specifically since June 15, 2024, when eight soldiers from an engineering unit were killed when a Namer-E armored personnel carrier was hit by an anti-tank missile in Rafah.

Initial investigations indicate that Palestinian gunmen managed to attach an explosive device to an armored personnel carrier before fleeing the scene undetected.

Initial investigations revealed that the explosive device targeting the Puma armored personnel carrier exploded directly, causing extensive damage, completely destroying the vehicle and killing all soldiers inside.

The armored vehicle was participating in a ground attack as part of an offensive operation carried out by the Joint Combat Team of the 605th Engineering Battalion, part of the 188th Brigade of the 36th Division, as part of the ongoing military operations in the Khan Yunis area.

The Puma-class carrier does not have active protection systems such as the "Windcoat", a defensive system used on modern armored personnel carriers such as the Namer, which are deployed in regular army units and are considered more advanced in terms of protection against close and direct threats.

According to military sources, the explosion occurred as the force advanced toward a field target, when the explosive device, likely planted or attached to the armored vehicle, was activated. The massive explosion engulfed the armored personnel carrier, transforming it into a mass of flames in the middle of the battlefield.

The remaining soldiers of the force worked under fire from potential threats for several minutes to try to control the fire, using manual extinguishing methods, along with special firefighting teams that were quickly dispatched to the explosion site.

A D-9 armored bulldozer also participated in the firefighting efforts, implementing the emergency protocol followed in such situations, pouring large quantities of sand onto the burning armored vehicle to reduce the flames and cool the structure.

However, the evacuation helicopters that arrived at the site returned empty-handed, after it became clear that the seven soldiers had died instantly inside the armored vehicle as a result of the explosion and intense fire, preventing any rescue or medical evacuation operations.

The Puma armored personnel carrier was towed into Israeli territory and is undergoing a thorough technical inspection as part of the ongoing investigation. IDF forces are continuing an intensive search for the attackers, who are believed to have planted the explosive device or carried out the attack using an anti-tank weapon before fleeing.

However, the possibility that the incident was caused by an RPG fired from close range, which directly targeted the armored vehicle and led to its complete destruction and burning, has not yet been ruled out.

An investigation is currently underway to analyze the nature of the damage and the effects of the explosion, in an attempt to determine whether it was caused by a planted explosive device or a direct attack with an anti-tank missile.

The incident is considered one of the most serious attacks targeting army forces in the southern Gaza Strip since the start of military operations. It has once again raised questions about the appropriateness of using this type of armored vehicle in open combat zones exposed to high-explosive devices, and the protection of engineering crews working on the front lines.

The incident highlighted the significant risks faced by front-line engineering units and the challenges posed by combat in an urban environment littered with IEDs, necessitating a tactical and operational review of vehicle use and protective measures in such high-risk missions.

This incident adds to a series of bloody blows suffered by the Israeli army since the start of the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023. These attacks have so far resulted in the deaths of 879 soldiers, a heavy toll that reflects the intensity of the fighting and the complexity of the combat environment, particularly in the southern areas of the Gaza Strip, where explosive devices and anti-tank weapons are widely deployed.

Source: Arabs 48

CNN reported, citing sources, that classified briefings on the US attack on Iran, which were scheduled for Tuesday at the Capitol, have been postponed.

The network quoted two informed sources as saying that the briefing session for all senators has been postponed until Thursday.

Two other sources reported that the briefing session for all members of the House of Representatives was also postponed, without knowing the reason for the postponement or its new date.

Last Saturday, the United States launched a strike using B-2 bombers armed with bunker-buster bombs targeting key Iranian nuclear sites.

The White House said yesterday that President Donald Trump notified House Speaker Mike Johnson of the strikes.

Axios also revealed that a briefing for members of the House of Representatives and Senate on the situation in the Middle East, scheduled for today, has been postponed.

This development comes after Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran following a 12-day war, which prompted lawmakers to demand information.

Despite the ceasefire, some Democrats are still planning to push for a vote to limit the Trump administration's ability to launch strikes on Iran without prior congressional authorization.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said the House briefing "has been postponed," a source familiar with the matter confirmed to Axios. Neither Cole nor the source said when the House briefing would be held.