PALESTINE

Thu 27 Mar 2025 9:10 am - Jerusalem Time

The Israeli occupation warns residents of neighborhoods in Gaza to evacuate them in preparation for bombing them.

On Wednesday evening, the Israeli occupation army warned residents of neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip to evacuate their homes, pending bombardment, as part of the ongoing genocide against Palestinians, now in its 17th month.


The army's spokesman for the Arabic media, Avichay Adraee, addressed the residents of the western and eastern neighborhoods of Zeitoun, Tel al-Hawa, the Old City, Sheikh Ajlin, Sheikh, the expansion of influence, and the southern sands via the "X" platform.


"This is a final warning before an attack," he said.


He claimed that the evacuation decision came after rockets were fired from the area towards Israel.


He concluded by saying: "You must move immediately to the south of Wadi Gaza to the known shelters."


There are hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the neighborhoods designated by the Israeli army.


The United Nations said that nearly 124,000 Palestinians were displaced again after Israel resumed its attacks on Gaza and issued "evacuation orders."

ARAB AND WORLD

Thu 27 Mar 2025 9:07 am - Jerusalem Time

Israeli occupation targets the vicinity of the White Port and the city of Latakia in western Syria.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that Israeli warplanes launched several raids targeting the vicinity of the White Port and the city of Latakia in western Syria.


SANA reported that the relevant authorities in Latakia are working to verify the extent of the damage and ensure that there were no casualties at the sites that were bombed.

PALESTINE

Thu 27 Mar 2025 9:05 am - Jerusalem Time

Israeli occupation continues its aggression on Tulkarm and its camp for the 60th consecutive day.

The Israeli aggression on the city of Tulkarm and its camp has entered its 60th day, and on the 47th day on the Nur Shams camp, amid ongoing military escalation, massive reinforcements, and forced displacement of residents.


According to local sources, occupation forces deployed large reinforcements of vehicles and bulldozers to the Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps, deployed across several neighborhoods, and imposed strict restrictions on the movement of citizens and vehicles.


In Tulkarm refugee camp, occupation forces deployed in the airport neighborhood and broke down the doors of several homes, amid extensive searches. This coincided with the continued displacement of residents of the al-Hadaida and al-Raba'a neighborhoods, who were expelled from their homes by occupation forces through threats and intimidation.


Tulkarm camp has recently witnessed a wave of displacement of residents from neighborhoods on the outskirts of the camp, amid ongoing hostilities and the tightening of the noose on residents, particularly in the neighborhoods of Al-Hadaida, Al-Matar, Al-Raba'a, Qaqun, and Marbat Hanoun.


Meanwhile, occupation forces forced residents of several homes belonging to the Abu Jamous family in the eastern neighborhood of the city, close to the Abu al-Foul neighborhood in the camp, to evacuate their homes, giving them a short period to leave.


In Nour Shams camp, the occupation has reinforced its military presence by deploying heavy machinery and bulldozers to Jabal al-Nasr, amidst a tight siege of the camp. It has also seized dozens of homes and converted them into military barracks after expelling their residents.


Local sources reported that occupation forces stormed the Al-Mahjar neighborhood last night, raiding homes belonging to the Fahmawi, Alian, and Abu Al-Saman families, after breaking their doors. Meanwhile, sounds of gunfire were heard in the Jabal Al-Nasr area, along with the dropping of flares in the Al-Manshiya neighborhood, and the widespread deployment of military vehicles in the Al-Manshiya and Al-Maslakh neighborhoods.


At the same time, Israeli bulldozers closed the second section of Nablus Street, which leads into the city, with earth mounds, two days after closing the first section, which leads outwards. Infantry units were deployed, preventing vehicles from passing through flying checkpoints, almost completely isolating the city from its surroundings and paralyzing traffic in the area.


As part of the ongoing aggression, the occupation continues to seize 10 residential buildings in the vicinity of the traffic circle area in the northern neighborhood adjacent to Nablus Street. The buildings, which house dozens of apartments, were forcibly evicted from their residents, and the buildings were transformed into military barracks, in addition to transforming the area into a closed military zone.


Tulkarm also witnessed intense activity by Israeli occupation forces, which were seen roaming the city center and its markets, obstructing the movement of vehicles and civilians.


The ongoing escalation by the occupation forces in the city of Tulkarm and its two camps has resulted in the martyrdom of 13 citizens, including a child and two women, one of whom was eight months pregnant. Dozens have also been injured and arrested, and more than 4,000 families have been forcibly displaced from the Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps, along with dozens of families from the city's northern neighborhood.


The aggression also caused widespread destruction to infrastructure, vehicles, homes, and shops, which were subjected to total and partial demolition, burning, vandalism, looting, and theft. 396 homes were completely destroyed and 2,573 partially destroyed in the Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps, in addition to closing their entrances and alleys with earth mounds.

PALESTINE

Thu 27 Mar 2025 9:01 am - Jerusalem Time

A young man was killed by Israeli occupation forces near the town of Hawara, south of Nablus.

The General Authority of Civil Affairs announced today that it had informed the Palestinian Ministry of Health of the death of Ismail Samer Othman Sharafa (18 years old), after being shot by the occupation forces near the town of Hawara, south of Nablus.


Local sources reported that the occupation forces fired live ammunition at the young man, killing him instantly, amid ongoing tension and escalation in the area.


The vicinity of Hawara town has witnessed a continued escalation by the occupation forces, with repeated shootings and attacks against Palestinians in recent weeks.



PALESTINE

Thu 27 Mar 2025 8:59 am - Jerusalem Time

Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou was killed in Jabalia.

Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou was killed in a violent shelling that targeted his tent in the Halawa camp in Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip.


Local sources confirmed that the bombing resulted in a number of deaths and injuries, amid ongoing airstrikes targeting various areas across the Gaza Strip.


This targeting comes amid escalating aggression against Gaza, with the occupation forces continuing to carry out intensive bombing operations on several areas, resulting in a rise in the number of martyrs and wounded in recent days.

PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 10:47 pm - Jerusalem Time

A young Palestinian and two girls were injured during an Israeli raid west of Ramallah.

A young man and two girls were injured Wednesday evening when Israeli occupation forces stormed the village of Shuqba, west of Ramallah.


Local sources said that the occupation forces stormed the village and fired live bullets, tear gas bombs and sound bombs at the citizens and their homes, which resulted in a young man being injured by live bullets in the thigh, and two girls (15 and 13 years old) being injured in the limbs.

PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 10:15 pm - Jerusalem Time

Israeli occupation claims to have intercepted a rocket "launched from Gaza" at Beersheba.

The Israeli occupation army claimed, on Wednesday evening, to have intercepted a rocket "launched from Gaza" towards the Beersheba area in southern Israel.


Army Radio reported that a rocket fired from Gaza toward the Beersheba area in the Negev Desert was intercepted without triggering air raid sirens.


The privately owned Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom quoted residents of Beersheba as saying they heard two explosions in the area, but no alarms were activated.

PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 9:50 pm - Jerusalem Time

Netanyahu holds consultations on the Gaza genocide and prisoner exchange negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold security consultations on Wednesday evening regarding the genocidal war in the Gaza Strip and negotiations for a prisoner exchange with Hamas.


By the end of March 1, 2025, the first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel had concluded. The agreement, which had entered into force on January 19, 2025, was brokered by Egypt and Qatar and supported by the United States.


While Hamas has adhered to the terms of the first phase, Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, has reneged on the start of the second phase, in deference to extremists in his ruling coalition, according to Hebrew media.


The official Israeli Broadcasting Authority said: "Netanyahu is now (at 18:30 GMT) holding security consultations regarding the war in Gaza and negotiations for the return of the kidnapped soldiers."


She added, "Consultations are underway regarding the future of the fighting in Gaza, which has been ongoing for about a week, after the ceasefire ends."


Since resuming its genocide in Gaza on March 18, Israel has killed 830 Palestinians and injured 1,787 others, most of them children and women, as of Wednesday, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.


The organization quoted unnamed Israeli sources as saying, "The government is planning more aggressive operations in Gaza, including a significant expansion of ground operations."


She added that the ministers in the Security Cabinet were notified of a meeting at 8:30 p.m. next Saturday to decide on the expected Israeli steps in Gaza.



ARAB AND WORLD

Wed 26 Mar 2025 8:56 pm - Jerusalem Time

Thousands of Israelis demonstrate against Netanyahu government policies

Thousands of Israelis demonstrated Wednesday evening in front of the Knesset building in Jerusalem against government policies and in protest against new legislation that would change the composition of Israel's Judicial Selection Committee. The demonstrations coincided with Knesset deliberations on these laws, which are expected to extend into the early hours of Thursday morning.


The demonstrators, who also gathered near government offices, expressed their rejection of what they described as an "attack on judicial independence," as well as the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.


The Histadrut, Israel's leading trade union federation, announced an emergency meeting with top economic sector leaders amid growing fears of a constitutional crisis. The meeting is expected to discuss future steps, including determining the circumstances that might warrant a general strike in response to the Netanyahu government's policies.


The Israeli Knesset is scheduled to vote on the laws later in the second and third readings. If they are finally approved, they will be incorporated into official law. The Bar Association intends to petition the Supreme Court immediately after the laws are passed.


Last Wednesday, the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee approved a bill to change the composition of the Judicial Appointments Committee, paving the way for a second and third reading. The opposition considers the bill a key piece of legislation in the "judicial reform" plan aimed at weakening the judiciary.


According to the draft law, the Judicial Appointments Committee will consist of nine members, including the President of the Supreme Court, two Supreme Court justices, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who will chair the committee, another minister appointed by the government, two Knesset members, one from the coalition and one from the opposition, and two attorneys who will act as public representatives chosen by the coalition and the opposition. Unlike the current situation, the committee will not include representation from the Bar Association.


According to the draft law, a judge appointed to the Supreme Court must be over the age of 55, unless appointed by unanimous vote of the committee members, and at least two-thirds of the Supreme Court's judges must be former judges of a district court.

ARAB AND WORLD

Wed 26 Mar 2025 8:23 pm - Jerusalem Time

The Israeli occupation army: We attacked hundreds of targets in Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon over the course of a week.

The Israeli occupation army said on Wednesday that it had attacked hundreds of targets in the Gaza Strip, Syria, and Lebanon over the past week and intercepted 14 rockets fired at Israel.


The army spokesman explained in a statement that more than 430 Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets were targeted in the Gaza Strip over the past week.


He added that the Israeli occupation army also attacked 18 targets in Syria, including remaining military capabilities at the Palmyra and T-4 bases, and bombed more than 40 Hezbollah targets in southern and deep Lebanon.


The Israeli military says one video shows a drone strike targeting a Hamas company commander in a car, while another shows an airstrike targeting several Hamas members in the Jabalia area.


Another video released by the Israeli military shows airstrikes on two military sites at Palmyra Military Airport and the nearby T-4 Air Base in central Syria on Tuesday and Thursday.


Over the past week, the Israeli Air Force announced that it had bombed 18 targets in Syria and 40 other Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.


The Israeli military said it intercepted 14 rockets over the course of the week, including six surface-to-surface missiles launched from Yemen, three rockets fired from Lebanon, and five from the Gaza Strip.


Israel abandoned the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip last week when it resumed attacks that killed hundreds of people after weeks of relative calm following an agreement reached in January.


The Israeli war resulted in the deaths of more than 50,000 Palestinians, displaced most of the Gaza Strip's population of more than two million, and virtually razed most of the Strip to the ground.


Israel also continues to carry out airstrikes on areas in Lebanon despite the ceasefire agreement signed in November. Hezbollah accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement but has not responded to the Israeli strikes.


Israel has been bombing positions of the old Syrian army across Syria since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad's regime in December, and has also seized control of the buffer zone between the two countries within Syrian territory.


Yemen's Houthi group launches missiles and drones towards Israel in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 8:18 pm - Jerusalem Time

UN: 142,000 people displaced again in Gaza

The United Nations announced that 124,000 people were displaced again after Israel resumed its attacks on the Gaza Strip and issued "evacuation orders."


This was stated by UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric at his daily press conference.


Dujarric explained that the ongoing Israeli airstrikes, "evacuation orders," and continued withholding of humanitarian aid have exacerbated the situation in the Strip.


"Everything in Gaza is about to end. Time, life, materials, everything is running out," he added.


He pointed out that the resumption of Israeli attacks on Gaza has displaced 142,000 people, and that "evacuation orders" have covered 17 percent of the Strip.


He stated that Israel does not allow the passage of UN humanitarian aid and constantly places obstacles to prevent it from reaching those in need.


On March 1, 2025, the first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel ended. The agreement, which went into effect on January 19, 2025, was brokered by Egypt and Qatar and supported by the United States.


While Hamas has adhered to the terms of the first phase, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, has reneged on the start of the second phase, in deference to extremists in his ruling coalition, according to Hebrew media.


Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with US support, has been committing genocidal crimes in Gaza, leaving a total of more than 164,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 14,000 missing.


Israel has been blockading Gaza for the 18th year, leaving approximately 1.5 million of its 2.4 million Palestinian citizens homeless after their homes were destroyed in the war of extermination. The Strip has entered the first stages of famine due to Tel Aviv's closure of the crossings to humanitarian aid.

ARAB AND WORLD

Wed 26 Mar 2025 8:15 pm - Jerusalem Time

Trump launches Joint Task Force October 7, expanding harassment of Palestinian protesters


Last week, the Trump administration announced the formation of a joint task force, which it said aims to hold Hamas leaders accountable for the October 7, 2023, attack. But many fear this could be another weapon the administration uses to target activists within the United States who oppose Israel's war of annihilation in Gaza.


According to the administration, the October 7 Joint Task Force (JTF 10-7) will investigate "acts of terrorism and civil rights violations committed by individuals and entities providing support and funding to Hamas, its Iranian-linked proxies, and their affiliates," a similar effort to that initiated under the Biden administration. However, the new task force also targets "acts of anti-Semitism committed by these groups," which the administration indicated refers to university activism in support of Palestinian rights.


“The victims of Hamas’s decades-long violent terrorist campaign against Israel will always have the support of the United States government, and the Department will no longer allow unlawful support for Hamas on our campuses and anywhere else in the nation,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “Anti-Semitic terrorist acts—whether here or abroad—will not go unpunished.”


This move comes amid an escalating crackdown, with several protesters arrested for their activism, including Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate, permanent resident of the United States, and a prominent participant in the Gaza camp held on campus last spring. He is currently being held in a Louisiana detention center while his case is heard in a New Jersey court.


According to a report by Mondweiss, lawyers Thomas Anthony Durkin and Bernard E. Harcourt wrote in The Guardian: “The legal risks are real. They are risky, and they are worrisome. When it comes to a designated foreign terrorist organization—such as Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, or related organizations like the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network—the line between political advocacy and material support for terrorism can be very thin, and any suspicion is often cast against those engaged in political advocacy.”


According to the website, groups like Samidoun have already faced government attacks. Last October, the organization was sanctioned as part of a joint campaign by the US Treasury Department and the Canadian government. Mohammed Al-Khatib, Samidoun's European coordinator, told Mondoweiss at the time, "We see this as part of this campaign against the Palestinian people, against the Palestinian diaspora, against the Arab and Muslim community, and against the Palestine solidarity movement."


He added, "We've seen these forms of repression against the student movement, against the LGBTQ+ movement, and against the Jewish community for defending Palestine. So, we are part of this campaign." While targeting Palestinian activists and organizations is not new, Trump has expanded domestic repression to levels reminiscent of the McCarthy era. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested student protesters, such as Khalil and Liqa'a Kurdiyeh, a Palestinian student from the occupied West Bank who is currently being held in a Texas detention center after being arrested in Newark, New Jersey, not for specific crimes, but for allegedly threatening US foreign policy interests.


On March 17, Badr Khan Suri, a Georgetown University professor and postdoctoral researcher in religion, was ambushed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers near his home and outside his Virginia home. He was taken into custody despite not being charged. He was informed that the federal government had revoked his visa.


“Tearing someone from their home and family, stripping them of their immigration status, and detaining them based solely on a political point of view is a clear attempt by President Trump to silence dissent,” said Sophia Gregg, senior immigrant rights attorney with the ACLU of Virginia, in a statement about the case. “This is blatantly unconstitutional.”


Several lawsuits have been filed challenging Trump's actions in recent days.


Yunsoo Chung, a 21-year-old Columbia University student and legal permanent resident of the United States, is suing Trump and other administration officials for attempting to arrest and deport her. Chung was active in the university's protests against Gaza, but appears to have been less involved than Mahmoud Khalil.


The administration is also being sued by two Cornell University graduate students and a professor there. This lawsuit seeks a national injunction to block the implementation of two Trump executive orders.

PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 8:03 pm - Jerusalem Time

Israeli occupation prevents thousands of citizens from reaching Jerusalem to celebrate the Night of Power at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Today, Wednesday, the Israeli occupation forces prevented thousands of citizens from reaching occupied Jerusalem to commemorate the Night of Power at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.


Thousands of citizens flocked to the Qalandia military checkpoint and Checkpoint 300, which separates the cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem. However, the occupation forces, which reinforced their presence at the checkpoints, prevented most of them from crossing into the Holy City.


According to local sources, occupation forces turned back thousands of citizens at the Qalandia and Bethlehem checkpoints, including women, the elderly, and children, who were on their way to Al-Aqsa Mosque, on the pretext that they did not have the required permits to enter.


The Jerusalem Governorate reported that occupation forces prevented a number of elderly people from entering Jerusalem to commemorate the Night of Power at Al-Aqsa Mosque, despite their possession of permits.


It added that the occupation has transformed Jerusalem into a military barracks, imposed strict restrictions on those entering the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, checked the IDs of young men at the entrances to the Old City and the gates of the mosque, and prevented a number of them from entering.



PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 8:01 pm - Jerusalem Time

The Human Rights Council condemns the occupation's crimes and calls for it to be held accountable for its violations.

During its fifty-eighth session, under discussion of Item 7, concerning the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory and the occupied Syrian Golan, the United Nations Human Rights Council condemned the grave violations committed by the occupying power and their repercussions under international law. Members affirmed their rejection of the ongoing war crimes, violations of the ceasefire agreement, and the killing of civilians, amid international calls for firm action to ensure accountability.


At the opening of the session, the High Commissioner's Representative reviewed reports issued by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including the illegality of settlements, the cessation of settlement expansion and land confiscation, and the need to hold all war criminals accountable.


Representatives of the Arab, African, and Latin American groups, as well as the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, participated in the discussion. Representatives of the Council's member states condemned the continued illegal occupation of Palestinian territory and denounced the aggression and crimes against humanity.


Most of the Council's member states delivered speeches, including: Algeria, Kuwait, Morocco, Mexico, Spain, South Africa, Maldives, Indonesia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, China, Bangladesh, Cuba, Vietnam, Qatar, Bolivia, and Sudan.


Several observer states also participated in the Council, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the Knights of Malta, Iraq, Brunei Darussalam, Luxembourg, South Korea, Jordan, Slovenia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Djibouti, Egypt, Peru, Malaysia, Nigeria, Eritrea, Oman, Russia, Senegal, Ireland, Bahrain, Mauritania, Afghanistan, Tunisia, Venezuela, Libya, Uganda, Cambodia, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka.


The speakers emphasized that the humanitarian and political situation in the Palestinian territories has reached an unprecedented level of danger, in light of the occupation's continued denial of humanitarian aid, the use of starvation as a weapon of war, and the forced displacement of civilians. They pointed to Israel's settlement and aggressive practices, which constitute a flagrant violation of international law. They emphasized the need to comply with the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice and to implement international law. They also expressed their full solidarity with the Palestinian people and their firm position to achieve justice and the Palestinian people's right to self-determination, as well as their continued support for UNRWA.


In his speech on behalf of the State of Palestine, the Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Ibrahim Khraishi, called on the international community to take immediate and practical steps to hold the occupation accountable for its crimes and to halt its policies of genocide and forced displacement. He stressed the importance of guaranteeing the rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the right to self-determination, and for states to assume their legal responsibilities under international treaties to end the occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.


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PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 7:14 pm - Jerusalem Time

Germany condemns Israel's assassination of journalists in the Gaza Strip

Germany condemned Israel's assassination of journalists in the Gaza Strip, the latest of whom was journalist Hossam Shabat.


German Foreign Ministry spokesman Christian Wagner affirmed in a press statement on Wednesday that "freedom of the press is precious and must be protected," emphasizing that "attacks" on journalists "cannot be justified."


"Journalists in Gaza should not be targeted. The situation is catastrophic and extremely dangerous for the population and journalists," he added.


Wagner renewed his call to the Israeli government and all parties involved in the negotiations to quickly return to the ceasefire and find a political solution.

PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 6:57 pm - Jerusalem Time

Katz threatens Gaza Palestinians with further genocide and occupation of their lands

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz threatened Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday evening with further genocide and the occupation of their lands.


Since resuming its genocide in Gaza on March 18, Israel has killed 830 Palestinians and injured 1,787 others, most of them children and women, as of Wednesday, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.


"Residents of Gaza, soon the IDF will operate forcefully in additional areas of Gaza, and you will be asked to evacuate," Katz said in a televised address broadcast on Army Radio.


He continued: "You will lose more land that will be annexed to the Israeli defense system... The plans are ready and approved."


In an attempt to incite against Hamas, Katz called on Palestinians to demand "the expulsion of Hamas from Gaza and the immediate release of all kidnapped Israelis."


Tel Aviv estimates that there are 59 Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip, 24 of whom are still alive. Meanwhile, more than 9,500 Palestinians are languishing in its prisons, suffering torture, starvation, and medical neglect, many of whom have died, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.


Katz considered that pressuring Hamas is "the only way to stop the war."


With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving a total of more than 164,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 14,000 missing.


This isn't the first time Katz has threatened Palestinians in Gaza. Last Wednesday, he said the army would forcibly remove them from combat zones, that they would "pay the full price," and that "what's coming will be much more difficult."


Israel has been blockading Gaza for the 18th year, leaving approximately 1.5 million of its 2.4 million Palestinian citizens homeless after their homes were destroyed in the war of extermination. The Strip has entered the first stages of famine due to Tel Aviv's closure of the crossings to humanitarian aid.


For decades, Israel has occupied territories in Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon, and refuses to withdraw from them and establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, along the pre-1967 borders.

PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 4:42 pm - Jerusalem Time

14 Palestinians killed in Israeli occupation's bombing of the central Gaza Strip

At least 14 civilians were killed and others wounded in an Israeli airstrike on the central Gaza Strip.


According to local sources, Israeli warplanes bombed the vicinity of the Abdullah Azzam Mosque in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, killing six civilians and wounding others.


Five citizens were also killed and others wounded when the occupation targeted a charitable foundation near the Al-Qassam Mosque in the center of the camp.


Two citizens were killed and others were injured when the occupation forces bombed the tents of displaced people in the Al-Zawaida area in the central Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, one citizen was killed and two others were injured when the occupation forces targeted civilians near the Al-Shuhada Junction in the center of Gaza City.

ARAB AND WORLD

Wed 26 Mar 2025 4:05 pm - Jerusalem Time

Egyptian Foreign Ministry: Intense Egyptian and Qatari efforts to cease fire in Gaza

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed on Wednesday a phone call between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty and his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, as part of joint efforts to de-escalate the situation in Gaza.


According to the statement, the call aims to enhance coordination between the two countries to support mediation efforts to consolidate the ceasefire and return to the January 19 agreement, while ensuring the release of detainees and prisoners, as well as facilitating the entry of humanitarian and medical aid into the Strip.


The two ministers also exchanged views on ways to create conditions for the reconstruction of Gaza, emphasizing the success of the Cairo Conference on Early Recovery and Reconstruction, which will ensure the stability of Palestinians on their land.


Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi affirmed his continued tireless efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, calling for concerted international efforts to stop the bloodshed and restore calm and stability to the region, while reaffirming Egypt's continued support for the Palestinian cause.



PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 3:33 pm - Jerusalem Time

Israeli plan to deport 100 Gazans to Indonesia as a "preliminary experiment"

Israel is planning a pilot project to deport 100 Gazans to Indonesia under the pretext of working there, Channel 12 reported. This comes after its plan to deport Gaza residents has so far failed, as Gaza residents rejected it and no country agreed to forcibly accept displaced Gazans.


Israel describes the displacement plan as "voluntary migration," and hopes that the pressures of the war of extermination and starvation will force Gazans to agree to the "migration." The Israeli army claimed to have conducted a "survey" that indicated that a quarter of the Strip's population agrees to the "migration."


Channel 12 reported that the "initial experiment" will soon be implemented, according to a plan that will be implemented by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), General Ghassan Galian. The plan "aims to encourage thousands of Gazans to voluntarily immigrate to Indonesia to work in the construction sector, if the initial experiment proves successful," the report said.


Although international law allows Palestinians to return to the Gaza Strip after leaving to work abroad, the Israeli plan calls for "encouraging immigration and long-term residence in Indonesia, a matter that is up to the Indonesian government."


It should be noted that there are no diplomatic relations between Israel and Indonesia, "therefore, a communication channel should have been established between the two countries." If this plan succeeds, the "Immigration Directorate" established by Defense Minister Yisrael Katz will be responsible for implementing the plan and "assisting in finding jobs."


According to the Israeli channel, since the beginning of the war, 35,000 Palestinians have left the Gaza Strip, including 1,000 since the beginning of this month until last Sunday. It is expected that 600 Palestinians will leave this week. All of them are sick and wounded people in need of medical treatment, their family members, and citizens holding foreign nationalities. They are gathered at the Kerem Shalom crossing, where they are subject to inspection by the Shin Bet. They are then transferred to the Rafah crossing, the Allenby crossing, or Ramon Airport near Eilat, and are informed that their return to the Gaza Strip is not certain.

PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 3:30 pm - Jerusalem Time

A health disaster inside Megiddo prison due to the spread of scabies.

The Prisoners Club said that data coming from Megiddo prison warns of a health disaster due to the continued spread of scabies, in addition to other data indicating the spread of other infectious diseases.


The Prisoners Club explained in a statement on Wednesday that, according to testimonies of released detainees and visits from lawyers, the serious health conditions that affected the Megiddo detainees also included children, among whom was the martyr Walid Ahmed, who was martyred as a result of being exposed to a medical crime. He is among hundreds of detained children distributed across three central detention centers, including Megiddo, in addition to the Ofer and Damon detainees, where they face the same conditions.


Based on testimonies from children recently released from Megiddo Prison, they confirmed that the majority of the children suffer from health problems and face difficult and tragic detention conditions.


The Prisoners' Club continued, saying that the detention system deliberately deprives detainees, including children and women, of the factors that could contribute to limiting the spread of disease, including (quality of food, stopping the crime of starvation, providing clothing and personal hygiene items, and exposure to adequate light and ventilation), as the complete lack of these factors leads to the spread of diseases, specifically (scabies).


It explained that illness and medical crimes, through the total denial of treatment, have become the most prominent tool for killing detainees, in addition to the crime of torture and the acts of abuse and humiliation that are carried out against them on a momentary basis.

It pointed out that the continued spread of disease among detainees, and their denial of medical treatment, will inevitably lead to the deaths of more of them. This, coupled with the array of crimes and systematic policies imposed on them by the detention system in a manner unprecedented since the genocide, constitutes yet another aspect of genocide.


The Prisoners' Club held the occupation forces fully responsible for the fate of thousands of detainees, reiterating its call for the international human rights community to end its impotence in the face of the ongoing genocide and crimes against detainees in Israeli prisons and camps.


It called on the World Health Organization to urgently intervene regarding the systematic medical crimes being perpetrated against detainees in an unprecedented manner.


It is noteworthy that since the beginning of the genocide, (63) detainees have been martyred in the occupation’s prisons, and they are the only ones whose identities are known, while dozens of martyrs are still subject to the crime of enforced disappearance.

ARAB AND WORLD

Wed 26 Mar 2025 3:20 pm - Jerusalem Time

Trump's Deputy Envoy: The US "Unleashed" Israel with All the Weapons It Needs



The US deputy special envoy to the Middle East said on Sunday that Washington had "given Israel a free hand" by providing it with "all the weapons it needs" to continue its war on Gaza.


In an interview with Fox News, Morgan Ortagus said that the administration of former US President Joe Biden "made Israel fight with one hand tied behind its back."


"They didn't have the weapons they needed, so they had to go back and get 30- and 40-year-old ammunition stockpiles," she said.


Referring to Israel as Washington's "closest ally," Ortagus noted that the Trump administration's first step in office was to ensure that Israel had "all the weapons it needed to end its war."


According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the United States is Israel's largest arms supplier, accounting for 66% of the country's arms imports between 2020 and 2024.


It's worth noting that in January 2025, two weeks before former US President Joe Biden left office, Washington approved the sale of $20 billion worth of military equipment to Israel, including air-to-air missiles, Hellfire missiles, artillery shells, and heavy bombs.


Last February, US President Trump rescinded an order signed by Biden requiring assurances that US weapons would not be used in violation of international human rights law.


This March, the Trump administration bypassed the usual congressional review to approve the sale of nearly $3 billion in additional arms to Israel.


Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that he "signed a proclamation using emergency authorities to expedite the delivery of nearly $4 billion in military aid to Israel."


He added that the Trump administration has so far approved arms sales to Israel worth approximately $12 billion.

PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 3:14 pm - Jerusalem Time

The specter of famine threatens Gaza amid a stifling blockade and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

The Gaza Strip is facing a severe food crisis that is worsening by the day, with the threat of famine threatening the lives of thousands of families as Israel resumes its war on the Gaza Strip following the ceasefire agreement signed on January 17, 2025.

UN reports indicate that poverty and food insecurity rates in the Gaza Strip have reached unprecedented levels, with warnings of an impending humanitarian disaster.

Relief officials reported that food supplies in Gaza are dangerously dwindling due to the closure of crossings for more than three weeks, coupled with rising prices for basic goods, leaving many families unable to meet their daily needs.

In a conversation with one citizen, he confirmed that obtaining food has become a major challenge, as prices of basic commodities have skyrocketed, while the purchasing power of the population has declined due to unemployment and the loss of income.

For its part, the World Food Programme warned that the situation in Gaza is approaching a breaking point, noting that increasing numbers of residents are now relying on humanitarian aid to meet their food needs, while relief organizations are facing significant difficulties in delivering support to those affected.

PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 2:56 pm - Jerusalem Time

Al-Sisi: We continue to strive to consolidate the ceasefire in Gaza and implement all its stages.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said Wednesday that his country is "working tirelessly to consolidate the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and proceed with its remaining phases," calling on "partners and friends to mobilize efforts to stop the bloodshed and restore calm and stability to the region."


Sisi said, "I reiterate that Egypt will continue to do everything in its power to support the just Palestinian cause, and to work tirelessly to consolidate the ceasefire (in Gaza) and proceed with implementing its remaining stages."


He added, "We call on our partners and friends to join forces to stop the bloodshed and restore calm and stability to the region."


Earlier on Wednesday, Hamas, in a statement, held Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for the failure of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, saying that returning to genocide was a premeditated decision on his part.


According to Israeli media, the envoy

US President Steve Witkoff, visiting the Middle East, proposed the release of 10 Israeli prisoners in exchange for a 50-day ceasefire, the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, the entry of humanitarian aid, and the start of negotiations on the second phase.


Tel Aviv estimates that there are 59 Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip, 24 of whom are still alive. Meanwhile, more than 9,500 Palestinian prisoners are languishing in its prisons, suffering from torture, starvation, and medical neglect, many of whom have died.

In March, Hamas said it had not rejected Witkoff's proposal, and that Netanyahu had resumed his genocidal war on Gaza to thwart the agreement.


Since the resumption of the war on Gaza on March 18, 830 Palestinians have been killed and 1,787 others injured, most of them children and women, according to the latest figures announced by the Gaza Ministry of Health on Wednesday.


The United Nations said that nearly 124,000 Palestinians were displaced again after Israel resumed its attacks on the Gaza Strip and issued evacuation orders.


This escalation, which Tel Aviv said was fully coordinated with Washington, represents the most significant violation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, the second phase of which Israel refrained from implementing after the first phase expired in early March.

PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 1:27 pm - Jerusalem Time

Israeli occupation issues new evacuation orders for areas in Gaza City.

The Israeli occupation army continues to forcibly displace thousands of citizens in several areas of the Gaza Strip to other areas, this time from areas in Gaza City.


In a post on social media on Wednesday, the occupation called on "those in the neighborhoods of Western Zeitoun, Tel al-Hawa, and Sheikh Ajlin to evacuate and immediately move south, via Rashid Street to the south of Wadi Gaza, to the known shelters."


The majority of the "humanitarian zone" lacks infrastructure, lacks water, and lacks service facilities, given its uninhabited nature. It is experiencing health and environmental crises, and is plagued by disease and epidemics.


Displaced families face significant difficulties transporting the elderly and sick, along with their basic needs, especially since the occupation forces prohibit movement by vehicle.

PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 12:57 pm - Jerusalem Time

The death toll from the aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 50,183.

The death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 50,183, and the number of injuries to 113,828 since October 7, 2023.


The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that the death toll includes 830 dead and 1,787 wounded since March 18.


It said that 39 dead were killed (including the recovery of a victim body), and 124 injured people arrived at hospitals in the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours.


It explained that a number of martyrs remain under the rubble of destroyed homes and facilities, and on the roads, and that ambulances and specialist teams are unable to reach them due to limited resources.

PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 11:37 am - Jerusalem Time

Hamas: Every time the occupation tries to recover its prisoners by force, they return dead.

Hamas said on Wednesday, "Every time the Israeli occupation tries to recover its prisoners by force, it returns them dead in coffins."

Hamas confirmed in a statement that returning to war was a premeditated decision by Netanyahu to thwart the agreement and succumb to Ben-Gvir's blackmail.

It added, "Netanyahu bears full responsibility for the failure of the agreement, and the international community and mediators must pressure him to halt the aggression and return to the negotiating track."

Hamas indicated that the resistance is doing everything in its power to keep the occupation's prisoners alive, but that the indiscriminate Israeli shelling is putting their lives at risk, according to its statement.

It continued, "Netanyahu is lying to the families of the prisoners when he claims that the military option is capable of bringing them back alive."

PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 11:33 am - Jerusalem Time

Drinking water shortages in Gaza: a worsening crisis amid deteriorating living conditions

Residents of the Gaza Strip are facing a worsening crisis in access to drinking water, with most water sources in the Strip suffering from severe pollution and high salinity, rendering them unfit for human consumption. This crisis is a result of the ongoing deterioration of the water infrastructure, coupled with the lack of fuel to operate the Strip's desalination plants.

Local reports indicate that more than 97% of Gaza's groundwater is unfit for drinking due to contamination from sewage leakage and overexploitation of groundwater resources. With scarce resources, most residents rely on purchasing desalinated water from private plants at high prices, increasing the economic burden on families.

Water experts stressed that the sector needs sustainable solutions to end this crisis, including the development of seawater desalination plants and the improvement of water distribution networks. However, the implementation of these projects faces numerous challenges, most notably a lack of funding and restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation on the entry of necessary equipment.

The water crisis comes at a time when the Gaza Strip is suffering from increasing humanitarian crises due to the war waged by Israel on the Strip for more than a year and a half.

PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 11:24 am - Jerusalem Time

16 Palestinian prisoners face isolation and hunger in Megiddo Prison

The Commission of Prisoners' Affairs and Ex-Prisoners reported in its report issued on Wednesday that the Israeli occupation authorities continue to isolate prisoner Munadil Yaqoub Nafi'at (30 years old) from the town of Ya'bad/Jenin, from November 10, 2024 until today.


The Commission's lawyer confirmed that there are 15 other prisoners held in solitary confinement in Megiddo Prison, alongside Nafi'at, under extremely difficult detention conditions. They are subjected to beatings and constant, provocative and harmful searches, and the lights are kept on 24 hours a day to deprive them of sleep. The food provided to them is also very poor in both quantity and quality, causing most of the prisoners to lose a significant amount of weight.


It pointed out that this policy has been pursued by the prison administration since the Gaza War on October 7, 2023, as a form of revenge against prisoners and their slow killing.

PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 11:13 am - Jerusalem Time

A young man was injured by Israeli occupation forces' bullets west of Ramallah.

The Israeli occupation forces shot a young man with live ammunition early Thursday morning in the town of Ni'lin, west of Ramallah, and left him bleeding near the "Nili" settlement adjacent to the town.


Local sources reported that the occupation forces fired live ammunition at the young man, Yousef Surur, which resulted in him being shot in the abdomen. The soldiers then arrested him and left him bleeding for more than two hours near the "Nili" settlement until he lost consciousness and was bleeding heavily. Local residents then transferred him to a hospital in Ramallah, where his condition was described as critical.


The occupation forces detained two young men during the raid on the town.

PALESTINE

Wed 26 Mar 2025 10:42 am - Jerusalem Time

MSF: Israel effectively blocks access to water in the Gaza Strip

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Wednesday that Israel is effectively blocking access to water in the Gaza Strip by cutting off electricity and fuel, calling for humanitarian aid to be allowed to pass to Palestinians to avoid further loss of life.


The statement quoted Paula Navarro, the organization's water and sanitation coordinator in Gaza, as saying: "With new attacks resulting in hundreds of deaths in just a few days, Israeli forces continue to deprive Gaza's residents of water by cutting off electricity and preventing the entry of fuel."


She added that the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza is exacerbated by the "water crisis," with many forced to drink unfit water, while others lack it altogether.


For her part, Chiara Lodi, the organization's medical team coordinator in Gaza, pointed out that the skin diseases children are suffering from are "a direct result of the destruction of Gaza and the Israeli blockade imposed on it."


She continued: "Our staff is treating an increasing number of children suffering from skin diseases such as scabies, which causes great suffering and, in severe cases, leads to scratching the skin until it bleeds."


Lodi attributed the spread of scabies among Palestinian children to their "inability to bathe."


Doctors Without Borders noted that "jaundice, diarrhea, and scabies" are among the most common conditions treated by its teams in Khan Yunis (south), resulting from the lack of safe water supplies.


The organization warned that the depletion of fuel in the Gaza Strip would cause "the complete collapse of the remaining water system, cutting off people's access to water."


The occupation authorities continue to prevent the entry of fuel as part of their tightened siege and closure of crossings to humanitarian, relief, medical, and goods since March 2.


The organization renewed its call for Israel to lift its "inhumane blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip and comply with international humanitarian law and its duties as an occupying power."


It called for "an immediate restoration of the truce and the passage of electricity and humanitarian aid to Gaza, including fuel and water supplies, to avoid further loss of life."


On March 9, Israeli Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen decided to "immediately" halt electricity supplies to Gaza. Israel had been supplying limited power to the Gaza Strip to operate the water station in the central Gaza Strip.


In a preliminary toll, the number of martyrs and wounded since the start of the aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7th has risen to 50,144 martyrs and 113,704 wounded.

Since the occupation resumed its war of extermination on March 18, more than 750 civilians have been killed and nearly 1,400 others injured, most of them children and women, amidst the occupation's warplanes, drones, and artillery shelling of homes, facilities, hospitals, displaced persons' tents, vehicles, and civilian gatherings.