Two citizens were injured on Sunday evening, one of them by Israeli occupation forces' bullets in the town of Dura, south of Hebron.

According to the Ministry of Health, one citizen was shot in the lower limbs with live ammunition, while another was injured by physical assault.

The Ministry of Health stated that the two cases arrived at Dura Government Hospital and are in stable condition.

According to local sources, these forces stormed Dura, firing bullets and sound bombs at civilians and businesses, forcing them to close their doors.

The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said on Sunday that Israel's ban on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip constitutes "collective punishment" against its citizens.

In a post on the X platform, Lazzarini noted that "three weeks have passed since the Israeli authorities banned the entry of supplies into Gaza."

He pointed out that Palestinians in Gaza "rely on imports via Israel to survive."

Egypt called on Sunday for the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip to be completed and for "quick action" to begin its second phase, warning of the repercussions of a "dangerous escalation" by Israel in southern Lebanon.

This came according to what Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty stated at a press conference in Cairo with European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaya Kallas, according to a broadcast by the state-run Nile News Channel.

During his meeting with the European official, the Egyptian minister stressed the need to "move quickly toward the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza."

He stressed that "the only way to release all detainees is to return to the negotiating table and adhere to the ceasefire agreement."

Abdel-Ati described the Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon as a "dangerous escalation," warning of their potential to expand the conflict in the region.

The Egyptian Foreign Minister stressed the importance of fully implementing UN Resolution 1701.

Israeli occupation forces sent military reinforcements to Jenin camp on Sunday evening.

Local sources said that the occupation forces sent military reinforcements from the Jalameh military checkpoint to Jenin camp, while drones have continued to fly over the city and camp since the morning. The occupation forces are continuing to comb the camp's neighborhoods and homes, while military armored vehicles are patrolling the area.

Jenin Municipality announced this morning that the occupation authorities had issued demolition orders for approximately 66 residential buildings in the camp, totaling approximately 300 apartments.

The occupation's aggression on the city of Jenin and its camp continues for the 62nd consecutive day, leaving 34 martyrs and dozens of injuries.

The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced on Sunday that 7 percent of the Strip's total population of 2.4 million people have been killed or wounded in the ongoing genocidal war.

"About 7% of the total population of the Gaza Strip have become victims of the genocidal war, either dead or wounded," the ministry's director general, Munir al-Barash, said in a statement.

He explained that more than 25,000 of the total number of injured people require "long-term rehabilitation and treatment."

He stated that the number of amputations among the injured reached approximately 4,700, including 850 children.

He warned of a further deterioration in the situation in the Gaza Strip, due to "the comprehensive blockade imposed by the occupation forces on both the health and humanitarian levels."

He stressed that hospitals are no longer able to cope with the "massive influx of casualties arriving due to their lack of even the most basic medical equipment and capabilities amid the escalating Israeli aggression."

Since March 2, Israel has closed the Gaza Strip's crossings to relief, humanitarian, medical, and goods, leading to a deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the Strip.

Israel also prevented the entry of fuel to power generators that replace electricity, threatening the operation of hospitals.

The Government Media Office has repeatedly warned of the dangers of the crossing closures to hospital operations, the deteriorating health conditions in the Gaza Strip, and the humanitarian situation in general. Last week, it announced that the Gaza Strip had entered the first stages of famine.

Since resuming its genocide in Gaza on Tuesday and continuing through Sunday, Israel has killed 673 people and injured 1,233 others, most of them women and children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.

This escalation, which Tel Aviv said was taking place in full coordination with Washington, represents the most significant violation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, the second phase of which Israel has refrained from implementing since the first phase expired in early March.

Despite Hamas's commitment to all terms of the agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to proceed with the second phase, yielding to pressure from extremists within his government.

The Israeli war on Gaza left more than 162,000 dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 14,000 missing.

Washington stressed on Sunday that it seeks to completely dismantle Iran's nuclear program, indicating that all options are available if this does not happen. It also announced the killing of high-ranking Houthi leaders.

This came in statements made by US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz on Sunday evening.

The death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 50,021 dead and 113,274 injuries since October 7, 2023. A further 673 martyrs and 1,233 injuries have been recorded since the resumption of Israeli military attacks on the Gaza Strip, including 41 dead and 61 injuries in the past 24 hours, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported on Sunday.

The Israeli army continued its renewed aggression on the Gaza Strip for the sixth consecutive day, launching new ground operations in the northern Gaza Strip and continuing its incursion into the Rafah area and the Netzarim axis, under the cover of intensive air strikes. This resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths and injuries, most of them women, children and the elderly. Today, it issued orders to evacuate the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood west of Rafah, announcing the start of a military operation in the area.

On Sunday morning, Hamas political bureau member Salah al-Bardawil and his wife were killed in an Israeli airstrike west of Khan Younis. Hamas said in a statement that al-Bardawil and his wife were killed in a "treacherous Zionist assassination operation" while they were staying in their tent in the al-Mawasi area on the night of the 23rd of Ramadan. It added that this is "part of a series of brutal massacres committed by the enemy against our steadfast and patient people in the Gaza Strip."

This comes as Israeli military vehicles advanced into the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood amid relentless gunfire, with artillery moving from east to west, and warplanes and helicopters flying overhead, along with reconnaissance aircraft and quadcopters.

On Sunday, Israeli occupation forces besieged more than 50,000 Palestinian civilians in the Barakat area west of Rafah Governorate, prompting the General Directorate of Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip to warn of "an imminent danger threatening their lives." Meanwhile, the Civil Defense Directorate and the Red Crescent Society announced they had lost contact with ambulance and rescue crews besieged by the occupation in Rafah.

The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that the Israeli military is expanding its ground operations across the Gaza Strip, with forces operating in key locations across the territory in an attempt to pressure Hamas as talks to end the fighting and release more hostages stall.

Israeli forces entered the northern Gaza border town of Beit Hanoun on Saturday to lay the groundwork for expanding the Israeli security buffer zone, a several hundred-meter-wide area established by the Israeli military inside Gaza and extending along its border with Israel.

The army said it is now operating in areas to expand its scope and uproot Hamas infrastructure throughout Gaza, from Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia in the north to the Netzarim corridor that divides the central Gaza Strip and Rafah across the Egyptian border in the south. New evacuation orders were issued on Sunday for Palestinians to leave the expanding operations in Rafah.

Israel is also attempting to assassinate prominent Hamas members. Hamas said its airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Sunday night killed Salah al-Bardawil, a member of the movement's political bureau. According to Palestinian health authorities, Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 600 Palestinians since Netanyahu resumed his war of annihilation in Gaza with an intense airstrike at dawn on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.

The war of extermination has so far resulted in the deaths of more than 50,000 Palestinians since it began more than 17 months ago. The war erupted after Hamas launched Operation Protective Edge on October 7, 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people, including 311 Israeli soldiers on duty, and saw 250 hostages taken, according to Israeli authorities.

The first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which entered into force on January 19, ended on March 2, as Israel refused to implement its commitments to move to the second phase, which, according to the agreement, stipulates the withdrawal of the occupation army from the entire Gaza Strip.

According to experts, Israel's current moves are part of the Netanyahu government's strategy to pressure Hamas into accepting a deal to release the approximately 60 remaining hostages in the Strip, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.

The Israeli government is under intense public pressure to secure their release. Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets in the days since the fighting resumed, urging their leaders to pursue a deal. Many on the Israeli right have called for the state to retain Palestinian territories and support Palestinians who want to leave the Gaza Strip, arguing that such pressure tactics are necessary to pressure Hamas.

Arab countries have rejected President Trump's plan to displace Gaza's residents to neighboring countries while the Strip is rebuilt.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Sunday that the Israeli security cabinet had approved the establishment of a new department to facilitate voluntary emigration from Gaza, after saying over the weekend that he had directed the Israeli military to seize additional territory in Gaza and expand its buffer zone. Katz said on Friday: "As long as Hamas continues to refuse to release the hostages, it will lose more and more territory that will be annexed to Israel."

The Houthi Ansar Allah group announced on Sunday that it had carried out a military operation targeting Ben Gurion Airport in central Israel, as well as the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and a number of its accompanying naval vessels in the Red Sea.

The group's armed forces stated in a statement that they launched a "Palestine 2" hypersonic ballistic missile toward Ben Gurion Airport in the occupied Jaffa region. They also targeted a US aircraft carrier and several of its warships using multiple missiles and drones.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced Sunday morning that it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen before it entered Israeli airspace, after air raid sirens were activated in several areas in central Israel.

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said, "The air force intercepted a missile launched from Yemen a short while ago before it could penetrate Israeli airspace."

The Israeli Home Front Command reported that air raid sirens sounded in various areas of central Israel, including more than 20 cities and towns, including Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and the northern West Bank.

Israel's Channel 12 reported that air traffic at Ben Gurion Airport was temporarily halted while air raid sirens sounded, while the Ynet website reported that a FlyDubai plane was forced to change course and not land at the airport.

For its part, the Magen David Adom organization said there were no reports of rocket fire or human casualties.

The Israeli military also announced last Friday that it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen before it entered Israeli airspace. The Houthi group claimed responsibility for the operation, confirming that Ben Gurion Airport was targeted with a high-speed "Palestine 2" ballistic missile.

US President Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, revealed intriguing information about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's stance on the hostage deal, which is facing a stalemate.

Israel's Channel 12 reported that Witkoff indicated in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson that "the Israeli public is demanding the return of the kidnapped soldiers, while Netanyahu is acting contrary to the public mood."

It continued, saying that Witkoff said during the interview that Netanyahu "believes he is doing the right thing" by using military pressure in Gaza as a means to return the hostages.

In contrast, the US envoy stressed that Hamas must disarm, "after which it can participate politically in Gaza."

In response to Witkoff's "surprising" remarks, a source in Netanyahu's office told Channel 12 that he "believes the prime minister is committed to returning the abductees" and that "US President Donald Trump's policy is to eliminate Hamas, a policy that aligns with the war's objectives."

Earlier, Channel 12 revealed escalating tensions between the United States and Israel over the failure of ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip and the resumption of military operations, amid sharp criticism of the Israeli government's handling of the situation.

According to the channel, the disagreements between the two sides did not stop at Witkov's recent statements, but extended to include criticism of Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, one of Netanyahu's closest confidantes, who was accused of obstructing the negotiations and escalating the situation.

The channel quoted informed Israeli sources as saying that the Dermer-Witkoff axis failed in its mission, adding that Ron Dermer, the Israeli negotiator, lacks the political tools required to manage this sensitive issue, despite Netanyahu's confidence in him.

President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, said, "World Water Day comes this year at a time when our Palestinian people are being subjected to ongoing genocidal crimes at the hands of the brutal Israeli occupation forces for more than a year and a half, claiming the lives of thousands of children, women, and the elderly, and destroying most of their property, facilities, and infrastructure."

He added, in a speech on the occasion of World Water Day, that the occupation did not stop there, but rather used another weapon to increase the suffering and displacement, and even the slow death of our people, by halting all basic services, especially water, and preventing the arrival of humanitarian aid, all without deterrence or accountability, in flagrant violation of international human rights treaties and international legitimacy resolutions.

The President emphasized that Israel's use of water as a weapon of torture, displacement, and extortion is not new, but rather an extension of a decades-long systematic policy of plundering and controlling all surface and groundwater resources, with the aim of controlling the lives and development of Palestinian citizens, uprooting them from their land, and implementing its political agenda of illegal settlement expansion and undermining the two-state solution.

He stressed the need for the world to realize that there is no more important cause than the cause of Palestinian children in Gaza, who are deprived of a drop of water to quench their thirst. Children line up for hours to get a liter of water, children drink contaminated water, children deprived of food and medicine, children dying of dehydration and thirst, and deprived of living safely like the rest of the world's children.

The death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 50,021, and the number of injuries to 113,274 since October 7, 2023.

Medical sources reported that the death toll includes 673 dead and 1,233 wounded since March 18.

It said that 41 dead, including two who were recovered, and 61 injured people arrived at hospitals in the Gaza Strip over 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 ambulance and specialized crews are unable to reach them due to limited resources.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners' Club announced on Sunday that the occupation authorities had issued and renewed administrative detention orders against 65 detainees.

The following is a list of the names of detainees who have been issued with administrative detention orders (new and renewed):

1. Fadi Hani Jamal Abu Hamoud (pocket/6 months)

2. Asaad Mahmoud Ibrahim Daoud (Qalqilya/4 months)

3. Abdul Majeed Abdullah Abu Taima (4 months)

4. Omar Khalil Abdul Raouf Balawi (Deheishe Camp/4 months)

5. Ahmed Azmy Gamil Noufal (6 months)

6. Hashem Mohammed Hussein Rumi (Yatta/6 months)

7. Ahmed Abdel Hamid Ali Khazna (4 months)

8. Abu Yusuf Abdul Hamid Abu Maria (Beit Ummar/6 months)

9. Abdo Ali Amin Saadi (Jenin/6 months)

10. Omar Haitham Omar Al-Matahen (Broqin/3 months)

11. Ahmed Jihad Hassan Rawajbeh (Rojib/6 months)

12. Abu Ammar Saeed Mahmoud Awad (Beit Ummar/6 months)

13. Muhammad Ziad Ahmad Azhari (Ramallah/4 months)

14. Saddam Hussein Awda Barghouti (Deir Abu Mish’al/6 months)

15. Laith Farih Fawzi Duweikat (Al-Baqaa/6 months)

16. Ahmed Sami Musa Tawafsha (single/4 months)

17. Sharhabil Saleh Hassan Yousef (Deir Abu Mishaal/6 months)

18. Khaled Ali Saad Hamidan (Tulkarm/6 months)

19. Maher Ali Abdul Aziz Al-Qadi (Beitunia/6 months)

20. Saleh Amin Saleh Kamil (Qabatiyya/6 months)

21. Bilal Nabil Saeed Diab (Kafr Ra’i/6 months)

22. Ahmed Sami Sadiq Abu Al-Rab (Qabatiyya/6 months)

23. Nidal Awda Hussein Malsh (Bethlehem/5 months)

24. Youssef Ezzat Muhammad Abu Diya (Deheishe Camp/4 months)

25. Wissam Muhammad Mahmoud Abu Zaid (Jenin - 3 months)

26. Murad Muhammad Ahmad Abu Sakut (6 months)

27. Yassin Bayed Abdel Latif Sabah (Aourif/4 months)

28. Muhammad Izz al-Din Muhammad Mahmoud (Qalqilya/6 months)

29. Obadah Hani Muhammad Sawan (Nablus/two months)

30. Mahmoud Ashraf Ahmed Al-Awiwi (Hebron/6 months)

31. Younis Khaled Ahmed Qawasmeh (Hebron - 6 months)

32. Muhammad Ahmad Majid Jamous (Jebel al-Shamali/4 months)

33. Adham Khaled Fawzi Tanji (Tulkarm/4 and a half months)

34. Ahmed Wael Mohamed Amer (5 and a half months)

35. Muhammad Samir Nimr Hamouda (Jebel al-Shamali/4 months)

36. Ibrahim Youssef Fayez Hassan (short / 5 months)

37. Ali Abdel Ghaffar Muhammad Dofash (Ain Sarah/6 months)

38. Jawad Muhammad Yahya Jad Allah Al-Jabari (Hebron/6 months)

39. Fathi Salman Abdul Rahim Julani (Hebron/6 months)

40. Asaad Muhammad Ibrahim Daoud (Qalqilya/3 months)

41. Tayseer Mansour Muhammad Tayseer Himuni (Hebron/6 months)

42. Muhammad Khalid Abd al-Rahim Makhlouf (The Tribal Farm/4 months)

43. Ramadan Mustafa Ramadan Shaheen (Nablus/6 months)

44. Sami Mahmoud Abdel Fattah Atta (Jericho/4 months)

45. Mohamed Sobhi Hassan Atallah (Balata/5 and a half months)

46. Shadi Khair Allah Muhammad Shaabneh (Ramallah/6 months)

47. Qidar Muhammad Ramadan Khalaf Ghaith (Hebron/4 months)

48. Bilal Idris Dari Abu Armila (Mount of Mercy/ 4 months)

49. Dharar Muhammad Amin Abu Manshar (Hebron/6 months)

50. Jamal Abdullah Ishtiwi Hadaydeh (6 months)

51. Anas Salah Othman Saqr (Askar Camp/3 months)

52. Zaher Hosni Hassan Hamad (Sidon/4 months)

53. Atef Yousef Atef Ibrahim (Tulkarm/6 months)

54. Ali Bilal Hashem Salah (Qabatiya/6 months)

55. Muhammad Jamal Ali Salah (4 months in prison)

56. Ahmed Omar Ahmed Al-Shami (Qabatiya/6 months)

57. Musa Naaman Musa Asi (4 months)

58. Sameh Muhammad Ali Dawabsheh (Duma/6 months)

59. Muhammad Thabet Muhammad Abu Amsha (Nablus/4 months)

60. Muhammad Abdul Qadir Abdullah Al-Muqayti (The Tribal Farm/6 months)

61. Ayman Amer Yousef Sobh (Jenin/6 months)

62. Ahmed Hani Ibrahim Soman (Bethlehem/6 months)

63. Thaer Fathi Abdel Fattah Qandil (Nablus/4 months)

64. Naim Muhammad Ramadan Hassan Abu Hammad (Tulkarm/6 months)

65. Shadi Walid Badr Taqatqa (Beit Fajjar/6 months)

A rapid survey conducted by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory concluded that the Israeli occupation "has erected a total of 849 obstacles across the West Bank, with road gates constituting a third of these obstacles (288 gates), most of which are often closed."

In its daily update on the latest developments in the humanitarian situation in the West Bank, the office noted that "currently, there are 849 obstacles that control, restrict, and monitor Palestinians' ability to move, either permanently or intermittently, in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Israeli-controlled area of Hebron."

He explained that a rapid survey he conducted in January and February concluded that the occupation "erected 36 new obstacles to movement over the past three months, most of them following the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza in mid-January, further impeding Palestinians' ability to access essential services and their places of work."

He added: "A total of 29 new gates have been installed across the West Bank, either as separate new closure gates or added to existing subsidiary checkpoints, bringing the total number of open or closed road gates across the West Bank to 288, which constitutes one-third of the movement obstacles."

He continued: "Of these gates, approximately 60% (172 out of 288) are frequently closed. In addition to the increase in the number of installed obstacles, the intensification of movement restrictions has led to prolonged disruptions at checkpoints, intermittent closures of key access points connecting population centers across the West Bank, and an increase in the number of frequently closed obstacles."

The office noted that "the documented obstacles included 94 checkpoints staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 153 partial checkpoints (staffed intermittently) (45 of which frequently closed their gates), 205 road gates (127 of which frequently closed), 101 linear barriers (such as earth walls and trenches), 180 earth mounds, and 116 roadblocks."

He explained that "this data does not include barriers erected along the Green Line or other restrictions, such as the closure of the Jenin camp to returning residents or the designation of certain areas as 'closed military zones'. These restrictions may not always involve physical barriers on the ground."

The report addressed the Israeli occupation's aggression on the northern West Bank governorates, which has entered its ninth week.

He pointed out that more than 600 housing units in Jenin are now uninhabitable, while 66 residential buildings are at imminent risk of demolition.

He stated that the aggression has caused extensive damage to water, sanitation, and road infrastructure, disrupting essential services and raising public health concerns.

By Osama Al-Sharif

The Gaza ceasefire that Israel has now so devastatingly shattered was only ever a political convenience for Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu: the incoming US president wanted it before taking office, and the Israeli prime minister obliged.

The fragile truce that began in January had nothing to do with halting the carnage in Gaza and little to do with bringing home Israeli captives held by Hamas, and Netanyahu was never going to honor it: as most Israelis now know, his sole concern has only ever been his own political survival.

Netanyahu has been under tremendous domestic pressure to set up an independent inquiry into the Oct. 7 attacks that would have established his culpability. Army top brass have already admitted responsibility and resigned. Close Netanyahu aides are engulfed in scandals revolving around foreign money being passed to Hamas in Gaza, allegedly with kickbacks. Nadav Argaman, head of the Shin Bet internal security service until October 2021, pointed the finger publicly at Netanyahu and threatened to divulge his darkest secrets.

Far-right cabinet minister Itamar Ben-Gvir quit over the ceasefire deal, and another extremist partner, Bezalel Smotrich, threatened to do the same if Israel embraced the second phase of the agreement that called for the end of the war and total Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Netanyahu was also rattled by direct negotiations between the US and Hamas for the handover of the one surviving American captive and the bodies of four others.

Then Netanyahu found a way to derail the talks on phase two of the truce: he proposed an extension of the first phase, whereby Hamas would release more captives without any concessions by Israel. When Hamas insisted on adherence to the original deal, Netanyahu — in a shameless act of defiance and arrogance — ordered a complete block on humanitarian aid into Gaza, followed by a wave of deadly airstrikes and further military operations on the ground: essentially a resumption of the war. The US sided with Israel and few Western countries offered any meaningful objections other than weasel words.

This is not about ending the war but killing as many Palestinians as possible to trigger displacement.

Osama Al-Sharif

So Netanyahu got his war back, but this time he has wider plans: a final solution, the permanent displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.

Israel was unnerved by the Arab embrace of a multibillion-dollar plan to reconstruct Gaza, replace Hamas with a civil administration of governing technocrats, and deploy observers — all without the forced displacement of Palestinians. The plan was adopted at an emergency Arab summit in Cairo and backed by key Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia.

The Arab proposal is a riposte to Trump’s absurd plan to turn Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East” while forcibly displacing two million Palestinians to other countries. Netanyahu now sees an opportunity to scuttle the Arab plan, which has gained widespread international backing, while paying lip service to Trump’s scenario. This is not about ending the war but killing as many Palestinians as possible to trigger displacement, and there are no limits to how far Netanyahu and his handpicked generals will go to achieve that end.

Ironically, the only hope now for Gaza could come from inside Israel itself. The families of the captives know that Netanyahu could have freed their loved ones months ago, but he didn’t. They know that Hamas was willing to stick to its part of the deal — it had no other option — but that was not to Netanyahu’s liking. Now a maelstrom is brewing in Israel, led by the families of the captives but also by those who see Netanyahu bent on creating authoritarian rule and endangering Israel’s democratic foundations.

For Netanyahu, the geopolitical gains made by Israel in the past 18 months are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enforce its hegemony across the region: the fate of a few Israeli captives and a couple of million Palestinians is an acceptable price for such a grandiose endeavor.

An Israeli drone carried out an airstrike targeting a car in southern Lebanon on Sunday morning, according to the Lebanese National News Agency. This is the latest attack of its kind amid escalating tensions on the border between the two sides in recent days.

The agency reported that a guided missile targeted "a car in the town of Aita al-Shaab, and injuries were reported."

The agency had previously reported that the death toll from Israeli raids on Lebanon on Saturday had reached 7 dead and 40 wounded.

The Ministry of Public Health's Public Health Emergency Operations Center announced in a statement Saturday evening that "a series of raids launched by the Israeli enemy on a number of Lebanese regions resulted in the deaths of seven martyrs and the injury of 40 others."

Meanwhile, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajai called for pressure to restore calm and end the ongoing Israeli attacks on his country.

According to Lebanon's Al Jadeed TV channel, on Sunday, this came during a phone call made by Minister Rajai to Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaya Kallas.

Minister Raji called on them to "intervene and make the necessary contacts to stop the Israeli attacks."

US President Donald Trump affirmed his good relationship with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, indicating his desire to end the conflict between the two sides.

Trump said in press statements that "stopping the killing of soldiers on both sides would be a great thing," stressing that he had "very rational discussions about Ukraine" and was seeking to end the fighting and minimize casualties.

In a remarkable statement, Trump emphasized that "no one in the world will be able to stop Putin except me," indicating his desire to play a decisive role in ending the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

"I know Putin very well, and it's amazing we haven't had a major confrontation over misleading allegations about Russia," he added, referring to previous accusations of Russian interference in his campaign.

Trump's statements come amid escalating tensions between Moscow and Kyiv, amid international attempts to reach a political settlement to end the conflict.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday that the 2015 nuclear agreement in its current form is not viable, stressing, "Our nuclear situation has made significant progress."

Iranian media quoted Araghchi as saying: "Our current tactic and approach is to conduct indirect negotiations with the United States."

Araghchi affirmed that Iran's nuclear program is "completely peaceful," adding, "We are confident of that, and we are prepared to reinforce this confidence with others."

He added, "Our priority is to neutralize the sanctions that the enemy uses against us to achieve its goals," noting that Tehran has always avoided war and has not sought it, stressing, "But we are prepared for it and are not afraid of it."

This month, Tehran received an official letter from US President Donald Trump regarding the nuclear agreement. However, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has consistently rejected negotiations, speaking of the futility of sitting down to a dialogue with "the person who tore up the 2015 nuclear agreement."

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to the UAE president, delivered the letter to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran. Days earlier, Trump said he had sent a letter to Khamenei proposing talks on the nuclear deal, giving Tehran a choice between a military option and an agreement that would prevent it from possessing nuclear weapons.

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said he does not believe Hamas is "ideologically intractable," arguing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "enthusiastic," but is working against Israeli public opinion that prioritizes freeing the remaining hostages from Gaza over destroying Hamas.

In a 90-minute interview with conservative radio host Tucker Carlson, Witkoff discussed the motives of Israel, Hamas, and Qatar in the ongoing Gaza war, offering a staunch defense of Doha against critics who question its motives and acknowledging his concerns about the potential for the Gaza war to destabilize countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

He also suggested that the new Syrian leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, may be a very different person than he was in al-Qaeda, and revealed new details about his success in mediating the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, which began on January 19 and ended on March 2, and which was ended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by resuming the war at dawn on March 18. Witkoff insisted that the Iranian nuclear threat could be resolved diplomatically.

Witkoff interviewed Carlson, a right-wing talk show host who has been harshly criticized in American Jewish circles for hosting guests who have promoted anti-Semitic claims and Holocaust revisionism. He is also known to have a large fan base, particularly among Trump supporters.

The podcast interview began with Trump's Middle East envoy explaining that his job requires him to understand the motivations of the various parties he deals with.

"What does Hamas want? I think they want to stay there forever. They want to rule Gaza, and that's unacceptable. We should have known that... what they want is unacceptable," Witkoff said.

He added, "What is acceptable to us is that they need to disarm. Then maybe they can stay there for a while... and participate politically." But... we cannot allow a terrorist organization to run Gaza because that would not be acceptable to Israel. Then we will live through exactly the same experiences, meaning that we will have another October 7 every five, ten, or fifteen years."

When Witkoff was asked about the nature of negotiations with Hamas, he admitted that he was not speaking to them directly, and that he was using Qatar as a mediator.

The US envoy had agreed to have Trump's hostage envoy, Adam Boehler, hold secret direct talks with Hamas officials earlier this month. However, Washington abandoned those talks after they were leaked by Israel, which later learned of them.

While Witkoff worked to understand Hamas through negotiations, he said he also viewed collected footage of the movement's October 7 attack, which Israeli authorities showed him during his first visit to Israel after taking office.

"It was horrific," Witkoff claimed. "It was gang rape. There were pictures of Hamas members beheading an Israeli soldier... It's beyond anything I've ever seen."

It should be noted that Israel's allegations of rape have been completely refuted, and the Israeli occupation authorities have been unable to produce a single piece of evidence to substantiate these allegations.

"It can affect your feelings toward Hamas. Sometimes, as a negotiator, you have to be neutral," Witkoff added. "It's not easy to make decisions if you're going to watch the movie, but I had to see it... We can't ignore the reality of what happened on October 7. They'll tell you they have a justification, but there is no justification... for what happened that day." However, Witkoff returned to the importance of understanding Hamas's motivations.

"You have to know what Hamas wants... and then you have to determine what you can offer them that will allow them to withdraw, because that's what's required here," he said.

"What we heard at the beginning of this conflict was that Hamas is ideological, and that it is willing to die for various reasons. I personally - and I was talking to the president about this... I told him, 'I don't think they are that ideologically closed.' They are not ideologically stubborn. I never believed that."

“Once you understand that [Hamas] wants to stay, you can talk to them more effectively,” Witkoff said.

When Witkoff was asked how he reached this conclusion about Hamas, he said he had read numerous US intelligence reports and also sensed "the rhythm and pace of the negotiations." "That's when I came to the conclusion that they wanted alternatives," he said.

It's worth noting that Witkoff's comments about Hamas are somewhat similar to statements made by Adam Boehler in a series of interviews with the American and Israeli press on March 9, which angered Netanyahu and his inner circle.

A newspaper revealed earlier this month that a senior US official told it that Netanyahu's top aide, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, continued to pressure Trump officials to sideline Boehler after those interviews.

Hamas rejected a proposal dubbed the "bridge" proposal made last week that would have extended the first phase of the ceasefire until the end of Ramadan and the Jewish Passover holiday next month, along with the release of five live hostages and a large number of Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas insisted on adhering to the original terms of the agreement Witkoff helped broker in January, which was supposed to see the start of Phase II negotiations about two weeks after the ceasefire (February 3, 2025). But Israel refused to proceed with such talks, because Phase II would require the IDF to withdraw all its forces from Gaza and agree to a permanent end to the war.

While Netanyahu agreed to these terms, he also insisted that he would not agree to end the war before dismantling Hamas's military and governmental capabilities. The United States accepted the new Israeli position and worked to extend the first phase, rather than proceed with the second.

Hamas did not accept this approach, and instead offered to release the American-Israeli hostage Aidan Alexander along with the bodies of four other hostages with American citizenship—an offer based on discussions Hamas had with Boehler earlier this month. But the Trump administration had already bypassed those direct talks, and Witkoff on March 16 described Hamas’s proposal as “unworkable.”

The Israeli Political and Security Council approved Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's proposal to recognize 13 new settlements in the West Bank. The cabinet also voted in favor of establishing an authority to "manage emigration from Gaza."

This move, spearheaded by Minister Smotrich within the framework of the Settlement Administration under his responsibility, comes against the backdrop of the approval of tens of thousands of housing units in the West Bank.

Channel 12 quoted Smotrich as saying after the approval, "This is an important step toward annexation and formal sovereignty over the West Bank. We are leading a revolution to realize our dreams of normalizing and legalizing the settlements," he said.

He added, "We have begun taking steps to impose our sovereignty over the West Bank, raised our flag, and begun construction and settlement."

Regarding Gaza, Channel 12 reported that the Israeli cabinet meeting concluded regarding continued military pressure on the Gaza Strip, during which a decision to expand settlements was approved.

In this regard, Israel's Channel 14 reported that the ministers received a briefing on the international dimensions of the immigration plan and how to implement it in accordance with international law.

Earlier, during Knesset discussions, Smotrich announced the establishment of an "immigration department" aimed at implementing US President Donald Trump's plan for the Gaza Strip.

During the discussion, Smotrich confirmed that an immigration department would be established and a budget would be allocated for it. He said, "We need to take the Trump plan with both hands. There is work to be done with the US administration to identify countries and prepare for the establishment of an immigration department in the Defense Ministry. If we remove 5,000 Gazans a day, it will take a year. The logistics are complicated because we need to know who will go to which country. We are preparing for this under the leadership of the prime minister and the defense minister."

He added, "The budget will not stand in the way of this event." According to him, the hatred in the Gaza Strip toward Israel runs so deep that it is impossible to allow Gazans to live so close to the fence. He added, "This is not just another event, but a possibility for historic change."

Settlement Minister and Knesset Member Orit Struck also insisted during the discussion that this was a "voluntary" migration, saying, "There is no way to completely remove the threat from Gaza to Israel except through a voluntary migration program."

She added, "Even if we defeat Hamas as a civilian and military government, as long as we do not allow the majority of the population to emigrate, we will not be able to remove the threat."

US President Donald Trump had proposed displacing Gaza's residents to Jordan and Egypt, turning Gaza into a "Middle Eastern Riviera" under US control. However, the plan met with international opposition, prompting him to back down, asserting that "no one will be forced to leave Gaza." His special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said that Trump's goal, through this proposal, was to push the concerned countries to submit proposals and plans regarding Gaza.

Egypt also presented a plan for the reconstruction of Gaza, which was approved by the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and welcomed by Europe.

Source: Ynet + Channel 12

The incident of a predatory animal infiltrating from Egypt and attacking Israeli soldiers on the border between the two countries continues to generate significant controversy.

Several days ago, Israeli media reported that a predatory Egyptian lynx attacked a number of Israeli soldiers on the border between the two countries, sustaining varying degrees of injuries. The media questioned how the animal arrived at the site and the reasons for the attack.

Israeli media reported a suspected lynx bite on soldiers near the Egyptian border, specifically in the Mount Harif area. The media added that a rare predatory animal called a lynx was captured by an inspector from the Nature and Reserves Authority who arrived at the scene after receiving the report.

She added that the reserve inspector caught the animal and it turned out to be an Egyptian lynx. It was then transferred to a specialized hospital for examination.

The lynx, or wild cat, is a medium-sized predator, ranging in length from 60 to 130 centimeters, and relies on its speed of up to 80 kilometers per hour to hunt.

The lynx inhabits the desert, preferring dry areas with low rainfall. It feeds on small animals such as rabbits, rodents, and birds. It has the ability to climb and jump high, which helps it hunt birds or animals in trees.

The infiltration of animals from Egypt into Israel raises numerous concerns among Israelis. In 2022, Israeli scientists issued a warning about the spread of the Egyptian gecko, known as the "Abu Bris," in the Wadi Araba region in the south of the country, threatening the country's ecosystem.

The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth published a report stating that the Nature and Parks Authority is seeking assistance from local residents of the Arava Valley in locating Egyptian geckos and lizards that have begun to spread throughout the region, multiplying at an alarming rate and devouring agricultural crops.

Shai Meiri, a professor of science at Tel Aviv University, said that Egyptian lizards and geckos can devour anything and overcome resistance, and have the potential to cause significant damage to any ecosystem. He emphasized that the Israel Nature and Parks Authority is seeking help from residents in locating these species in preparation for their containment and prevention of further spread.

He said that Egyptian lizards have been observed eating small birds, adding that they are considered an extremely aggressive species, bite forcefully, and reproduce rapidly.

Merry added that his assessment confirmed that these Egyptian geckos and lizards have wiped out all local geckos and have become a threat to Israel's environmental situation, threatening to consume all agricultural crops.

According to the report, the Nature and Parks Authority was unable to determine how the species traveled all the way to the Arava Valley, prompting it to seek assistance from local residents.

Source: Al Arabiya Net

It is clear that there have been significant developments in the level of relations between the international organization of the Muslim Brotherhood and other "political Islam" forces with the US administration. This is confirmed by the fundamental reality of the functional role of the Muslim Brotherhood, whose alliance with the US Republican Party and the Trump administration has been proven through clear contacts and approaches between the movement and influential Republican parties.

I had listened to statements by a Brotherhood leader, as he enumerated the advantages of relations with the United States, and spoke about the prospects for the relationship between his movement and the American administration, and the possibility of reviving the political and media work and participation in the political life of the “Brotherhood” organization in some Arab countries. This may include the adoption and conclusion of an agreement and promises to the “Brotherhood” leaders from American officials. These are the “Muslim Brotherhood”’s bets on their historical international ally, represented by the Republican Party, which years ago received a delegation of members of the “Brotherhood’s Shura Council” in the US Congress. There is also the developing relationship with the former regime of Mohamed Morsi in Egypt, and the aid provided to the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria and other organizations under its umbrella, and others within the framework of the policy of axes through well-known regional channels in Qatar, Turkey and elsewhere, and the functional role that the American administrations want to devote in the Arab region to confront the progressive and nationalist forces, and rebuild the official Arab system on new foundations through which Israel is the superior state politically, economically, militarily and informationally and the first at all levels, and even Israel is a central address. For an Arab and regional axis to confront the so-called Iranian threat, according to American-Israeli-Gulf allegations.

Years after the outbreak of the so-called "Arab Spring" revolutions, which changed the face of the Arab region and established a new reality in light of the collapse of regimes and the formation of other axes and movements based entirely on external agendas far removed from the hopes and aspirations of the Arab people from the Atlantic to the Gulf, these "revolutions" failed to achieve the goals and slogans they proposed, represented by freedom, democracy and social justice. There are a number of reasons that led to this failure, most notably the lack of democratic organizations aware of the proposals for change, the struggle for public rights and freedoms and the achievement of building a democratic system, as well as direct foreign interventions from here and there and from multiple political axes and geographies, each with its own agendas to prevent the achievement of the desires and goals of these revolutions.

The Muslim Brotherhood, the most organized group, was able to infiltrate these revolutions and divert their paths in favor of its partisan agendas and Islamist slogans linked to the goals and programs of the group, which has always sought to overthrow the reality of the Arab nation and Islamize its societies. It found those who support it and provide it with media propaganda via satellite channels and widely spread platforms, and provide financial, logistical and military support in order to implement its backers’ plans to rebuild the Arab system and change the face of the region, arriving at what we have reached today, where normalization and a normal relationship with Israel has become the most prominent aspect. Many regimes rushed to establish relations, sign agreements, and begin implementing joint projects publicly in a stab at the Palestinian cause and its people, who are still struggling for their right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

After all these lean years, and the wars, human rights violations, and brutal massacres against the Arab peoples that have been witnessed, the world as a whole has followed what has happened and is happening in Libya and Yemen, what has happened to Syria, what has happened in Egypt, what has happened in Tunisia, what is happening in Iraq, what has happened in Lebanon, and what is being circulated in the corridors to inflate the hostility between Algeria and Morocco over the Sahara issue, and the Gulf disputes with Qatar, and many other issues that have become the title of the hot files of this stage.

Normalization is the other side of the plan to liquidate the Palestinian cause. It is a result of the so-called Arab Spring, in which each regime began to seek its own position and to consolidate its foundations. The United States succeeded in directing its slaves, the rulers and princes of some regimes, to directly establish relations with Israel. Today, Israel has become a front to which Arab rulers turn to ensure their legitimacy and their continued presence in power, and to plunder the wealth and resources of their occupied peoples.

The time has come for a comprehensive review of the entire Arab situation. The responsibility falls on Arab political and intellectual parties, movements, and leaders to redirect the compass, protect Arab societies, and continue the struggle to build a democratic Arab system governed by the principles of justice, solidarity, and joint action. This responsibility also stems the tide of all those who have diverted the path and seek to subjugate our peoples, subject them to vulgarity, and force them to be loyal to their hollow slogans, whose falsehood and role in misleading Arab citizens have been proven.

..................

The Muslim Brotherhood, the most organized group, was able to infiltrate these revolutions and divert their paths to serve its partisan agendas and Islamist slogans, which are linked to the goals and programs of the group, which has always sought to overthrow the reality of the Arab nation and Islamize its societies.

Dr. Khader Al-Marshadi

President of the World Institute for Arab Renewal - Iraq

In a land called Palestine, where shells fall from the sky and houses collapse like burning autumn leaves, a people stands alone under the shadow of death. Gaza, that wounded city struggling in a sea of rubble, is no longer just a city, but a tragic painting drawn in blood, its chapters written with the groans of children and the tears of mothers. The Israeli war that broke out in October 2023 and was renewed in March 2025 after the collapse of a flimsy truce, is not just a settling of military scores, but rather a chapter in a sad epic, in which echoes of betrayal and failure reverberate, and its melodies are played on the strings of broken hearts.

Imagine a dying city, its houses collapsing like fragile dreams, its children dying under bombs with no Arab hand to rescue them... Oh, the eternal shame... In Gaza, where the number of martyrs has exceeded 62,000, and the wounded bleed in streets that have turned into open graves, people run without shelter, screaming with no one to answer, hospitals have become ruins, hunger is ravaging the remaining souls exhausted by the siege, and those who remain of the home do not know how to bury their dead... But the deepest pain is not in the bombs alone, but in the knife stabbed in their backs by their Arab brothers, who abandoned them like a corpse left in the desert to the winds and crows. Is this the philosophy of abandonment? That man is responsible for his choices, but what about a nation that chose silence while it watched its brothers being slaughtered? The Arab world, once a resounding voice for Palestine, is now like a silent chorus in a tragic play, watching the blood flow without moving a finger. Countries that once raised slogans of unity have preferred their narrow interests, leaving Gaza to face its fate alone, like a child thrown into a well. This abandonment is not just political inaction, but rather a moral and existential collapse, bringing us back to the eternal question: Has humanity died in our hearts? The answer is echoed in the silence of the Arab summits, and in their empty statements that neither feed the hungry nor stop a bomb... after Joseph was slaughtered in the well of betrayal.

Iraq, the Joseph of this nation, that beautiful brother who bore the burden of Palestine as a father would a sick son, in its days of glory, was a voice resounding with support, preparing fighters and generous support, and igniting enthusiasm in hearts. But, as in the story of the Prophet Joseph, a day came when his brothers threw him into the well, the well of wars, chaos, occupation, executions, and uprooting. Iraq was weakened, left to bleed from its wounds. Then came the fatal blow: Arab normalization with Israel and the silence over the destruction of Gaza. It was as if Joseph had been executed twice—once by occupation, execution, uprooting, and fragmentation, and once by the betrayal of his brothers. Today, Iraq lies like a torn corpse in a theater of betrayal, looking at Gaza with tearful eyes, unable to extend a hand it once extended. We see Iraq as a tragic hero who fell under the weight of Arab conspiracies and betrayal. Its voice, which once sang for Palestine, has faded, becoming a sad anthem echoing in the ruined alleys of Baghdad, while Gaza is slaughtered before the eyes of the nation whose voice it once held.

Amid the Arab failure, another deception emerges that compounds the tragedy: the Iranian role shrouded in false promises. Iran, which raised the banner of "supporting the resistance," was never a resistance fighter; it was merely a player in a cold political theater, using the blood of the Palestinians as a card to strengthen its influence, just as it used the Lebanese, Syrians, Iraqis, and Yemenis. Hamas, with the power of Iranian weapons and funding, became embroiled in a battle for which it (knowingly or not, I don't know) it would pay a heavy price. But Iranian promises of "great victory" evaporated like smoke in the sky of burning Gaza. No Iranian armies came to the rescue, and no Iranian missiles changed the course of the war. All Iran offered were hollow, false words and plans that ensnared Hamas in a deeper trap, leaving the people of Gaza to face death alone.

This lie is not just a political betrayal; it is a stab in the heart of a people who have put their faith in false friends. Iran, like a cunning theatrical artist, ignited the fire and then stood back, watching the conflagration consume lives, destroy countries, and sow frustration in souls, all the while chanting its empty slogans like a mocking anthem over the corpses.

Behind this Israeli crime, the Arabs' betrayal, and Iran's lies a single desire: to erase the Palestinian existence. The continuous bombing, the destruction of hospitals and schools, and the siege that starves children are all tools to break the will of a people who refuse to forget and refuse to be erased from the memory of history. Every bomb dropped generates more steadfastness, and every child who dies becomes a symbol of an undying resistance. Israel knows this, but it persists in its madness, as if it is searching for victory, security, and peace that it will never find.

We are all silently wondering what the fate of this tragedy will be. Will Gaza be erased from existence, or will it remain a witness to the world's shame? In the near future, the destruction seems to continue. Israel has announced an escalation of its attacks with the aim of emptying Gaza through killing and displacement, in fulfillment of Trump's promise, while the Arabs watch and Iran plays from afar. But history teaches us that peoples are not defeated by weapons alone. Cities may be destroyed, but the Palestinian spirit will continue to beat, like a flower emerging from the ashes. Unless the global conscience awakens, it will be an eternal war, a cycle of blood and betrayal. However, the only hope, distant and unfortunately invisible, lies in a genuine Arab popular uprising that ends the silence, restores Iraq to its role as Yusuf al-Nassir, exposes Iran's lies, and forces Israel to stop the killing. Without that, Gaza will continue to bleed, and the nation will forever bear the burden of its betrayal.

In Gaza, where innocents are being slaughtered without mercy, a sad voice echoes: a mother mourning her child, a father bidding farewell to his son, and a people crying out for their brothers who have abandoned them. Palestine is not a political issue, Arabs. Rather, it is a mirror of a dead conscience and a sad anthem for a nation that has lost its identity. Will this story end with the salvation of an innocent people or with eternal burial under the rubble?

..............

Behind this Israeli criminality, the Arabs' betrayal, and Iran's lies a single desire: to erase the Palestinian existence. The continuous bombing, the destruction of hospitals and schools, and the siege that starves children are all tools to break the will of a people who refuse to forget and refuse to be erased from the memory of history.

They are sleeping rough in the rain and cold, in the mud of the ground, surrounded by the rubble of destroyed homes and the remains of houses, without food or drink, amidst continuous bombing, the hell of fire, and the ongoing genocide before the eyes of a world that has lost its humanity. The occupation has proven its ability to undermine human values, international conventions, and UN laws and principles, without caring for anyone, in a world that grows more absurd as the war of extermination continues, and its weakness, silence, and inability to stop the hell that lurks for the people of Gaza are exposed. The reality of the situation has revealed the weakness of the international system and its inability to stop the massacres and slaughters taking place in Gaza.

Scenes of grief and pain, the screams and cries of mothers, the wailing of bereaved families, and a child constantly dying and being tortured in horrific massacres. These scenes are accompanied by escalating calls for displacement and ethnic cleansing, supported by President Trump, after the war was renewed, all efforts to maintain a truce were aborted, and the decisions of the recent Arab Summit held in Cairo were rejected.

Netanyahu has made the decision to resume the bombing, killing, and destruction. Recent days have revealed that plans to resume the war had been in place for weeks, and were not simply the result of stalled negotiations. Netanyahu, as is well known, seeks to continue the war of extermination, disregarding all efforts to stop it.

The occupation's declared objectives of carving out vast areas within so-called "safe zones" are to further strangle the people, tighten their difficult and miserable living conditions, and apply pressure through all military and war means and methods, ultimately leading to the implementation of land occupation plans that are in line with displacement and ethnic cleansing projects.

The occupation has not stopped pursuing these plans, and is receiving unprecedented American support in this regard. Meanwhile, President Trump is going further and more dangerous, in a scenario that is even more extreme and racist.

The internal dispute between Netanyahu and his opponents has exposed numerous schemes and plots. However, Netanyahu is unconcerned with the mood of the Israeli street. Instead, he continues his extremist and warlike policies, which guarantee the continuation of his governing coalition. This is especially true after the return of Ben-Gvir's party, which had resigned in protest of the truce and then returned immediately after the resumption of the war of extermination.

The state of international weakness, exposed by the months-long war of extermination in Gaza, has proven that international resolutions and UN institutions, especially the Security Council, are of no use, as they are incapable of implementing their resolutions regarding the occupation and its ongoing aggression.

Relying on Arab or international positions capable of halting the war of extermination has become futile in light of this blind extremism that inhabits the ideology of the occupation government, which is sending thousands of soldiers to Gaza, escalating the massacres it is committing against children and women, and preventing the arrival of aid, including food and medicine, while the people have no choice but to be patient and are in dire straits, and have no power or strength other than prayer.

..............

The state of international weakness, exposed by the months-long war of extermination in Gaza, has proven that international resolutions and UN institutions, especially the Security Council, are of no use, as it is incapable of implementing its resolutions regarding the occupation and its aggression.

Thousands of Moroccans demonstrated Saturday evening in several cities across the kingdom in support of Gaza and to demand an end to the Israeli genocide against the enclave, which resumed last week.

Solidarity protests and marches were called for by civil society organizations, such as the Moroccan Front for Supporting Palestine and the Moroccan Initiative for Support and Advocacy.

Demonstrations in support of Gaza were held in several cities in the Kingdom, such as: Tetouan, Tangier, and Azrou (north), Casablanca and Safi (west), and Ouarzazate (southeast).

Demonstrators called for pressure on Israel to halt its genocide in Gaza, expressing their rejection of the renewed aggression following Israel's violation of the ceasefire agreement.

The demonstrators also raised Palestinian flags and chanted anti-occupation slogans, including: "The Zionist has been tyrannical and arrogant, and with the flood it will be destroyed," "Oh Muslims, oh free people, Al-Aqsa is calling us... is there anyone who will answer?" and "Oh free people everywhere, no Zionism, no Americans."

Since resuming its genocide in Gaza at dawn on Tuesday and continuing until Saturday, Israel has killed 634 Palestinians and injured 1,172 others, most of them women and children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.

This escalation, which Tel Aviv said was taking place in full coordination 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.

Despite Hamas's commitment to all terms of the agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to proceed with the second phase, yielding to pressure from extremists within his government.

With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 162,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 14,000 missing.

Nicolas Van Damme

Dutch diplomat, expert on Syrian affairs

Israel's campaign to win hearts and minds in southern Syria puts it at risk of permanently slipping into Israel's sphere of influence.

Israel's occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights in 1967 was a source of hostility toward the Jewish state among Syrians.

Since the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024, Israel has occupied more Syrian territory in Quneitra Governorate, which until then had been a demilitarized zone between the two countries under a US-brokered ceasefire agreement in 1974.

Israel considers the new government in Damascus extremist and seeks to prevent it from rebuilding a strong army by targeting heavy weapons storage sites, naval assets, and military air bases, destroying much of the equipment in the process.

Meanwhile, it has penetrated communities in southern Syria in an attempt to win hearts and minds and consolidate its control there. This has not gone down well with ordinary Syrians, who view Israel's actions as undermining Syria's territorial integrity and political transition. However, not everyone sees it that way.

Aid diplomacy!

Immediately after the fall of the Assad regime, Israeli forces entered Syrian territory and took control of the demilitarized zone and a number of strategic hills. They established military bases in the Ahmar Hills, the abandoned villages of Kodna, and, most importantly, the summit of Mount Hermon with its military observatory, which overlooks the Syrian capital, just 30 kilometers away.

Local residents were informed that Jabiya Hill near Nawa in the western Daraa countryside would also be controlled by Israel.

Israel has not only used its military might to create a new reality on the ground, but has also resorted to a campaign to win the hearts and minds of the local population. Field sources report that Israeli military teams, mostly composed of Arabic speakers, are active in Quneitra, establishing communication channels with local communities and gathering valuable intelligence. These operations include targeting the mukhtars and mayors of each village or town.

They are required to provide the Israelis with a census that includes lists of the population's names, the number of males and females, the population's age groups, their political and organizational affiliations, and the names of those whom the Assad regime allowed to bear arms, in return for which they promised humanitarian aid.

This fostered competition between chiefs and mayors, with those who cooperated the most receiving the most assistance, often translating into a higher social status for the chief or mayor in question. The Israeli military also infiltrated local communities by offering cash payments ($100 per month per family) and agricultural work in the Golan Heights for a daily wage of 350 shekels ($95), far higher than the average monthly salary of a Syrian government employee.

Local sources have linked several relief organizations operating in southern Syria to Israel. Among these organizations is the Rahma Organization, which provides financial and in-kind support to local residents and is run by a man from Daraa who previously lived in Lebanon. Contrary to expectations, ISIS leaders have sent messages of support and encouragement to the organization to expand its operations.

Disarmament of the South!!

Despite its campaign to win hearts and minds, the Israeli military insists on demilitarizing southern Syria. After receiving intelligence indicating weapons storage at a specific location, specialized units surrounded the site and informed residents via loudspeakers to hand over their weapons. This has been repeated dozens of times, and so far, no clashes have been reported.

Israeli targets also included military headquarters belonging to the former southern Free Syrian Army factions and the reconstituted Syrian Ministry of Defense. Among those targeted was the headquarters of Basil al-Jamlawi (Abu Hayyan al-Hayt), the commander of Ahrar al-Sham in the south and a member of the military committee tasked by the Ministry of Defense with forming the 40th Division. On the night of March 8, Israeli forces entered the town of al-Jamlawi, immediately heading to al-Jamlawi's home and surrounding it. They then seized weapons hidden in the house. They then proceeded to surround the headquarters of Ahrar al-Sham and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham in the town (now affiliated with the Ministry of Defense) to confiscate the entire arsenal there, which included light and medium individual weapons and a number of tanks and armored vehicles. These weapons were loaded onto heavy transport vehicles and transported to Israel without a single shot being fired.

Despite the obvious resentment, there is no serious talk of resistance by armed groups in Daraa. The futility of resisting Israeli incursions is clear, as is the new government in Damascus' desire to avoid unnecessarily provoking a broader Israeli military operation in the south.

Lack of trust!!

Despite blatant Israeli interference, the government in Damascus has not completely abandoned the south. It recently appointed Binyan al-Hariri as the general military commander of Daraa. On March 14, he met with leaders of local Free Syrian Army factions. He explained that although the Ministry of Defense had tasked him with establishing the 40th Division, the ministry did not trust him enough to send him heavy weapons, and that all he had received was fuel. He also explained that the 8th Brigade, commanded by Ahmed al-Awda, had not yet agreed to submit to the authority of the Ministry of Defense and was operating as an independent faction. Although the Ministry of Defense was organizing training courses for those wishing to join the new Syrian army, the decision to join remained voluntary. Hariri rejected the desire of some armed groups to start a resistance war against Israel, stating that civilians would ultimately pay the price.

On March 6, the western countryside of Daraa province witnessed a security incident that underscored the tense relationship between Damascus and armed groups in the south. It began with the violent arrest of Adham al-Zeinab at a General Security checkpoint near the town of Jilun. Al-Zeinab was a former prominent leader in the Central Committee, a council of warlords comprising leaders from the anti-ISIS Free Syrian Army. Not content with arresting Zainab, General Security personnel threatened a security campaign targeting the remaining Free Syrian Army factions in the south, accusing them of treason and collusion with Israel.

In response, local armed groups mobilized to secure Zainab's release. Forces stormed the General Security headquarters in the city of Muzayrib, and 20 members of the security forces were arrested in retaliation.

Zainab was eventually released through the mediation of several prominent figures, including Bunyan al-Hariri. This incident prompted Hariri to demand that Damascus not station General Security personnel from Idlib in Daraa and that recruitment be limited to local residents only.

Between a rock and a hard place!!

Israel's strategy of seizing territory in southern Syria has proven tactically effective so far.

The combination of military might and measured generosity may buy it some temporary respite in its quest to consolidate control, but this comes at the cost of fueling resentment among Syrians worried about further regional fragmentation and the risk of partition.

Damascus remains too weak to confront Israel directly, but at the same time, it is too suspicious to fully cooperate with local factions. Without a comprehensive settlement for the south that takes into account its decentralized security structure and local tribal politics and sensitivities, southern Syria risks permanently slipping into Israel's sphere of influence.

About "The Constitution"

.....

Local sources have linked several relief organizations operating in southern Syria to Israel. Among these organizations is the Rahma Organization, which provides financial and in-kind support to local residents and is run by a man from Daraa who previously lived in Lebanon.

Without interruption, rivers of blood and tears flow in the Gaza Strip, morning and night, from the eyes of bereaved, patient, fasting, and weeping mothers, wailing over their beloved children and the fruits of their hearts who perished in the streets, under the rubble of homes, in neighborhoods, shelters, and tents, and even inside hospitals that are no longer able to provide the bare minimum of life-saving supplies.

I write with tears in my heart, and I rewrite again and again, my tears soaking my bag, and my heart aching as I listen to a grieving mother bid farewell to the most precious thing in her soul, as she makes her way through the ranks to throw herself on his lying-in body, kissing, stroking, and weeping bitterly. She covers him with heavy blankets to protect him from the cold, and almost follows him to his grave to sleep beside him, leaning over him, stroking his hair, and drying the blood dripping from his tender body.

"Goodbye, mom. They killed you, mom. They killed you. I dreamt that I was walking in the rain. I didn't know that you would die in the rain."

Yesterday, bullets were raining down on the tents of the displaced, and on the streets in the Al-Shimaa area in Beit Lahia, and near the Ahmed Al-Shugairi School. As soon as the displaced set up their tents on the rubble of their homes, they are forced to flee again into the unknown, while drones spread over their heads like insects, chasing them and killing their children, women, young men and old. They have no refuge from the death that lurks in every house, neighborhood and street, after the return of genocide practiced by the criminal killers as a form of worship.

MP Salah al-Bardawil, a member of Hamas's political bureau, and his wife were killed early Sunday morning in an Israeli airstrike on a tent where he was staying in a camp housing displaced persons west of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

Sources in the movement told the German Press Agency (DPA) that the raid targeted tents housing a large number of displaced people, resulting in the martyrdom of a number of Palestinians.

The sources described the operation as a new escalation in Israeli attacks.

Sources within the movement expressed deep sorrow over the loss of one of its prominent political leaders.

Al-Bardawil is a prominent leader in Hamas and a member of its political bureau. He also served as a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council for the Change and Reform bloc and as the movement's official spokesperson.

The Israeli occupation army announced that air defenses intercepted a missile launched from Yemen before it entered Israeli airspace.

The Israeli Home Front Command reported that air raid sirens sounded in more than 20 cities and towns, including Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and areas in the northern West Bank, following the rocket launch.

Channel 12 confirmed that the Israeli Air Force intercepted the missile, with no injuries or damage reported.

Channel 12 reported that air traffic at Ben Gurion International Airport, east of Tel Aviv, was halted while air raid sirens sounded.

Twenty citizens were killed and others injured, early Sunday morning, in raids launched by Israeli occupation aircraft on Rafah and Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.

According to local sources, eight citizens were killed and others were injured when the occupation forces bombed the Ashour family's home in the Al-Janina neighborhood in Rafah, and two citizens were killed in the Hashashin area in Rafah. A number of citizens were also injured when the occupation forces bombed the Shaat family's home in the Al-Nasr neighborhood, north of the city.

In Khan Yunis, four citizens were killed and others were injured in an Israeli airstrike on the Abu Daqqa family home in the Al-Fakhari area in the east. Two citizens, including a child, were killed and others were injured in the Israeli bombing of a home in the Japanese neighborhood in the west of the city. Two citizens were killed and others were injured in the bombing of a tent sheltering displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area. Two citizens were killed and others were injured in the Israeli bombing of the Al-Agha family home in the north of the city.

Four civilians were injured when Israeli warplanes bombed a house in the Tuffah neighborhood east of Gaza City. They were transferred to the Arab Baptist Hospital in the city.

Last Tuesday morning, the Israeli occupation resumed its war of extermination in the Gaza Strip, resulting in approximately 600 martyrs and more than 1,000 wounded by Thursday evening, 70% of whom are children, women, and the elderly.

The occupation has been committing genocide in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 162,000 dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 14,000 missing.