A child died on Wednesday due to the severe cold in her family's tent in the Gaza Strip.

Local sources reported that the child was less than two months old and died in her family's tent in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City.

Yesterday, Tuesday, 6 children died due to the severe cold, while the condition of others was described as critical, according to what was confirmed by health sources in Gaza.

The people of the Gaza Strip suffer from a lack of shelter and medical treatment due to the occupation's aggression on the Strip, and the lack of heating methods due to the scarcity of fuel, in light of a severe polar cold wave.

Today, Wednesday, the Israeli occupation forces announced, by military order, the seizure and laying of hands on more than eight dunams of citizens’ land in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron.

The official news agency (WAFA) reported that the occupation forces distributed a military order to seize 8,438 meters of citizens' land adjacent to the "Karmiel" settlement, which was forcibly established in Masafer Yatta.

Head of the village council in Masafer Yatta, Nidal Younis, told WAFA that the lands to be seized are located at the main entrance, if not the only one, to all the areas, villages and communities in Masafer Yatta and the Badia.

He added that the occupation's announcement of seizing this large area and in that specific location for security purposes, according to its claim, raises many fears among the residents about its intentions and its efforts to tighten its control over those entrances and dominate them, which will result in deepening their suffering and tightening the siege on them.

Today, Wednesday, settlers led by extremist Yehuda Glick stormed the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, under heavy guard from the Israeli occupation police.

Eyewitnesses reported that dozens of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa in separate groups, carried out provocative tours in its courtyards, and performed Talmudic rituals, led by the extremist Glick.

Today, Wednesday, the Israeli occupation forces demolished a house under construction in the village of Beit Ijza, northwest of occupied Jerusalem.

Eyewitnesses reported that the occupation forces, accompanied by a bulldozer, stormed the village and demolished a house under construction, belonging to the brothers Ibrahim and Abdul Munther Diwan, with an area of 265 square meters.

The report of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission monitored the implementation of 76 demolition operations by the occupation authorities last month, which affected 126 facilities, including 74 inhabited homes, 4 uninhabited ones, and 29 agricultural and other facilities. They were concentrated in the governorates of Jenin, with 47 facilities demolished, then Jerusalem 14, Qalqilya 11, and Bethlehem and Nablus 10 each.

The director general of the International Organization for Migration, Amy Pope, told AFP on Tuesday that the UN organization would not participate in "any kind of forced" evacuation of Palestinians from Gaza.

Any such displacement would be a "red line," Bob explained, after US President Donald Trump suggested his country take control of the devastated Gaza Strip and transfer more than two million of its Palestinian residents to other locations.

“We have made a commitment to the communities we serve that we will not engage in any kind of forced movement or eviction of people,” Pope added.

"We are a humanitarian actor, so we certainly do not engage in activities that would constitute red lines for key member states," she continued.

Trump's proposal to rebuild the Gaza Strip and turn it into a "Riviera of the Middle East" after displacing its population sparked widespread criticism when it was first floated in early February.

Facing fierce opposition in the Middle East and beyond, Trump said in an interview Friday that he was "not imposing" his plan.

The Civil Defense in Gaza announced on Tuesday that six newborn babies died in Gaza within a week due to the cold wave hitting the Strip.

The war, which broke out due to Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and lasted more than 15 months, displaced most of the Strip's population.

The United Nations estimates the cost of rebuilding the sector at more than $53 billion.

A fragile ceasefire that has been in effect since January 19 has allowed increased humanitarian aid to Gaza, although Hamas accuses Israel of blocking some basic supplies from entering.

The documentary, “No Other Land,” which tells the story of the besieged community (and citizens) of Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank where Israeli forces are demolishing residents’ homes and evicting families from land they have lived on for generations, claiming the area is needed for military training, is the subject of a heated debate like no other documentary in the history of Hollywood’s Oscars for Best Picture in 2024, due to its content about the tragedy of forced displacement of Palestinians.

It is noteworthy that "Masafer Yatta" is a cluster of 12 Palestinian villages located in the city of "Yatta" south of the Palestinian city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. Its residents have been suffering from the threat of permanent forced displacement for decades due to the occupation authorities' establishment of 10 settlements, outposts and "firing zones (918)" for military training.

Palestinians in the area have suffered damage that continually threatens their security of livelihood, due to the encroachment of settlements in violation of international humanitarian law (according to Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention), which prohibits the transfer of the civilian population under Israeli authority to the occupied territories.

Palestinians in these villages are beaten with sticks and stoned by settlers, their livestock is terrorized and scattered by riding horses or mountain vehicles to scare the herds, and dogs are released to attack shepherds and their sheep. They are also exposed to setting fire to their fields and cutting down their trees.

Directed by Palestinian filmmakers Basel Adra and Hamdan Bilal, alongside Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szur, No Other Land has been critically acclaimed and has garnered numerous accolades on the festival circuit. After winning Best Documentary at its Berlin International Film Festival premiere in February, the film has also picked up the same award at the Gotham Awards and from major critics groups in New York and Los Angeles. Just weeks ago, it received an Oscar nomination.

However, no American studio was willing to pick up the thriller, even though distributors usually spend this time of year excitedly bragging about their Oscar nomination totals.

“I still think it’s possible, but we’ll have to wait and see,” the directors told The New York Times last week. “There are clearly political reasons at play here that are affecting it. Hopefully, at some point, the demand for the film will be so clear and indisputable that there will be a distributor who is brave enough to pick it up and bring it to the public.”

Meanwhile, the filmmakers have embarked on a self-distribution plan that has put No Other Earth in 23 theaters in the United States; on the back of strong box office receipts, it will continue to be released in additional cities over the coming weeks.

Adra and Ibrahim are not just part of the film’s directing team, they are its main subjects. Adra, 28, grew up in Masafer Yatta and has been documenting forced displacement since he was a teenager. Over the course of the film, he builds a strong but tense relationship with Ibrahim, who lives in Jerusalem but travels frequently to Masafer Yatta to write about the situation there for an Israeli audience.

The two men spoke to The New York Times last week in a video call as they gathered at Adra’s home in Masafer Yatta. “I really want to say something very personal because even with the success of ‘No Other Land,’ things continued to get much worse,” said Adra, who detailed how his village was attacked again by armed settlers in the weeks leading up to the Oscar nominations being announced.

The filmmakers hope that the awards campaign will raise global awareness of the precarious situation in Masafer Yatta. To that end, they still dream of securing an American distributor who will help “No Other Land” reach a wider audience.

“We have been working on this for five years and Basil risked his life – I saw him get shot two or three times,” said Yugal Ibrahim. “It is just a small amount of courage to give it the status we think it deserves, and that the people of Masafer Yatta deserve. But we still hope that things will change,” the newspaper reported.

Asked about his ability to resist the feeling that things are getting worse, Basil Adra said: “When I reach a moment where I feel disappointed and hopeless, the people around me, especially those who keep losing their homes [support me]. For example, when I see or talk to someone who lost their home for the sixth time since 2018, and rebuilt it every time, this gives me some strength. Why should I give up when people want to stay on the land and fight for their land?!”

“The other thing is that I sincerely believe that this injustice cannot go on forever. Whatever force is against us, in the end if it is oppressing us in an immoral way, it will not last. I do not know what the end of this will be or how it could be, but I have faith that this cannot go on forever, so we have to keep fighting,” Adra added.

“There is obviously a strong sense of frustration, but I look at Basil who has a much harder life than I do, and as long as he continues to live his life, I feel like I have to continue as well,” Ibrahim said. “Even if reality is changing for the worse, it’s not like we know what would happen if there was no documentation – I think it’s fair to assume it would be even more terrible than it is. So I feel like the task of documentation is still very urgent.”

The Oscars will be held next Sunday, March 2, 2025, in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

The Israeli occupation forces notified, tonight, the demolition of 11 houses in the Nour Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarm city.

Local sources told WAFA that the occupation forces intend to demolish these homes under the pretext of paving a road starting from the camp square towards the Manshiyya neighborhood, and they belong to the families of Yousef, Jabali, Mar’i, Abu Shalbaya, Irani, Shihab, Younis, and Ghanem.

The sources added that the occupation gave the owners of the targeted homes a deadline to go to the camp and evacuate their basic necessities between 8:00 and 11:00 am on Wednesday.

The occupation's aggression on Nour Shams camp entered its 18th day, as the occupation forces carried out repeated raids on homes after blowing up their doors, displacing their residents at gunpoint, and turning them into military barracks.

The camp was also subjected to extensive and complete destruction of infrastructure and property, including homes and shops that were demolished, bombed and burned, which exacerbated the suffering of citizens who remained in their homes, under a tight siege and a shortage of basic materials such as food, water, medicine and baby milk.

During the past few days, the camp witnessed a large displacement movement among its residents, including women, children, the elderly and the sick, concentrated in the neighborhoods of Al-Maslakh, Al-Manshiya, and Jabal Al-Salihin and Al-Nasr, where their number exceeded 5,000 displaced persons.

The Israeli occupation continues its aggression on the city of Tulkarm and the Tulkarm refugee camp for more than a month.

Everywhere, Israel continues its aggression and its army carries out field missions of assassinations, raids, arrests, and campaigns of abuse and displacement in the northern West Bank, expanding the scope of the war to new areas in the Jenin Governorate, and by force of arms it continues to carry out the process of expelling innocent citizens in the Palestinian camps, most notably Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams, without mercy or consideration for the harsh weather conditions. Despite the approach of the holy month of Ramadan, Israeli military operations are becoming more fierce, claiming the lives of many innocent people, and targeting all aspects of life in the West Bank, which the occupation has turned into a large prison, violating international law, with regard to obstructing the lives of Palestinians, as stated in a report by the Center for the Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights (Huriyat), which indicated that the Israeli occupation has turned the West Bank into a large prison, adding that the occupation authorities continue to implement the policy of collective punishment by deploying 900 military checkpoints and iron gates in the West Bank, and that after the ceasefire was declared in Gaza, the occupation tightened restrictions on the West Bank, which increases the suffering of the Palestinians, as the military checkpoints have become a trap for killing, arresting, humiliating and abusing citizens, to the point that the occupation sometimes prevents ambulances from reaching patients in a timely manner, leading to deaths.

These barriers aim to tighten control over the West Bank and strangle the lives of citizens. They are used for political reasons rather than security, within the framework of a policy of collective punishment and humiliation, and within policies that aim to separate the West Bank and impose isolation on cities and regions. These policies disrupt the educational process, paralyze the economy, and restrict the movement of citizens.

While the Israeli army is implementing escalation and persecution measures in all its aspects, the Israeli political level is the one that continues to issue threatening statements regarding the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, most notably the threat of not returning the residents of the northern West Bank to their camps, as Netanyahu said, in addition to his threats regarding the Gaza Strip and preventing the release of Palestinian prisoners, as the army continues its preparations to resume the aggression on Gaza, eagerly awaiting any opportunity, not to mention the major goals set by Netanyahu and his government, which are to eliminate the resistance, end Hamas’ rule over the Strip, disarm the Palestinians, deport the leaders and displace the population.

Haaretz summarized the tragic situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip by saying that Israel, as usual, instead of resolving the roots of the conflict, is proving that it only understands the language of force and thinks only in the short term. Twenty-three years after Operation Defensive Shield, Israel still faces the same predicament with no real solutions.

The newspaper asked, what will more violence, collective punishment, mistreatment of civilians and military operations bring without any political solution, other than a new cycle of blood and violence, and increasing Israel's isolation on the international scene?

We assert that thinking about isolating Israel internationally has become just a media publication that has become outdated, and there is no longer any hope or expectation for the Palestinians to direct more calls to the international community to condemn Israel’s policies and crimes, because it has proven throughout the war on Gaza and the raging war on the West Bank that it cannot take effective steps to stop it and force it to respect the rights of the Palestinians according to international law that Israel violates, with American support and a terrible global silence.

There is no doubt that the international dimension was and still is one of the most important aspects of influence on the Palestinian issue, as the Palestinian issue has been linked since its inception to the interests of the major powers for more than two centuries. Napoleon saw Palestine not only as a holy place, but also as having geopolitical and geoeconomic importance and as a means of achieving his project of obtaining a strategic foothold in the region, blocking Britain's path, and calling for the settlement of Jews in Palestine, while at the same time calling for the establishment of a national homeland for the Jews in Palestine as the legitimate heirs of Palestine. After Napoleon failed to do so, Britain had the upper hand since Sykes-Picot, through the Balfour Declaration in 1917 and the partition resolution of 1947, and ending with the declaration of the establishment of the occupying state on the largest part of the Palestinian lands, until its star (i.e. Britain) faded as a colonial power, with its exit as an influential player from the international stage and its withdrawal to its islands. The United States of America rose as a new superpower since the end of World War II. Before that, the extraordinary Zionist conference was held under the name of the Biltmore Conference in New York in May 1942, due to the inability to hold it in Europe during World War II. In his speech, Ben-Gurion confirmed that Britain was on the path of decline and that the United States was the rising power that would replace it.

The American strategy in various regions of the world, including the Arab region, is based on fundamental pillars that aim to achieve its national interests and implement its foreign policies. The Middle East, especially the Arab world, occupies a pivotal position in this strategy, due to its geopolitical importance and its strategic location within the American hegemony project, which extends to include the Caucasus and Central Asia. Therefore, the United States always relies in its foreign policy towards the Palestinian issue on the constants and variables in that policy, based on a specific mechanism through which it makes American foreign policy, or in other words, how American foreign policy is made and who makes it, and the role of various institutions in that, most notably the presidency, Congress with its two branches, the House of Representatives and the Senate, pressure groups, interests, and research centers... etc., in addition to the role of religion in shaping American foreign policy towards the Palestinian issue.

There are also a number of internal determinants of American foreign policy towards the Palestinian issue, including, for example, the influence of American public opinion and the role of pressure groups, with a special focus on Zionist pressure groups that exercise great influence in shaping US positions towards the issue. This is if we take into account the religious foundations of American foreign policy towards the Palestinian issue, which is perhaps the most important and prominent addition to this policy, which focuses on the religious dimension in foreign policy towards Palestine historically, and thus the extent of its influence on the Arab-Israeli conflict.

I believe that one of the most important reasons for the stability of American foreign policy towards the Palestinian issue is its reliance on religious principles and the spiritual dimensions of successive American administrations. In order to gain a deeper understanding of American foreign policy towards the Palestinian issue, we must go back to the beginnings, especially to the relationship that linked the United States with the Zionist movement since its first conference held in Basel, Switzerland in 1897, in addition to the position of the United States on the establishment of a national homeland for the Jews in Palestine, and the role it played in the establishment of the occupying state, whether in the United Nations (the partition resolution) or through the bilateral relationship between the two parties, and the development of the relationship between the two countries until they reached the strategic alliance between them during the era of President Ronald Reagan.

Nothing is more indicative of this than the powerful influence of the Zionist lobby in the United States, which is based on a political culture based on a close connection between religion and politics, where “Zionism” is portrayed in the American context as an extension of the word “God,” which gives Israel a sacred religious dimension, making it in the eyes of many political and religious movements a (divine) project that must be supported and protected. This deep perception in American political culture translates into foreign policies that are strongly biased toward Israel, where unconditional military, economic, and diplomatic aid is provided as part of an American “moral” commitment to Israel.

By exploiting this overlap between the religious and political dimensions, the Jewish community in the United States has succeeded in playing a pivotal role in influencing American policy, especially through its various institutions that operate in various political, economic, and media fields. Among these institutions, the AIPAC organization occupies a strategic position as the most important arm of the Zionist movement in the United States, as it exercises broad influence over decision-making circles in Congress and the US administration. At the same time, other evangelical groups such as Christians United for Israel (CUFI) work to consolidate popular and political support for Israel, and play a major role in directing US policy towards the Palestinian issue, and in granting “legitimacy” to US policies that support Israel, even if those policies contradict the principles of international law or cause human rights violations against the Palestinians. Any criticism of these policies is portrayed as anti-Semitic or undermining American democratic values, which limits any serious attempts to hold Israel accountable for its practices, exploiting religious narratives to advance their agendas.

Moreover, the structure of the American political system, based on lobbying groups and political funding, makes it easy for institutions such as AIPAC to influence foreign policy directions by supporting election campaigns for candidates who adopt pro-Israel positions, in exchange for pressuring those who criticize it, which creates a political environment that avoids proposing any policies that might harm Israeli interests.

In contrast, this intellectual and political system is used to justify American policies towards the Palestinian issue, where Israel is portrayed as the only democracy in the Middle East, while the image of the Palestinian resistance is distorted and linked to terrorism. In this way, American foreign policy becomes a reflection of a religious-political vision that legitimizes the occupation and diminishes the importance of Palestinian rights in international forums.

Accordingly, the relationship between the political and the religious in the American context is not limited to discourse only, but extends to being a tool used to direct foreign policy, which makes any move to change these policies extremely complex due to the deep overlap between faith and political interest.

Religion has played a prominent role in American politics, as religious groups, especially the Christian right with its various spectra of fundamentalists and Protestants, have contributed to directing US foreign policy, especially with regard to the Palestinian issue and Israel. There is a direct influence of religion on American foreign policy, as American foreign policy is based in some of its orientations on religious concepts that intersect with political and strategic interests. Religious groups, especially the Christian right or what is called Christian Zionism, have contributed to establishing specific policies and influencing the formulation of official political discourse, which enhances the religious nature of some political decisions, especially with regard to the Middle East. It promotes the idea of a close alliance with Israel based on biblical religious interpretations that consider the establishment of Israel to be part of a divine plan.

Christian Zionism combined myth and religion to form a launching pad for the colonial West, investing in it to pass its colonial settlement project and ideology in Palestine with weapons, of which capital was the main incubator.

The Christian right promotes the idea that support for Israel is a religious and political obligation, with Israel being a strategic partner for American religious groups that see their support for Israel as the fulfillment of religious prophecies. Christian Zionist leaders have seen the aggression on Gaza as part of God’s greater plan as a prelude to the coming of the Messiah to defeat evil and bring about a millennium of Christian peace.

The most famous Christian Zionist commentator is Hal Lindsey, author of the 1970s bestseller The Late Great Planet Earth, who described the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, as follows: “I see it as a prelude to the war prophesied by Ezekiel, and that this event did not surprise God, and that it is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, and that God’s plan continues.”

These groups also work continuously to raise funds for Israeli settlements and Jewish organizations that support settlement and expansion policies. American Christian religious institutions also cooperate with their Israeli counterparts to promote the pro-Israel agenda on the international stage. This has been reflected in the significant political, military and economic support provided by the United States to Israel. The Christian right also opposes any American pressure on Israel to make concessions within the framework of the (peace process), and pressures against any policies that might weaken Israel’s position in negotiations with the Palestinians.

Many American presidents are keen to gain the support of religious groups because of their wide electoral influence, which prompts them to adopt policies that are in line with their agendas. This relationship is evident in the statements of American presidents about Israel, as they commit to providing unconditional support for it. There is no better evidence of this than President Donald Trump’s decision in 2018 to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a major demand of the Christian right.

Thus, religion, represented by the influence of religious groups and the Christian right, has played a pivotal role in shaping American foreign policy, as we mentioned earlier, especially with regard to the Palestinian issue and Israel. Through political pressure, media influence, and electoral funding, these groups have strengthened US support for Israel, which has had a direct impact on the positions of successive US administrations towards the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The United States was seen in Protestant thought as part of a comprehensive divine plan, with Puritans and Calvinists playing a role in shaping the religious belief that the Jews were the “chosen people” and had the right to establish “God’s kingdom on earth,” where they exterminated the indigenous population. Concepts of natural rights, American virtue, and divine providence were used to justify foreign policy, as Roosevelt did, who said that “Americanization of the world” was the inevitable destiny of the American nation, and Eisenhower, who described the American role as the implementation of God’s plan for creation. Millions of Protestants support Israel out of religious beliefs that see its political and spiritual survival as a condition for the return of Christ, according to biblical prophecies. The building of the Temple on the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque is also necessary to fulfill this prophecy, and these conflicts are seen as a means of accelerating religious events. Thus, American policy in the Middle East cannot be separated from the profound influence of Protestant religious values.

In this article, we discuss the unlimited American support for the Israeli occupation state, which emerged in its thuggish image that contradicts all legislation, laws and international relations by US President Donald Trump, who is working to please the Zionist lobby at the expense of the just cause of the Palestinian people, which is still between the hammer of the Balfour Declaration in 1917, which displaced the Jews to Palestine, and the anvil of Trump's promises in 2025, which is represented by the displacement of the Palestinian people to Arab countries and others. The importance of the article stems from monitoring, following up and analyzing US foreign policy towards the Palestinian people, as we focus on the term of President Trump, who has become the iron sword with which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strikes.

The article sheds light on the policy of both parties (Republican and Democratic) towards the Palestinian issue, which is characterized by complete bias towards Israel, a common feature of all American presidents. The American position on the Palestinian issue is the same as the Israeli position, as the American vision stems from increasing pressure on the Palestinians to accept what Israel proposes. Based on the above, it is necessary to address the role of the Zionist settlement lobby and its influence on making American policy towards the Palestinian issue, which is a major player in shaping American policy. This is evident through the influence and nature of the work of the Zionist lobby and its means of influencing existing legislative institutions and American public opinion and convincing Congress to adopt a policy in support of Israel.

According to Noam Chomsky, American policy is based on preserving its interests by any means, and the Palestinian issue does not deviate from this approach. Israel is a faithful servant of American interests in the region, so the United States supports it by all military means and by covering up its crimes through the media and supporting it as a victim being attacked by "Palestinian terrorism." Chomsky believes that Israel's relationship with the United States is a relationship of mutual interest. Whenever Israel abandons its function as a servant of the ideological goals of the United States, the latter will simply abandon it.

The policy of successive US administrations towards the Palestinian issue is based on giving Israel more time to impose a reality on the ground, which is why the United States is considered a partner with Israel in the war on the Gaza Strip over the past fifteen months of genocide, starvation and destruction. Perhaps America's use of the veto right against any project to support the Palestinian cause or to condemn Israel for the war of genocide confirms that the American position supports Israeli crimes, as it has been used dozens of times over decades in order not to hold Israel accountable or punish it or even apply international laws and human rights. All successive administrations provide billions annually to Israel to support establishing facts on the ground and expanding settlements, in addition to the continuous military support and deals that Israel obtains, even those that are outside the approval of US legislative institutions, as happened with the current President Trump, who rushed to complete an arms deal for Israel worth $7.4 billion despite Congress's objection. In addition to the strategic support for it, which is what Netanyahu expressed by saying that my visit to Washington represents a "historical turning point for Israel." The American news outlet Axios said about the American arms deal with Israel that it includes about 18,000 bombs for aircraft, to be delivered starting in 2025, and that they arrived in Israel with the arrival of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on February 15, 2025, on his first visit to the Middle East since taking office.

It is worth noting that Mike Huckabee, who was appointed by Trump as ambassador to Israel, said that Washington will make changes in the Middle East with “biblical dimensions.” Huckabee expressed his support for Trump’s plan to displace the people of Gaza to other countries, considering that Trump “took a bold step.” The former Arkansas governor said, “I believe that we will achieve change with biblical dimensions during the Trump administration in the Middle East,” adding, “There is Judea and Samaria (the name given by Jews to the West Bank), there is no such thing as the West Bank, there is no such thing as (illegal) settlement, there are communities, neighborhoods, and cities.” Channel 14 reported on January 3, 2024, that the US Congress is removing the name of the West Bank from all transactions of the new US administration, and calling it “Judea and Samaria,” based on its consideration as “the land of the Jewish people.” The channel confirmed that this step comes within the framework of ongoing efforts to consolidate Israeli control over the West Bank in 2025, and to strengthen American support for the Israeli position.

Accordingly, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich considered that Trump's return to the White House would pave the way for the annexation of the occupied West Bank.

With Trump coming to power in his first and second terms, he did not hesitate to embody his threats to the Palestinians and his promises to the Israelis, especially with regard to moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, a decision that no US president had dared to implement before. Trump implemented measures towards the Palestinian issue that focused on removing the files of “final solution issues” that would liquidate the Palestinian issue, as Netanyahu stated in a speech he gave at the American Jewish communities conference held in Tel Aviv on November 24, 2018, “Israel must retain security responsibility for the West Bank.” He described the future Palestinian entity that he accepts as less than a state and more than self-rule.

There is no doubt that the United States, during the era of Joe Biden and the era of Trump, has gone beyond the stage of support and bias towards Israel, despite the administration’s announcement of its intention to resolve the ongoing conflict. American policies and measures against the Palestinian cause clearly show that the American administration is a partner with the occupation in the war and the implementation of the Israeli project to liquidate the Palestinian cause. The US State Department informed Congress of an $8 billion arms deal to Israel, which is committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, in addition to the US House of Representatives’ approval to punish officials in the “International Criminal Court” for condemning Israel and issuing an arrest warrant against Netanyahu and dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Galant, through a bill imposing sanctions on officials of the International Criminal Court. The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, announced in May 2024 that “Netanyahu and Galant bear responsibility for crimes against humanity in Gaza.”

The Israeli occupation army, supported by the United States and the West, has continued its aggression on Gaza for more than 500 consecutive days. The aggression has left more than 50,000 martyrs, more than 100,000 Palestinian wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing, amidst massive destruction and famine that has killed dozens of children and elderly people, in one of the worst major humanitarian crimes in the world.

Since January 25, 2025, President Trump has been promoting a plan to displace the Palestinians of Gaza to Egypt and Jordan and seize the Strip. In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested sending the Israelis to Greenland. In return, Netanyahu stated that President Trump is Israel’s greatest ally in the White House, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “I don’t think there is a better ally for Israel than Trump.” Trump announced that Washington would support Israel in any step it takes after the deadline for Hamas to hand over all its prisoners expired. He set Saturday, February 15, 2025, at twelve o’clock as a deadline for Hamas to hand over all the hostages at once, otherwise hell would befall Hamas. It is worth noting that the deadline expired and Trump left the ball in Israel’s court, which accepted the sixth batch of Israeli hostages without requiring the implementation of Trump’s threat.

Everything that Trump did in his first term and the beginning of his current term, from comprehensive aggression and unparalleled arrogance in international relations and unlimited support for Israel in its aggression against the Palestinian people, and his strange statements in the international political arena and even in international laws and legitimacy to displace the people of the West Bank and the people of Gaza and the threats and intimidation of hell and calamities against the Palestinian people in Gaza, confirms the saying of Homer, the most famous poet and writer of the Greeks, that “the sword incites violence.” Trump and his sword, “the great power,” are violence, injustice, chaos, and the war of extermination and destruction, and he is the one who pushes Israel to persist in its war against the Palestinian people. Netanyahu has become, at every turn, striking with Trump’s sword.

*Palestinian writer and researcher specializing in ideological movements.

Dr. Raed Abu Badawiya: The demands to investigate Biden and the symbols of his administration do not have any actual legal effect, but rather draw attention to the possibility of investigating them in the future

Noman Abed: Trump will not allow Biden to be prosecuted because it is a dangerous precedent that may be used against him or other presidents in the future

Dr. Hussein Al-Deek: The Trump administration, despite the political hostility with Biden, will not abandon him, but will continue to fight the court and impose sanctions on it

Dr. Hassan Ayoub: Talking about the possibility of investigating or issuing international arrest warrants is a great political and symbolic pressure on the US administration

Sulaiman Basharat: Trump will try to exploit the legal moves against Biden as a pressure card against the Democrats, but he will not allow them to develop into a trial

Dr. Saad Nimr: Legal moves, even if they do not lead to an immediate investigation, represent an important warning to major countries that the crimes committed will not go unpunished.

The call by the organization "Democracy for the Arab World Now" for the International Criminal Court to investigate former US President Joe Biden and senior officials of his administration, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, against the backdrop of the genocidal war in the Gaza Strip, raises controversy over the possibility of holding them accountable in the future as war criminals.

In separate interviews with “I,” writers, political analysts, specialists, and university professors believe that these demands, although they do not have a direct legal effect, highlight Washington’s responsibility in enabling Israel to commit war crimes against the Palestinians.

They assert that providing the ICC prosecutor with legal information could help push the court to continue investigations into the situation in Palestine, increasing political pressure on the US administration.

While analysts, experts, and university professors rule out the possibility of prosecuting Biden or other American officials, these moves carry important symbolic and political implications, as they enhance efforts to hold Israel and its allies accountable before international public opinion.

While Republicans are attacking Biden's policies, writers, analysts, specialists, and university professors believe that Republicans do not support investigations into the Biden administration, fearing that they will lead to similar trials that may affect Republican officials in the future, including Trump.

Attention from the International Criminal Court

Dr. Raed Abu Badawi, Professor of International Law and International Relations at the Arab American University, confirms that the legal demands to investigate former US President Joe Biden, his Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, regarding their military support for Israel during the war on Gaza, do not have any real legal effect, but rather fall within the framework of drawing the attention of the International Criminal Court to the possibility of investigating them in the future.

Abu Badawiya explains that the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, announced on 17 November 2023 his readiness to receive any information related to the investigation he is conducting into the situation in Palestine, which opens the door for human rights organizations and individuals to submit relevant information, without this meaning filing official complaints against specific American figures, because the ones who file official complaints are the states.

Abu Badawiya stresses that the International Criminal Court only accepts official investigation requests from its member states, the UN Security Council, or the Prosecutor himself based on his own investigations. Therefore, the information provided by human rights organizations does not constitute an official investigation request, but may help guide the course of investigations.

Abu Badawiya points out that these legal claims in the United States will not lead to direct results, given that the American judiciary itself does not allow the trial of American citizens in foreign courts. The United States, as a dominant power, refuses to subject its officials or citizens to any international judiciary, while granting itself the right to pursue and arrest individuals outside its territory if they commit crimes against Americans.

Trump expected to escalate his attacks on the ICC

Abu Badawiya expects that US President Donald Trump will escalate his attack on the International Criminal Court, despite his political rivalry with Biden, as Trump's position does not stem from defending Biden, but rather from a principled American position that refuses to recognize the authority of the International Criminal Court over American officials.

Abu Badawiya believes that the United States has historically adopted a policy of protecting its officials and soldiers from any international trials, even in documented cases related to war crimes, as happened in Afghanistan and Iraq. Therefore, any legal action against American officials in relation to the war on Gaza will be met with strong opposition from various American political circles, whether Democratic or Republican.

Abu Badawiya believes that the United States bears direct responsibility for the crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, given its role in providing military support and full political cover to Israel.

Abu Badawiya explains that the International Court of Justice may be a more effective legal forum for holding the United States accountable, since it is concerned with resolving disputes between states, unlike the International Criminal Court, which tries individuals accused of international crimes.

But the most prominent challenge, according to Abu Badawiya, is the extent to which any country is prepared to file an official complaint against the United States before the International Court of Justice, given the political and economic pressure that Washington may exert against it.

Abu Badawiya asserts that human rights movements, despite their limited direct legal impact before the International Criminal Court, contribute to keeping the issue alive at the international level, which may increase political pressure on the US administration in the future.

The Biden administration is an actual partner in Israeli crimes

Writer, political analyst and international relations specialist, Noman Abed, explains that the previous US administration, headed by Joe Biden, bears direct responsibility for the genocide committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, stressing that the United States is not just a political and military supporter of Israel, but an actual partner in these crimes.

Abed asserts that President Biden, his Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, his Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and the rest of the US administration, participated in various ways in supporting the Israeli aggression, whether through public statements that gave Israel full political cover, or by providing weapons and ammunition used by the occupation forces in their war on the Palestinians.

Abed points out that the Biden administration did not limit itself to military and financial support, but rather was directly involved in managing the war, as Biden visited Israel in the first days of the aggression, and Blinken repeated his visits to it, confirming each time the United States’ absolute commitment to supporting Israel.

Abed points out that Blinken played a pivotal role in justifying the Israeli aggression, both internationally and within the United States, as he sought to mislead public opinion by promoting the discourse of “Israel’s right to defend itself,” ignoring the crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinians.

Washington provided the occupation with a huge military airlift

Abed explains that Washington provided Israel with a huge military airlift, supplying it with bombs, missiles and military equipment that were directly used in bombing civilians in Gaza, pointing out the participation of American military experts in the Israeli operations rooms, which makes the United States a direct partner in planning and executing this aggression.

Abed points out that several international human rights organizations are seeking to push the International Criminal Court to investigate Biden, Blinken, and Austin on charges of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior Israeli military leaders are being prosecuted.

Abed believes that the United States has worked to obstruct any international efforts to hold Israel accountable, whether by using its veto in the Security Council, or by pressuring its European allies to prevent any legal moves against Tel Aviv.

Abed points out that the US administration has not only supported Israel externally, but has also suppressed any opposing voices within the United States itself. The past few months have witnessed an escalation in targeting student movements in American universities, and punishing human rights institutions and organizations that have criticized US support for Israel, which reflects a stark contradiction between US rhetoric about democracy and human rights, and its practices on the ground.

Despite the political animosity between President Donald Trump and the current Democratic administration, Abed rules out that Trump or the Republicans will allow Biden to be prosecuted, as the reason is not to defend Biden, but rather because opening an international criminal investigation against a previous US administration would set a dangerous precedent that could be used in the future against Trump himself or any other US president.

Trump could be subject to investigations if he allows them

Abed points out that Trump, despite his strong criticism of Biden’s policies, has always shown strong hostility to the International Criminal Court, attacking it on several occasions, and that his statements during his presidency have always included incitement to war crimes and unconditional support for Israel, which makes him vulnerable to such investigations if they are allowed against Biden.

Abed believes that the aggressive policies pursued by the United States in supporting wars and genocide may lead to the erosion of its global standing.

Abed points out that human rights organizations inside and outside America have begun to sense the danger of this trend, as Washington is no longer only an internationally dominant power, but is now viewed as a state that practices international “bullying” and abandons the values of democracy and human rights that it claims to defend.

An unprecedented development, both symbolically and legally.

The writer and political analyst specializing in American affairs, Dr. Hussein Al-Deek, confirms that the demand of the Democracy for the Arab World Now organization, an American non-governmental human rights organization, for the International Criminal Court to investigate former US President Joe Biden, his Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and his Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, is an unprecedented development from both the symbolic and legal aspects.

Al-Deek explains that this claim is based on the Rome Statute of 1998, which represents the legal framework for the court, and which allows human rights organizations to submit legal information to the public prosecutor, who decides whether there is a legal basis to open a formal investigation.

Al-Deek asserts that the political and military support provided by the Biden administration to Israel during the aggression on Gaza, which included continuous military supplies, may fall within the jurisdiction of the court, especially since the Rome Statute stipulates that anyone who incites, assists or supports international crimes may be subject to investigation and accountability.

He points out that these claims raise legal and procedural questions about the extent to which US officials can be prosecuted, especially given that the United States has not joined the International Criminal Court, and the challenges associated with proving crimes and directly linking US support to crimes committed on the ground.

Despite the importance of this step, Al-Deek believes that the sanctions and pressures imposed by the United States on the International Criminal Court may hinder the investigation, noting that the administration of President Donald Trump in his first term imposed sanctions on the court during the era of former Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, which led to the suspension of the investigation into American crimes in Afghanistan.

Al-Deek explains that since the court entered into force in 2002, it has discussed 42 cases, 39 of which were against African leaders and countries, which reinforces the belief that it targets weak countries and avoids prosecuting major powers such as the United States and Israel.

Washington will refuse any cooperation with the "International Criminal Court"

Al-Deek believes that Washington will refuse any cooperation with the International Criminal Court, based on the fact that the United States is not a member of the court, that the crimes did not occur on its territory, and that its forces did not directly participate in the alleged crimes.

Al-Deek asserts that the Trump administration, despite the political hostility with Biden, will not abandon the protection of the previous administration, but will continue to fight the court and impose sanctions on it, based on its principled position rejecting the work of the court.

Al-Deek believes that these demands, despite their symbolic importance, will not turn into an actual trial, due to the legal and political obstacles, in addition to the pressure that the United States may exert on the court to prevent the investigation from proceeding.

Al-Deek confirms that the court had previously received complaints about crimes committed by the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as complaints related to the Palestinian issue since 2021, but it had not made any real progress due to political pressure, which reflects the difficulties the court faces in dealing with major powers.

Al-Deek believes that this demand from the human rights organization regarding the investigation into the Biden administration will remain more symbolic and moral in nature than a practical legal step, stressing that the court, despite having the legal basis to consider the investigation, will face major challenges in moving forward with the investigation procedures or issuing arrest warrants against American officials.

Complications that prevent holding the US administration accountable

Professor of Political Science and specialist in American affairs, Dr. Hassan Ayoub, explains that there are major legal and political complications that prevent the US administration from being held accountable, whether before the US judiciary or the International Criminal Court, for its military support for Israel during the recent war on Gaza, and what may result from that in terms of suspicions of committing war crimes and genocide.

Ayoub points out that a legal precedent occurred last year in the state of California, when a lawsuit was filed aiming to compel the Biden administration to stop supplying Israel with weapons or providing any support to it in the UN Security Council, but the American judiciary rejected the case on the grounds that the court lacked jurisdiction, although the judge who heard the case directed clear criticism at the American administration, stressing that it should have refrained from contributing to what the International Court of Justice described as a clear suspicion of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Ayoub points out that the US administration circumvents local laws to avoid restrictions on arms sales, specifically the so-called “Leahy Law,” which requires countries receiving military aid from the United States to abide by international law.

Ayoub explains that former US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is responsible for manipulating these laws, by exempting Israel from the application of the Leahy Law, which allows it to obtain military support without real legal restrictions.

Ayoub points out that this case, despite its legal dimension, also carries great political importance, as the parties currently demanding an investigation into the Biden administration are fully aware that the American establishment will never allow a former American president or American officials to be subject to an international investigation, but the mere fact that the case remains open before the International Criminal Court, and talk about the possibility of an investigation or issuing international arrest warrants, represents great political and symbolic pressure on the American administration.

He believes that the Republican Party, led by Trump, is exploiting these issues to undermine the “moral legitimacy” of the Democratic Party, by pointing out the contradictions in its foreign policies, especially with regard to human rights and military interventions.

Ayyoub points out that the decisions of the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice are not implemented automatically, but rather require continuous political and media pressure, and these international human rights organizations play a major role in keeping these issues alive, while Arab efforts are almost completely absent, allowing the American and Israeli administrations to bypass legal pressures without real consequences.

Regarding the possibility of this case leading to actual trials of American officials, Ayoub completely rules it out, pointing out that the American establishment, including the “deep state,” will never allow the creation of a legal precedent that might lead to the trial of high-ranking American officials in the future.

Ayub believes that the United States, which has fiercely fought any international investigations into war crimes committed by its soldiers and officers in Afghanistan, will take a tougher stance if it comes to prosecuting a former president or senior officials.

The investigation will not lead to arrest warrants.

Ayoub asserts that all that is happening now is merely a request for the International Criminal Court to open an investigation into the responsibility of Biden, Blinken and Austin for supporting Israel militarily, but this investigation, even if accepted, will not lead to arrest warrants. However, continuing to raise the issue at the legal level may cause long-term political damage to the Democratic Party, and may lead to a decline in the confidence of the American and international public in Biden’s foreign policies.

Ayoub sees this issue as reflecting the seriousness of the new trends of the US administration, which is moving towards more violence and disregard for international law, which could have disastrous effects on American democracy and global stability.

Genocide crimes will continue to haunt US officials

Writer and political analyst Suleiman Basharat asserts that the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and the genocide it committed against defenceless civilians will continue to haunt all American officials who provided Israel with political cover, military support and legal justifications to launch this brutal aggression.

Basharat explains that the administration of former US President Joe Biden showed unprecedented impudence in its absolute support for the Israeli aggression, ignoring all the values and principles it claims to defend, which makes it directly responsible for the war crimes and serious violations that occurred in Gaza.

Basharat points out that these crimes will not be erased with the passage of time, but will remain a legal and moral issue that haunts American and Israeli leaders before the global conscience and international human rights institutions.

Basharat explains that the human rights movements to hold the Biden administration and the Israeli military and political leadership accountable are part of the responsibilities of international human rights institutions to protect humanitarian principles, noting that these movements are not the first and may not be the last, as he expects that the coming period will witness more pressure and legal demands against those responsible for the massacres committed in Gaza.

Basharat stresses that the absence of serious legal prosecution of these leaders will put international law and human justice to a real test, pointing out that the international community is at a crossroads: either to prove its commitment to the principles of human rights and international laws, or to remain hostage to the political interests of the major powers.

Basharat stresses that it is of utmost importance to issue official convictions against those responsible for these crimes, even if the penalties are not actually implemented, because the criminalization itself is a victory for human justice and a clear condemnation of American and Israeli criminality.

Basharat stresses that international law is based on the principle of cumulativeness, and that the crimes committed will not be subject to a statute of limitations, but will remain a legal threat that will pursue the leaders involved in them at any time.

He points out that the success of implementing the recent decisions of the International Criminal Court, which issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Minister of Defense Yoav Galant, depends on the existence of an international political will to implement them, warning that these decisions may remain mere documents in drawers unless they are enforced by the force of law.

Basharat points out that one of the main challenges facing these legal moves is the lack of political pressure necessary to implement judicial decisions against Israel and its allies, especially the United States, which has extensive influence within international institutions.

Major shake-up of the images of the United States and Israel

Basharat asserts that these legal moves have contributed to a major shake-up of the images of the United States and Israel on the international level, as it has become clear that the international community no longer accepts the American and Israeli narrative that promotes them as symbols of democracy and human rights.

Basharat believes that this exposure is an important transformation that must be built upon politically and in the media, because it confirms that the world no longer accepts the biased Western narrative towards Israel, and that there is a growing awareness of the truth of the crimes it is committing against the Palestinians.

Despite the political hostility between Republicans and Democrats, Basharat rules out that the administration of US President Donald Trump will allow any serious legal prosecutions against Biden and his administration.

Basharat explains that this is not because Trump is defending Biden, but because any investigation against Biden could open the door to holding other American presidents accountable, including Trump himself, who strongly supported Israel during his previous and current term in office, and made decisions that were completely biased towards the occupation.

Basharat asserts that successive US administrations have been and continue to be complicit in the crimes of the Israeli occupation, and therefore Trump will try to exploit these legal moves against Biden as a political pressure card in his battle against the Democrats, but he will not allow it to develop into an actual trial.

Opening the door to questioning America and other allied countries

Dr. Saad Nimr, a professor of political science at Birzeit University, confirms that the Dawn organization’s demand that the International Criminal Court investigate former US President Joe Biden and his Secretary of State Anthony Blinken regarding their indirect support for the Israeli occupation army during the war of extermination on the Gaza Strip, is of great importance, and may open the door to holding the United States and other allied countries accountable before the International Court.

Nimr explains that American support for Israel during the war on Gaza was not limited to delivering weapons and ammunition, but also included obstructing Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire through the use of the veto, which made Washington a partner in the crimes committed against the Palestinians.

Nimr points to American reports that the munitions provided by the United States to Israel were used extensively in bombing operations that caused thousands of civilian casualties.

Developments put Washington in a very sensitive position

Nimr points out that these developments put the United States in a very sensitive position, as this legal pressure could lead to future political and judicial repercussions, especially if an official investigation is opened into this matter.

Nimr explains that the International Criminal Court may also consider holding accountable other countries, such as Britain, France and Germany, that provided military or political support to Israel during the war.

Despite the importance of these demands, Nimr believes that the United States will seek to prevent any international investigation against its officials, noting that Washington has always adopted a hostile stance towards the International Criminal Court, as it has previously imposed sanctions on its judges and prevented them from entering its territory in the context of preventing any legal accountability against its military or political officials.

Nimr stresses that the Biden administration is not the only one that will face these challenges, but rather the administration of President Donald Trump will take a more stringent stance in confronting any international judicial move against American officials.

Nimer explains that Trump, who is known for his unconditional support for Israel, may fear that such a legal precedent would lead to the recall of figures in his administration.

Nimr asserts that the United States believes that its military and political leaders enjoy complete immunity from any international trial, a position that Israel adopts, but the International Criminal Court’s indictment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Galant for committing war crimes and genocide proves that any official, regardless of his position, may be subject to international legal accountability.

Nimr stresses that Washington will intensify its pressure on the International Criminal Court to prevent the opening of any official investigation, expecting it to resort to imposing more sanctions or using its political and economic influence to protect its officials.

Nimr expects that the United States will continue to support Israel diplomatically and militarily to prevent any legal repercussions that may affect the future of relations between the two countries.

Nimr stresses that these legal moves, even if they do not lead to an immediate investigation, represent an important warning to major powers that crimes committed during wars will not go unpunished, and that the International Criminal Court may in the future become an arena for holding even the most powerful countries accountable, including the United States and its allies.

In the darkness of the night, the sting of the cold, and the bitterness of living among the rubble, children and adults inside the tents groan from silent pain, which makes the trembling hearts tremble, and its pains gnaw at the fragile bones from the heavy loads that hundreds of families who have lost their support and the pillar of their tent are groaning under in the heat of the described genocide.

Temperatures have dropped below zero over the past few nights, exacerbating the suffering of the tent dwellers. They were shocked by the freezing of their tender bodies, unable to withstand the deadly cold, such as the sixty-day-old girl Sham, who died with five other children after the tents turned into refrigerators.

If it weren’t for the blankets and “bakaja” that UNRWA distributed to the residents in the refugee tents and brick houses after the 1948 Nakba, many children would have frozen to death. Our mothers and grandmothers would ward off the sting of the cold with the “oven sting” or the brazier that they would light until its fires intensified, distributing warmth throughout the house. Our faces would turn red like the embers of the stove, and our laughter would rise as we approached zero distance from its heat. We would sleep when drowsiness overcame us, with warm hearts, in the shadow of the mothers who would lean over us and rush to cover whoever was exposed among us, while we stretched out on the ground like a solid structure, sleeping with reassured breaths under the blankets and thin quilts laminated with whatever was available from the remains of the fabrics.

The Israeli occupation army launched raids targeting several sites in the Al-Kiswah area, south of Damascus, and in the countryside of Daraa late at night. Local sources also reported an incursion by Israeli forces into the administrative borders between the Daraa and Quneitra governorates in southern Syria.

The Israeli raids targeted Al-Kiswah in the Damascus countryside and the vicinity of the city of Izra in the Daraa countryside in southern Syria, and Israeli forces penetrated the village of Ain Al-Baida in the Quneitra countryside in southern Syria, according to what sources confirmed to Al Jazeera.

Sources said that the Israeli raids targeted a military site belonging to the Syrian Ministry of Defense in Tal al-Hara in the western countryside of Daraa. The sources explained that the Israeli bombing of the al-Kiswah area in the Damascus countryside targeted a military site belonging to the Syrian Ministry of Defense. The sources indicated to Al Jazeera that Israeli forces penetrated the administrative borders between the Daraa and Quneitra governorates in southern Syria and the Ain al-Baida area in the Quneitra countryside in southern Syria.

Reuters reported, citing correspondents and residents, the sound of explosions and low-flying planes in Damascus late Tuesday evening.

Al Jazeera reported that the Israeli army launched several raids on sites in Daraa, specifically in the Izraa area in the northern Daraa countryside, as well as the strategic Tal al-Hara, which was one of the military sites in the western Daraa countryside and is one of the highest hills in that area. The correspondent indicated that the raids coincided with intensive flights of reconnaissance aircraft in the western Daraa countryside as well as in the neighboring Quneitra governorate.

In return, the Israeli army announced that it had attacked military targets in southern Syria, including headquarters and facilities containing weapons. The occupation army said that the presence of military means and forces in the southern part of Syria poses a threat to Israel and that Tel Aviv will continue to work to eliminate any threat against its citizens, it claimed.

In the same context, Israeli Channel 14 said that the Israeli army is raiding military bases that previously served the Syrian army and destroying combat equipment in Damascus. For his part, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said that Israel will not allow southern Syria to become like southern Lebanon, as he put it.

For his part, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said that his government would not allow southern Syria to turn into something similar to southern Lebanon, as he put it.

He described the Israeli army's attacks in Syria as an attempt to stop what he called attempts by the Syrian regime forces and terrorist organizations to position themselves in the security zone in southern Syria.

Former Israeli peace negotiator Daniel Levy said Tuesday that a minute of silence to mourn the 18,000 Palestinian children killed by Israeli bombing in the Gaza Strip will last for more than 300 hours.

Levy stressed the need to achieve justice for all people according to the same human laws.

This came in a speech he delivered before the UN Security Council.

During his speech, he sent a strong message to international representatives, calling for justice for the Palestinian people and the application of international laws to protect them, stressing that human suffering should not be selective.

He stressed that "no human being should ever be subjected to horrific experiences," including the Israeli and Palestinian people, who "deserve to live in safety."

Although he referred to the suffering of Israelis after the October 7, 2023 attack, which resulted in the killing and capture of dozens, he stressed that thousands of Palestinians were killed, wounded, and starved, while schools, hospitals, shelters, and entire residential neighborhoods were destroyed during the Israeli war of extermination on Gaza.

He praised the steadfastness of the Palestinians despite the humanitarian catastrophe that befell them as a result of the Israeli genocide.

He recalled Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, who "is still detained and being mistreated in Israeli prisons."

Levy stressed that the names of the child victims, whether Israeli or Palestinian, should not be forgotten.

In this regard, he said: "We must not forget the names of the Bibas family's children, Ariel and Kfir, and the circumstances of their deaths."

The Palestinian factions in Gaza confirm that they captured Sherry Bibas on October 7, 2023, and that she was allowed to take her two children with her out of mercy for them, and that this family was treated well according to the teachings of the true Islam, before their state bombed them with missiles, which led to their death and the killing of the captors.

“We should not forget the name of Laila al-Khatib, the two-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed a few days ago in her home in the occupied West Bank, while eating dinner with her family, or Hind Rajab, five years old, who was bombed and deprived of medical care, and died with her family” by Israeli fire during the war of extermination in Gaza, Levy added.

To show the disproportion between the suffering of Israelis and Palestinians, Levy said, “A minute of silence for the souls of Ariel and Kfir Bibas is appropriate.”

He added: "But if we stand for a minute of silence for the souls of 18,000 Palestinian children killed in Israeli bombing, the silence will last for more than 300 hours."

He stressed the need to "stop this conflict and human suffering," noting that it "results from political conflict, tragedies that can be prevented, and many other tragedies that await steps that have not been taken."

"We are all human beings, and we are all born equal," he said.

"We can and must use strong and influential language," Levy added. "After all, we have rules, laws, charters, agreements and rights that are supposed to be applied, not ignored."

The White House confirmed that the administration of US President Donald Trump remains deeply involved in the ceasefire process in Gaza.

In a new violation of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, Israeli warplanes launched air strikes on several areas in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, yesterday evening, Monday.

Gazans are facing a rapid deterioration in living conditions, with hundreds of thousands of displaced people suffering from a severe shortage of shelter and blankets, while children are suffering more from cold waves and the lack of fuel and heating.

The occupation's aggression led to the displacement of two million Palestinians, after destroying more than 70% of the homes in the Strip, leaving them homeless.

The UN Security Council held a session today, Tuesday, to discuss the situation in the Middle East.

The acting UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Sigrid Kaag, said that the Middle East today is witnessing a rapid transformation, the scope and impact of which remain uncertain, “but which also presents a historic opportunity.”

In her briefing to the Council, Kaag, who also serves as the UN's Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, added, "The people of the region can emerge from this period with peace, security and dignity. However, this may be our last chance to achieve a two-state solution."

She noted that the first phase of the ceasefire agreement on the Gaza Strip "provided much-needed relief, but much more remains to be done to address more than fifteen months of deprivation of basic humanitarian necessities and, above all, the loss of human dignity."

She explained that since the first phase of the ceasefire came into effect on 19 January, the United Nations, non-governmental organizations and member states have rushed to increase life-saving humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and improved access and security conditions have allowed the delivery of aid and services.

She stressed that while addressing the immediate needs in Gaza, “we must also build a future that provides protection, recovery and reconstruction,” noting that initial estimates show that $53 billion will be required for recovery and reconstruction efforts in Gaza.

“Palestinians must be able to resume their lives, rebuild and build their future in Gaza. There can be no room for forced displacement,” Kaag said.

The UN official stressed that while there is participation in planning for the future of Gaza, a number of things must be ensured, including that "Gaza remains an integral part of the future Palestinian state. And that Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are united politically, economically and administratively."

Kaag also stressed that "it must be ensured that there is no long-term presence of the Israeli army in Gaza."

She presented the Council with four main requests: first, that continued support for the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement is of utmost importance. Second, that “it is of utmost importance not to lose sight of the dangerous dynamics in the West Bank, and that urgent calm is essential.”

"Thirdly, the international community must continue to support the Palestinian Authority in its reform efforts and in resuming its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian security forces must also be enabled to carry out their responsibilities in areas under their control," Kaag added.

The UN official also called, in the fourth request she submitted to the Security Council, for providing political and financial support for recovery and reconstruction efforts in Gaza.

The UN official expressed concern "about the Israeli military operations and the escalation of violence in the West Bank," adding that reports continue to indicate casualties, destruction and displacement, especially in the governorates of Jenin, Tubas and Tulkarm, where refugee camps and infrastructure are severely affected.

“I am appalled by the killing of a pregnant woman and young children during these operations,” Kaag said. “Such incidents must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible held to account.”

The UN official also warned that continued settlement activity, along with ongoing (Israeli) calls for annexation, "pose an existential threat to the prospects of an independent and viable Palestinian state and thus the two-state solution."

She touched on the Israeli legislation that would stop UNRWA's work in the occupied Palestinian territory, stressing that "UNRWA's work is still necessary, and must be allowed to continue without hindrance."

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid proposed on Tuesday that Egypt take over the administration of the neighboring Palestinian Gaza Strip for 15 years, in exchange for canceling its foreign debts.

Until 17:30 (GMT), Cairo, the Palestinian Authority, and the Palestinian factions have not commented on Lapid's proposal, which comes after his country waged a genocidal war against the Palestinians in Gaza.

Lapid announced his proposal in a speech he gave at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) think tank in Washington, according to the Hebrew newspaper Maariv, and then followed it up with a post on the X platform.

"A short time ago in Washington I presented a plan for the day after the war in Gaza," Lapid wrote.

He added: "At the core of the plan: Egypt will take responsibility for Gaza for 15 years, and at the same time the international community will cancel its foreign debts amounting to $155 billion."

He continued: "After about a year and a half of fighting, the world was surprised that Hamas still controls Gaza. No one in the current Israeli government has offered a realistic alternative."

With American support, Israel committed genocide in Gaza between October 7, 2023 and January 19, 2025, leaving more than 160,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 14,000 missing.

Lapid added: "For political and religious reasons (...) the government (of Israel, led by Benjamin) Netanyahu failed to take steps to establish an effective government in Gaza capable of expelling Hamas."

He said that on Israel's southern border with Gaza, "there are two major problems that threaten the security of Israel and the entire region."

He considered that "the first problem is that the world needs a new solution for Gaza: Israel cannot accept Hamas remaining in power, the Palestinian Authority is unable to manage Gaza, the Israeli occupation is undesirable, and the continuation of chaos poses a serious security threat to Israel."

He claimed that "the second problem is that the Egyptian economy is on the verge of collapse and threatens the stability of Egypt and the entire Middle East. The external debt of $155 billion does not allow Egypt to rebuild its economy and strengthen its army," he said.

He added: "Accordingly, we propose one solution to these two problems: that Egypt assumes responsibility for managing the Gaza Strip for 15 years, while at the same time the international community and its regional allies cover the external debts."

Israel has turned Gaza into the largest prison in the world, as it has been besieging it for the 18th year, and about 1.5 million of its citizens, who number about 2.4 million Palestinians, have become refugees after the war of extermination destroyed their homes.

Lapid added that during the 15 years, "Gaza will be rebuilt and conditions will be prepared for self-rule, and Egypt will be the central player and will supervise the reconstruction, which will further strengthen its economy."

He believed that "this solution has a historical precedent: Egypt took control of Gaza in the past, and this was done with the support of the Arab League, with the understanding that this was a temporary situation (...) and this is what must happen again today."

Egypt was legally responsible for the Gaza Strip for most of the period between 1948 and 1967. This began when Israel was established on Palestinian lands occupied by armed Zionist gangs that committed massacres and displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

Hamas had previously announced its rejection of disarming the resistance or removing it from Gaza, stressing that any arrangements for the future of the Strip would be based on Palestinian "national consensus."

On January 19, a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel went into effect. It includes three stages, each lasting 42 days, with the condition that the next stage be negotiated before the end of the current stage.

Israel has occupied lands in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon for decades, and refuses to withdraw from them and establish an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the borders before the 1967 war.

Syria on Tuesday denounced the Israeli incursion into its territory and called on Israel to withdraw.

This came in the final statement of the National Dialogue Summit called for by the new administration in Syria to develop a political roadmap for Syria.

The statement condemned "the Israeli incursion into Syrian territory, considering it a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Syrian state and demanding its immediate and unconditional withdrawal." It rejected the provocative statements of the Israeli Prime Minister, and called on the international community and regional organizations to assume their responsibilities towards the Syrian people and pressure to stop the aggression and violations.

Israel moved its forces into a UN-monitored demilitarized zone inside Syria after the armed opposition led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ousted former President Bashar al-Assad in December.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel would not allow the presence of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in southern Syria, nor any other forces affiliated with the country's new rulers, and demanded that the area be demilitarized.

The closing statement of the Syrian National Dialogue Conference also considered armed formations to be “outlaw groups.” In the statement, read by preparatory committee member Huda al-Atassi, the attendees called for “restricting weapons to the state, building a professional national army, and considering any armed formations outside official institutions as outlaw groups,” in an implicit reference to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and factions and groups that still have their weapons after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.

Criticism from the Kurdish administration of North and East Syria

For its part, the Kurdish Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria said that the National Dialogue Conference does not represent the Syrian people, and called for holding a “real national dialogue that does not exclude or marginalize anyone.”

The Kurdish administration, which controls northern and eastern Syria, added in a statement: “We have reservations about the Syrian National Dialogue Conference in form and content, and we will not be part of implementing its outcomes.”

The statement said that the preparatory committee for the National Dialogue Conference "did not represent the components of the Syrian people," adding that the committee's statements "are far from the language of dialogue and bringing viewpoints closer together."

She said that the steps taken by the caretaker administration in Syria regarding the issue of dialogue and partnership are “disappointing.”

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa stressed before the conference that his country “does not accept division,” stressing the need not to “import” systems that are not compatible with the country’s situation.

Media outlets quoted the spokesman for the conference's preparatory committee, Hassan Al-Daghim, as saying that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were not invited "because the dialogue is societal and not with military organizations."

The Syrian Democratic Forces, affiliated with the autonomous administration, have been fighting fierce battles against armed factions supported by Turkey in northern and eastern Syria since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad's regime last December, resulting in dozens of deaths on both sides.

A young Palestinian man was killed and 6 others were injured with live bullets, during the Israeli occupation forces’ storming of the western cemetery area in Nablus, where the injuries varied between minor and moderate, in addition to recording a serious injury with live bullets in the same area.

The occupation forces launched a campaign of raids on several residential apartments in a building near the western cemetery, which led to the outbreak of violent clashes in the area.

In the Al-Masakin area east of Nablus, clashes erupted between Palestinian youths and the occupation forces, resulting in the injury of a young man with live bullets. Two new injuries were also recorded in the vicinity of the western cemetery in central Nablus.

Infant gas injury

In a serious development, a 7-month-old baby was injured after inhaling tear gas during the clashes. She was transferred to the hospital for treatment, and her entire family was evacuated from the damaged house.

In Tubas, Palestinian Red Crescent crews confirmed that they received a 20-year-old man with special needs, after he was stabbed in the abdomen by settlers in the Baziq area, and he was transferred to the hospital to receive treatment.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the occupation forces are seeking to give the residents of Gaza the option to leave the Strip, stressing his support for US President Donald Trump's plan that allows freedom of choice to leave and create a "new Gaza."

Netanyahu added in statements on Tuesday: "We will remain in the West Bank camps as long as necessary, and in southern Syria for the foreseeable future."

Netanyahu pointed out that the occupation forces have dealt strong blows to Iran, stressing that "our main goal is to prevent it from possessing a nuclear weapon."

He pointed out that "victory is now within our reach, and we will achieve all our goals," adding: "A year ago I said that we would change the face of the Middle East, and this is what we are doing now."

Netanyahu expressed his appreciation for President Trump's support, saying: "I thank him for his help in freeing the detainees and his direction to send us essential weapons," and he also praised the role of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in achieving the occupation's goals.

Reuters reported on Monday, citing US officials and a source familiar with the decision, that the Trump administration had canceled an order issued under former President Joe Biden directed at Israel that required the Israeli government to report potential violations of international law related to weapons provided by the United States to allies.

National Security Memorandum 20 (NSM-20), signed by Biden last year, required all countries receiving weapons from the United States to commit in writing that they would not use them to target civilians or restrict humanitarian aid.

States were already obligated to commit to using weapons in accordance with international law, but the concept of a written commitment was new as was the memorandum's directive for the State Department to report to Congress on the matter.

Biden agreed to sign the memorandum amid pressure from progressive Democrats who were specifically looking to limit US military aid to Israel, because it is used to harm civilians in Gaza.

A State Department report issued several months after the memo avoided reaching a conclusion that Israel was actually misusing U.S. security assistance, angering the progressive lawmakers behind NSM-20.

The report, issued in May 2024, said that "Israel may have violated international humanitarian law, but US officials were unable to identify specific instances of violations that harmed civilians due to the chaos of war."

The Trump administration was supposed to submit a report to Congress in the coming months on its own assessment of Israel's behavior.

The Washington Post cited a February 21 order from White House National Security Adviser Michael Waltz to cancel the NSM-20.

The State Department referred questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a leading advocate of congressional oversight of U.S. arms sales, said the decision to rescind the memo was “shameful.”

“It is an affront to our national security, universal human rights, and our standing around the world,” Van Hollen said in a statement.

“This move also undermines the right of American taxpayers to ensure that their dollars are used in accordance with our laws and national interests,” he added. “It is yet another clear example of Trump’s blatant disregard for American values. This is not America first — it is America in decline.”

President Trump signed an executive order calling for a review of all national security memoranda issued under Biden upon his entry into the White House on January 20, 2025. He also reversed Biden’s previous decision to freeze a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, which had been in effect since last spring due to concerns that the Israeli occupation army would use them in densely populated areas and cause unnecessary civilian harm.

The World Health Organization announced that the damage to the health sector in Gaza and the West Bank since the start of the Israeli occupation aggression in October 2023 exceeded $7 billion, distributed between reconstruction costs and requirements for providing health services.

In a media briefing via video link from Geneva, the WHO Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, Rick Peeperkorn, said that 772 health facilities were completely or partially destroyed, which constitutes:

95% of hospitals

91% of private health facilities

88% of public health centers

In addition to the damage to many pharmacies and clinics.

He pointed out that the losses from the destruction of the health infrastructure amounted to 1.3 billion dollars, including 809 million dollars due to the destruction of hospitals, with the Gaza Strip bearing the largest share of these losses at 682 million dollars, followed by North Gaza ($112 million) and Khan Yunis ($132 million).

Human losses and a crisis in health services

According to the report, the total losses in the health sector in the Gaza Strip amounted to $6.3 billion due to the interruption of services and the shortage of medical personnel, as the sector lost 1,700 health workers, which led to production losses estimated at $2.7 billion.

The increased health burden from injuries, infectious diseases, malnutrition and psychological problems caused an additional $3.2 billion in losses, of which $2.5 billion was directly related to injuries and deaths.

Continuing financial losses

In addition to the material and human damage, the report indicated that health facilities lost $8.6 million annually as a result of the cessation of direct payments from patients, which increases the challenges facing the health system in providing services to those in need.

The organization stressed that rebuilding the health system in Gaza and the West Bank requires urgent international support, in light of the continued deterioration of the humanitarian and medical situation.

The General Secretariat of the Popular National Conference for Jerusalem denounced the fierce Israeli attack on buildings and facilities in Jerusalem, considering it a systematic occupation policy aimed at forcibly displacing people from the city.

The General Secretariat condemned, in an important statement issued today, Tuesday, the Israeli occupation authorities’ demolition of two mobile homes in the Al-Bustan neighborhood in Silwan, belonging to citizens from the Ayed and Al-Ruwaidi families, as well as the demolition of a house and several agricultural facilities in the town of Al-Issawiya, bulldozing lands and walls, and uprooting trees, under the pretext of building without a permit.

The General Secretariat said that when Israel uproots trees, it wants to uproot the Palestinian person as a memory and identity from the place where he lives, and that the excuse of not having a permit is a weak excuse because the occupation municipality does not originally issue building permits to Jerusalemites and imposes impossible conditions on them to obtain them.

The General Secretariat confirmed that this policy is taking place amidst Palestinian, Arab and international attention being directed towards what is happening in the West Bank in terms of a comprehensive war on the camps, the aim of which is to liquidate the refugee issue, as well as the repercussions of the Israeli war on our people in the Gaza Strip, who are suffering from a lack of food, medicine and shelter after the Gaza Strip became a thing of the past following a war that lasted for about 15 consecutive months.

The Secretariat of the Popular National Conference for Jerusalem called on the international community and local and foreign human rights organizations to pay attention to the silent war taking place in Jerusalem, targeting the Palestinian people and all their property with the aim of forcing them to leave and transforming the holy city into a Jewish majority population.

In its statement, it noted that the sons of our Palestinian people in the holy city will remain steadfast and steadfast in their city and villages despite all the Israeli arbitrariness and direct aggression against people, stones, trees, and Islamic and Christian sanctities, stressing that this steadfastness is a characteristic of the Jerusalemite who considers himself a defender and protector of Jerusalem on behalf of the entire Arab and Islamic nations. The General Secretariat stressed that strengthening the steadfastness of the people of Jerusalem requires a serious and sincere Arab and Islamic stand with our people in the capital, Jerusalem, and in all parts of the homeland, as Palestine is witnessing the most dangerous fateful stages for the homeland and the cause.

The leader of the fascist Religious Zionism party and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will visit the United States next week at the invitation of US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, for the first time since his appointment to the position and after the Biden administration boycotted him in previous years.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar will also visit Washington next week, meeting with his US counterpart, Marco Rubio.

Upon beginning his term, Besant spoke by phone with Smotrich, during which the latter spoke of the “deep and strategic friendship between Israel and the United States, and the mutual commitment of the two countries to advance shared values in order to strengthen the economy.”

Smotrich added that he "expects to work in close cooperation with the US Treasury Secretary with the aim of deepening and expanding economic cooperation between the two sides to their benefit," and invited Bessent to visit Israel.

Sa'ar will visit Washington, where he will meet with Rubio, on Wednesday of next week, as well as meet with other American officials, and will also visit New York.

Smotrich visited the United States in March 2023, while the Biden administration announced at the time that its representatives would not meet with him, due to his fascist statements, including that “Huwara should be wiped out,” where settlers carried out terrorist attacks.

Today, Tuesday, the Israeli occupation forces sent military reinforcements to the city of Tulkarm and its two camps, amidst reconnaissance aircraft flying overhead, as the thirtieth day of the aggression against it entered.

Local sources reported that the occupation forces' vehicles roamed the city's streets and were stationed at several intersections, obstructing the movement of vehicles, especially in the vegetable market, while raiding the Al-Adawiya commercial building on the street of the Martyr Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital, and searching it, noting that they had seized it since the beginning of the aggression and turned it into a military barracks for more than two weeks.

In the same context, the occupation forces raided a number of homes in the Nour Shams camp, which has been under siege for 17 days, specifically in the Jabal al-Salihin neighborhood, after blowing up their doors, amid live bullets, and forced the citizens to leave them under threat of arms.

Eyewitnesses said that the occupation soldiers raided the house of the Masharqa family in Jabal Al-Salihin, and forced its residents to leave at gunpoint, under the pretext that the street where the house is located and other houses next to it would be a passage for tanks to pass through.

The occupation forces caused complete destruction to the infrastructure in Nour Shams camp, including electricity, water, sewage and communications networks, in addition to the complete and partial destruction of property, including homes and shops, especially in the Al-Manshiya neighborhood located on Nablus Street at the entrance to the camp.

The occupation's aggression forced more than 5,000 citizens to be forcibly displaced from their homes in Nour Shams camp alone.

Jerusalem Governorate Legal Advisor Medhat Diba said that twenty families in the Silwan and Batn al-Hawa neighborhoods in occupied Jerusalem are threatened with forced displacement.

In an interview with Voice of Palestine Radio, Diba pointed out that the "Israeli judiciary" practices "legal terrorism" and implements political agendas; in an attempt to circumvent the laws to control the holy city, in addition to issuing many rulings in absentia - without the knowledge of their owners - and implementing them by force, as happened with the Ghaith family.

He pointed out the involvement of the colonial Ateret Cohanim association in this crime against families in the occupied neighborhoods of Jerusalem.

Director of Medical Relief in Gaza, Mohammed Abu Afash, said that the suffering of citizens in the Gaza Strip is worsening with the severity of cold waves, heavy rains, and the severe shortage of basic supplies, such as blankets, tents, and heating devices, which has caused the death of children due to the cold.

Abu Afash pointed out, in an interview with Voice of Palestine Radio, that there are 35 thousand families in the Gaza Strip who are still suffering as a result of the severe shortage in providing basic necessities.

He added that the Gaza Strip needs 60,000 caravans and 200,000 tents to provide relief to citizens, and he appealed to international institutions to pressure the occupation to allow the entry of aid.

The head of the Popular Committee for Services in Tulkarm Camp, Faisal Salama, said that the occupation forces are still occupying and besieging Tulkarm Camp for the thirtieth consecutive day, displacing its residents under threat of arms, and wreaking havoc in homes, streets, alleys, and all its facilities.

He added in a press statement today, Tuesday, that the occupation, during its ongoing aggression, completely destroyed no less than 40 residential buildings, including 100 residential apartments, burned no less than 10 homes, destroyed no less than 300 shops, and hundreds of homes partially, and vandalized the belongings of hundreds of others inside the camp.

Salama explained that the occupation forces, in a dangerous precedent, paved a road that penetrated the depth of four neighborhoods in Tulkarm camp (starting from the Balawneh neighborhood, passing through the Al-Hamam and Al-Sawalma neighborhoods, and reaching the services neighborhood on Dhnaba Street), which led to the demolition of 26 buildings and completely leveling them to the ground, and causing severe damage to all the surrounding buildings and facilities.

He stated that the occupation had forced more than 12,000 residents of Tulkarm camp to forcibly move, by threats and intimidation, to the city, suburbs and neighboring villages, while the educational process remained suspended. Consequently, 2,000 male and female students studying in the four UNRWA schools in the camp were deprived of education for more than a month, in addition to the suspension of health services for the camp’s residents.

The ongoing aggression on Tulkarm camp has also led to the complete and unprecedented destruction of the infrastructure, including electricity, water, sewage, communications, and internet networks.

He pointed out that the occupation seeks - as is clear - to achieve political and media goals, far from the security and military goals that it claims, and the most important thing it aims for is to strike the refugee issue and erase it, by killing the symbolism of the camp by re-engineering the architectural and demographic nature of the camp, and emptying it of its residents, or reducing their number to a minimum, by destroying and burning the largest number of homes, and eliminating basic services, which makes life inside the camp impossible.

The Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs said that the Ibrahimi Mosque is still being subjected to serious and increasing violations by the Israeli occupation forces and settlers.

It added in a statement issued today, Tuesday, on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, that it is a Waqf property for Muslims alone and no decision, whatever it may be, will change this status, and that the Waqf is the one with the authority, control, and sovereignty over the mosque from the religious, administrative, and legal perspectives, which is what UNESCO confirmed in its decision to add the Ibrahimi Mosque to the World Heritage List.

The Awqaf pointed out that the Ibrahimi Mosque was subjected to 197 violations last year by the occupation and its settlers, including the occupation preventing the call to prayer from its minarets 674 times, and closing it to worshippers for 10 full days, while dozens of violations and attacks were carried out in it in various forms, such as excavation and inspection work, preventing reconstruction committees from carrying out their duties, and other attacks that indicate the extent of the fierce occupation attack on our holy sites.

She continued: The number of worshipers in the Ibrahimi Mosque during the year 2024 was only 236,530 worshipers. This number is considered less than expected due to the strict measures imposed by the occupation, including the closure of the entrances to the mosque since October 7, 2023. The occupation has intensified the checkpoints around it, and closed all its entrances, leaving only the market door, which has increased the difficulty of Palestinians reaching it. As a result of these measures, the occupation has created a state of fear among worshipers, especially with the continuation of the incursions and threats. This has obstructed the arrival of large numbers of worshipers.

She added that in a provocative move to Muslims’ feelings, and in a blatant violation of the sanctity of the religious site, 3,381 soldiers from the occupation army stormed the Ibrahimi Mosque during the past year. While the mosque received only 12,663 tourists during 2024. This limited number is partly due to restrictions on movement and the continued closure of the entrances to the mosque.

The Awqaf called on international and legal institutions to hold the occupation accountable for its crimes against mosques and places of worship and to expose these crimes in the media and internationally to deter it from all its crimes.

She also called on citizens to be constantly present at the Ibrahimi Mosque, to activate the guard there, and to develop a program for religious, cultural and social activities that would lead to the presence of Muslim worshippers there around the clock.

On the 38th day of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, efforts continue to release the seventh batch of Palestinian prisoners whom Israel refused to free in exchange for Hamas releasing 6 Israeli hostages, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to extend the first phase of the agreement.

Netanyahu wants to extend the first phase of the agreement for an additional 42 days, and is demanding that America pressure Hamas to bring forward the date for the release of the bodies of 4 kidnapped Israelis before Thursday.

The Israeli Prime Minister has obstructed mediators' initiatives to resolve the deal crisis following Israel's decision to freeze the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners.

US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff announced that he will visit the region this week to negotiate a ceasefire agreement and a prisoner exchange deal.

In an interview with CNN, Witkoff stressed the need to extend the first phase, saying he would head to the region this week to negotiate this.