The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor estimated the number of children and women arrested by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip at about 200, out of more than 3,000 recorded cases of arrest. He called for Israel to be obligated to return the kidnapped girl.

The Observatory (based in Geneva) said that it does not have “any official information about the locations of their detention or the conditions and charges against them.”

The Observatory indicated that there are no accurate statistics on the number of detainees from Gaza to this day, due to incidents of arbitrary arrest and enforced disappearance committed by the Israeli army inside the Strip, as well as the difficulty of receiving reports, due to the dispersal of families and the almost permanent interruption of communications and the Internet.

For their part, the PLO's Commission for Prisoners' and Ex-Prisoners' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners' Club said on Thursday that "the Israeli authorities are arresting 51 Palestinian women from the Gaza Strip in Damoun prison in northern Israel."

On a related topic, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor pointed out the seriousness of the incident of “an Israeli officer kidnapping a Palestinian infant from inside her home in the Gaza Strip, after her family members were killed in an Israeli raid.”

The Observatory expressed its "fear and deep concern that the baby's incident was not an isolated case," noting that testimonies it had received indicated "the detention and transfer of Palestinian children without knowing their later fate."

Euro-Med called on the international community to "oblige Israel to hand over the child whom the Israeli officer admitted to kidnapping, and whose fate or whereabouts are not yet known, and to reveal all cases of kidnapping and forcible transfer committed against Palestinian children, and hand them over to their families immediately."

On Tuesday, the Israeli army provided information contradicting the account of one of its soldiers regarding the kidnapping of a Palestinian infant from a home in the Gaza Strip.

The army said, "After examining the matter, no Palestinian baby was taken from Gaza into Israel."

On Sunday, soldier Shahar Mendelsohn revealed the kidnapping incident while speaking to Army Radio, quoting his friend, an officer in the Givati Brigade, Harel Itach, who was killed in battles in the northern Gaza Strip on November 22.

In response to a question about the Palestinian baby, Mendelsohn said, “Itach spoke with a friend during his period of service in Gaza, and he told him that in one of the homes he entered, he heard the sound of a baby crying, and that he decided to send her to Israel.”

The soldier did not clarify the location of the house in the Gaza Strip where Itach found the Palestinian girl.

Regarding whether the baby’s family was likely killed by an Israeli bombing and no one was around her, Mendelsohn replied, “Correct.”

The soldier or Israeli Army Radio did not clarify the fate of the Palestinian baby.

The Israeli news website Ynet quoted one of the officer’s friends as saying during his funeral, “Harel told me that he heard a girl crying in Gaza, and made sure she was taken to a hospital in Israel to receive treatment,” without mentioning the name of the hospital.

The number of Palestinians detained from the West Bank in Israeli prisons since October 7 has risen to 5,630, after 30 people were arrested in various parts.

This came according to a joint statement issued by the Commission for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners’ Affairs of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club.

The two institutions said in the statement that the Israeli authorities “arrested 30 citizens on Thursday, which brings the number of detainees in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, to about 5,630 Palestinians since last October 7.”

According to the statement, today's arrests (Thursday) were concentrated in the Ramallah governorate, while the rest of the arrests were distributed in the governorates of Tulkarm, Tubas, Nablus, Jenin, Hebron, and Bethlehem.

The statement indicated that since Wednesday dawn, the Israeli army has continued its operations in the city of Tulkarm, arresting dozens and interrogating them on the ground, while it was not possible to know the number of detainees in the city and its camps.

This tally does not include arrests carried out by Israeli forces inside the Gaza Strip, according to the same source.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate documented the death of 102 journalists and the serious injury of 71 during the year 2023.

The head of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, Nasser Abu Bakr, said during a press conference held at the Syndicate’s headquarters in the city of Al-Bireh, today, Thursday, to announce its annual report on the most prominent violations committed against journalists in the past year, that the Journalists Syndicate, the International Federation of Journalists, and the Union of Arab Journalists consider that what is happening in the sector Gaza is the largest massacre in the history of the media, and by the media in the world in the shortest period of time, as more than 100 journalists were martyred, equivalent to 8.5% of the number of journalists in the Gaza Strip.

He pointed out that the Syndicate, along with its lawyers, the International Federation, and the British Federation of Journalists, are continuing to prepare the legal file to file a complaint with the International Criminal Court, and this is the third complaint.

He noted that the British Journalists Syndicate, in coordination with the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, called on the British government a week ago to stop supporting the genocidal war in the Gaza Strip.

He stated that the union, from the first day of the aggression, decided to issue a report in Arabic, English, and French to send to international and Arab federations, unions, and the media, and formed a crisis cell to communicate with the world, because there is a military war against our people in Gaza, and against the Palestinian narrative and reality, in a systematic targeting of journalists.

He said that the Union of Arab Journalists decided to place all its capabilities with the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, and to support its movements in the international judiciary at all levels, pointing out that the Union formed a crisis cell to follow up with the Syndicate on crimes against journalists, as it decided in its meeting at the end of last November to go to court. For the third time, the International Federation issued a criminal appeal against the crimes of the occupation, especially in the Gaza Strip. The International Federation issued a call to journalists for professional coverage, away from bias, and to assist Palestinian journalists.

In turn, the head of the union’s freedoms committee, Muhammad al-Laham, said that journalists are not numbers, they are real icons, pointing to the difficulty the committee faced in monitoring violations against journalists.

The statistics contained in the report showed that 102 journalists were martyred as a result of the Israeli bombing of colleagues’ homes and offices or while they were working in the field in media coverage, indicating that among the dead were 13 female journalist colleagues, most of whom worked as correspondents for media agencies and websites, including 78 workers in the media profession. And 24 who work in media institutions in non-media affairs, in addition to the death of a very large number of journalists’ families as a result of the targeting of their children.

The report spoke of a very large number of injuries to journalists in the Gaza Strip, which medical teams described as very serious, as a result of 23 male and female colleagues being hit by rocket fragments, causing fatal wounds or obvious disabilities, while 48 bullets, including live and metal bullets, entered the bodies of journalists in the West Bank.

The report indicated that there are a large number of injured journalists who need treatment that is not available in the Gaza Strip, especially after hospitals and medical teams were targeted by occupation missiles, noting that 27 journalists were subjected to gunfire at them and in the vicinity of their work without being injured.

It pointed out that the occupation has arrested about 58 male and female journalists since October 7 in the West Bank and Gaza. Their arrest included storming homes, destroying furniture, and seizing journalists’ equipment and cellular communication devices, in addition to assaulting and beating them and their family members.

The report indicated that the majority of detained journalists are still in detention without trial, or even without knowing their fate, especially colleagues in the Gaza Strip who are considered missing.

The report explained that 16 male and female journalists were summoned by the occupation intelligence, and 57 journalists were subjected to unfair military courts, and some of them were subjected to heavy financial fines.

The report monitored 49 incidents of colonial crimes and attacks against journalists, most of which occurred in the presence of the occupation forces, which provided them with protection and cover to carry out all these attacks. The colonists also had a large share of the high level of threats and intimidation, which recorded 23 incidents.

The report documented 38 incidents that targeted journalistic work equipment by destroying it, either with bullets or by beating and kicking, while the occupation army did not hesitate to seize journalists’ equipment even without giving any notice of that.

The report said that 80 press and media institutions were targeted by bombing and total and partial destruction, as well as by storming and closing, and about 9 Palestinian printing presses in the West Bank were stormed and their contents seized, while 91 journalists’ homes were stormed by the occupation army, and media institutions became headquarters and offices for satellite channels and agencies. News, newspapers and radio stations were a playground for Israeli missiles that directly targeted them, leading to their destruction.

The report monitored 314 cases of journalistic crews being detained and prevented from working and reporting under threat.

The report stated that the occupation soldiers find it easy to target journalists by firing tear gas bombs with the aim of harming them. The occupation is not satisfied with that, but aims to inflict greater harm by targeting journalists with these bombs, as 35 of them were injured, while 90 of their colleagues suffocated.

The report said, "There is a crime that we are still experiencing with the disappearance of our colleagues Nidal Al-Wahidi and Haitham Abdel-Wahed from the Gaza Strip, as the occupation is keeping their fate secret."

The Freedoms Committee also recorded in its report many violations, including the travel ban, the attempt to run over journalists, the deletion of video materials, and other forms of crimes, attacks, and violations of the Israeli occupation.

The occupation army continues its massacres in Gaza as it enters the 90th day of its aggression against the besieged Strip, and its raids are concentrated in the center and south, leaving more martyrs and wounded, in addition to great destruction.

Al-Qassam Brigades: A Zionist Merkava tank was destroyed by two “Al-Yassin 105” shells, north of the city of Khan Yunis.

- Reuters, according to a health official in Gaza: 14 Palestinians, including 9 children, were killed west of Khan Yunis.

-The Palestinian Foreign Ministry: We welcome the positions of the European Union and the German and British Foreign Ministry rejecting the statements of Ben Gvir and Smotrich regarding the displacement of our people.

-Government Media Office in Gaza: The toll of the occupation’s aggression has risen to 29,313 dead and missing persons, including 16,350 dead who are children and women.

- Casualties arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah as a result of Israeli bombing on various areas in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli army announced that 19 soldiers were injured in the battles in Gaza during the past 24 hours.

The Commission for Prisoners' and Ex-Prisoners' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners' Club revealed the names of 51 female detainees from Gaza, who are being held in (Damoun) prison.

The authority and the club explained in a press statement, today, Thursday, that these names available until the end of last week, including elderly women and children, but the number of female detainees from Gaza is higher than this number, but the clear data relates to the female detainees in (Damoun) prison only.

The statement indicated that only their names are available about the detainees, and some data provided by the detainees about their conditions, as they face abuse and humiliation over time, and they are detained in tragic conditions, like all Gaza detainees, as the institutions were not able to know any accurate data about their numbers, And their places of detention, or their health conditions, as the occupation continues to practice the crime of enforced disappearance against them, and prevents legal teams affiliated with human rights institutions from visiting them and learning about their conditions, and also refuses to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit them.

It pointed out that the only data announced by the occupation prisons administration was the presence of 661 Gaza detainees, whom it classified as “unlawful combatants.”

It is noteworthy that many testimonies were carried by Gaza detainees, after their release, and reflected a high level of torture and abuse carried out by the occupation army against them, which was visible on their bodies immediately after their release, in addition to the occupation media revealing the martyrdom of a group of Gaza detainees in the (Sde Teman) camp. ) in the Beersheba area, without revealing their identities, noting that the occupation recently admitted to executing a Gaza detainee.

The statement touched on the photos and videos published by the occupation of Gaza detainees being held naked and in conditions degrading to human dignity, noting that after October 7, the occupation announced the martyrdom of two detainees who were Gaza workers, and the fate of one of them, Majed Zaqoul, was not revealed. Revealing the fate of the other person who was martyred, according to the occupation media, in the Anatot camp.

Since the beginning of its aggression against the Gaza Strip, the occupation authorities have implemented some military orders and legal amendments related to Gaza detainees, which contribute to the implementation of more crimes against them, especially in light of their continued denial of access to a lawyer.

Fears are rising about the fate of Gaza detainees in light of the continuation of the crime of enforced disappearance, despite all the demands and appeals made by institutions to international human rights bodies, led by the United Nations, in order to reveal the fate of the detainees.

It is noteworthy that the total number of detainees in the occupation prisons until the end of December was 8,800, and the number of administrative detainees was 3,291.

Israeli Minister of Culture and Sports, Miki Zohar, criticized the statements made by his colleagues in the government, Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir and Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, in which they called for the “exodus” of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, and the rebuilding of settlements on these Palestinian lands.

Zohar, who belongs to the Likud Party, told the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth about “displacement”:

- It is an unrealistic idea, and it is clear that the international community will not accept it.

- Even if you have such a belief or goal, it is possible to discuss the idea behind closed doors.

- It is clear that there is no one in Israel who would not be happy if the people of Gaza decided to immigrate voluntarily and were happy to leave, but discussing the matter publicly is not very realistic, nor is it helpful.

- Even if we believe in an idea like this, we need to have a deeper discussion and investigate it before we spread it and see the ramifications. We see what happened with the Americans.

Ben Gvir stated several days ago that “promoting a solution that encourages the migration of Gazans is necessary. It is a correct, just, moral and humane solution.”

The extremist minister considered that "the exit of the Palestinians from the Gaza Strip would also open the way for the re-establishment of Jewish settlements on Palestinian lands."

Smotrich also called, on Sunday, for the return of Jewish settlers to the Gaza Strip after the end of the war, considering that the Palestinians of the Strip should be “encouraged” to immigrate to other countries.

Several countries, including the United States, France, and Saudi Arabia, denounced these statements and expressed their rejection of the idea.

The government media office in Gaza said on Thursday that the Israeli army “committed 6 massacres within 3 days by forcing civilians to flee their homes to other areas it claimed were safe in the city of Rafah, south of the Strip, and then bombed it, resulting in the death of 31 martyrs.”

The office stated in a statement, “The Israeli occupation army repeated the crime of forcing civilians, under threat of weapons and death, to flee from their safe homes and residential neighborhoods to other areas that it claimed were safe, but it bombed them and committed massacres against them more than 48 times in the governorates of the Gaza Strip.”

He added: "The last of these was the commission of 6 massacres in the Rafah Governorate, south of the Gaza Strip, which claimed the lives of 31 martyrs in just three days."

The office added: "The genocidal war witnessed by civilians, children and women in the Gaza Strip will remain a disgrace on the forehead of humanity and mankind, and on the forehead of all countries of the world that were watching these crimes without doing anything, and without stopping the immoral war of genocide."

The office called on "all countries of the free world and the international community to stop the comprehensive genocidal war waged by the Israeli occupation army against civilians, children and women in the Gaza Strip."

The Israeli army drops leaflets on residents of the areas from which it wants residents to leave and identifies other areas for them to go to, claiming that they are safe.

The Israeli army previously asked the residents of Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip to go from the north of the Gaza Valley to the areas south of it, which include the central region and the cities of Deir al-Balah, Khan Yunis, and Rafah, claiming that they are safe, but it is targeting them.

The Acting Director of the Information and Communication Office of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza City, Enas Hamdan, said in a previous statement to Anadolu Agency that approximately 90 percent of the population of the Gaza Strip are displaced.

Last night and Thursday morning, the occupation forces arrested at least 30 citizens, including journalist Wafa Awwad, and former prisoners. The arrests were concentrated in the Ramallah and Hebron governorates, while the rest of the arrests were distributed among the governorates of: Bethlehem, Tubas, Tulkarm, Nablus, and Jenin. .

The occupation forces have continued to storm Nour Shams/Tulkarm camp for more than 30 hours, which has been subjected to comprehensive aggression, extensive field investigations of hundreds of citizens, and severe beatings against them. Note that, in light of the continuation of the military operation, we have not been able to confirm the numbers of detainees, and the occupation has maintained the number of detainees. Their arrest, in addition to the arrests, the occupation gave those who interrogated them in the field and released them numbers, and asked them not to return to the camp until next Friday.

The arrest campaign was accompanied by widespread raids and abuse, severe beatings, and threats against detainees and their families, in addition to widespread sabotage and destruction of citizens’ homes, direct shooting to kill, and confiscation of vehicles, in addition to widespread sabotage operations that affected infrastructure.

Thus, the total number of arrests after October 7 rose to about (5,630), and this total includes those who were arrested from homes, through military checkpoints, those who were forced to surrender themselves under pressure, and those who were held hostage.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told Al-Quds.com's correspondent regarding the US administration's position on the end of the aggression on Gaza, and that America still supports Israel in achieving its declared goals of eliminating the Islamic resistance movement Hamas.

“We are still in the middle of this conflict (this battle), and Israel has spoken about the fact that it will continue this war, and we support that,” Miller said.

“You've heard us talk about the fact that we've been engaged in discussions with them (with the Israelis) about where the conflict is going and when they can shift to a less intense combat operation,” Miller added. “And we will continue to engage in those conversations with them. They have killed a number of Hamas fighters. It is clear that "The Hamas leadership is still intact in Gaza, and they (the Israelis) are continuing to pursue them, and that is still a goal that we consider worthwhile. When and how this will end is not something I want to speculate on from here."

Regarding whether he means that Israel must continue this war until these goals are achieved, Miller said, “I will answer that by referring to the principles that we have set for how we see the future of Gaza. This is Gaza that is under Palestinian rule, but Gaza cannot serve as a starting point for attacks.” Terrorists against innocent civilians in Israel."

Regarding whether the killing and destruction committed by Israel amounts to genocide, Miller said that the United States does not see any indications of genocide in Gaza, and considers providing humanitarian assistance to the residents of the Strip a priority.

In response to a request for comment on the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel for genocide at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Miller said: “Genocide is certainly a heinous crime, one of the worst crimes that anyone can commit, and accusations of it should not be taken lightly. As for the United States, we do not see actions indicating the commission of genocide.”

In response to a question about whether the ministry was “concerned about being drawn into this matter,” the State Department spokesman added that Washington continues to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity, and considers providing humanitarian assistance to the residents of Gaza a priority.

Last Friday, the International Court of Justice announced that South Africa had submitted a request to initiate procedures against Israel for what it described as “acts of genocide against the Palestinian people” in the Gaza Strip.

“South Africa asserted that Israel’s actions and omissions bear the character of genocide because they are accompanied by the specific intent required to eliminate the Palestinians of Gaza as part of the broader national and racial ethnic group, that is, the Palestinians,” the International Court of Justice said in a statement.

In turn, National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said that the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas still has great power in Gaza.

Kirby added in a press conference in Washington that the Israeli army was able to neutralize a large number of Hamas leaders, members and infrastructure, which had an impact on the movement’s ability to command and control, according to him.

Kirby added that military operations cannot eliminate ideologies, stressing that it is not likely that Israel will get rid of all Hamas fighters, but on the other hand, he stressed that military operations can eliminate the main threat posed by what he describes as terrorist organizations.

He added that the Israeli army is capable of "eliminating the threat that Hamas poses to the Israeli people," but added, "Will its ideology be eliminated? No. Is there a possibility that the group will be eliminated? Probably not."

The American official pledged that Washington would work to maintain the American military presence in the Middle East, noting that President Joe Biden continues to receive briefings on the situation in the region.

Kirby added that Washington does not want the war launched by Israel in the Gaza Strip to expand and spread to other fronts.

The United Nations said: “The number of displaced people who arrived in the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip has reached about one million, since the start of the occupation’s aggression on the seventh of last October.”

The United Nations added in its daily humanitarian report that “Rafah Governorate has now become the main refuge for displaced people, with more than a million people living in a very crowded area, following the intensification of hostilities in Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah, and evacuation orders issued by the Israeli army.”

By the end of 2023, according to UNRWA, the number of displaced people in Gaza is estimated at 1.9 million people, or approximately 85% of the total population of the Strip, including some who have been displaced multiple times, as families are forced to frequently move in the Strip in search of safety. .

Nearly 1.4 million displaced people live in 155 UNRWA facilities in all five governorates.

On the other hand, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reaffirmed that there is no safe space in Gaza.

“We cannot talk about safety anywhere,” she said in a statement. “People are sleeping on the streets in the open, and some of them were not even able to follow evacuation orders.”

Politico newspaper quoted an American official as saying that the Biden administration is considering a proposal to appoint a new envoy to the Middle East, while working to expand his role and tasks.

The same official added that if conditions on the ground change, the administration may create a position with a broad mandate, and this may “soon lead to alleviating some of the daily pressure on President Joe Biden, and his senior aides, during the presidential election year.”

"Politico" indicated that the Biden administration is facing criticism because it has not done much to limit Israeli military operations in Gaza, although it often talks about ending the suffering of civilians, and it also ignored the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians during most of the period Biden spent in the House. the White.

Two other current American officials, and two former American officials, confirmed to the American newspaper that discussions about expanding the envoy's role had taken place within the administration, although each person made different predictions of what such a role could entail in the future. The newspaper pointed out that it did not reveal the names of all these officials due to what it called the “sensitivity” of those deliberations.

These deliberations come at a time when, in the newspaper’s opinion, Israel is heading towards a less severe phase of its war, albeit slower than what the United States would like to see. It recalled that the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has led to enormous suffering for the Strip’s 2.3 million Palestinians.

The newspaper referred to the position created by the US administration, after October 7, under the name “Special Envoy for Humanitarian Issues in the Middle East,” under the management of the veteran diplomat and regional expert, David Satterfield, who focused on finding ways to provide the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip with more information. Of food, water, and medical aid, in the face of Israeli bombing, but, according to the first American official, he is not expected to remain a player in this role in the long term, and that the administration can renew the role or create a new role.

The second former official expected such a position in the future to have a major humanitarian focus, but said he would need to take responsibility for creating a path to long-term Israeli-Palestinian peace. But he added that such a future role was unlikely to focus entirely on the peace process. Since there is little desire in Israel to consider such an idea any time soon.

He also believed that finding someone to deal with any such situation would in itself be a challenge, even if he had not been given a major previous designation such as "Special Envoy for Middle East Peace." He also pointed out details that affect playing this role, such as naming the position and its position within the American diplomatic chain of command, and whether it should be confirmed by the Senate.

In 2021, American lawmakers expanded confirmation powers in the Senate because they were dissatisfied with the spread of special envoys, representatives, coordinators, and similar roles, in which those appointed were not subject to examination by the Senate, and this became a condition that came into effect last year.

Last October, President Joe Biden appointed former Ambassador David Satterfield as a special US envoy for humanitarian issues in the Middle East, to “urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including by working to facilitate the provision of life-saving aid to the most vulnerable populations and enhance civilian security.” 

Since dawn today, Thursday, dozens of citizens, including children and women, have been killed, and others have been injured, in the continuous Israeli occupation bombardment of the Gaza Strip, by land, sea and air, since the start of the aggression on the seventh of last October.

14 citizens, including children and women, were killed, and others were injured, when the occupation bombed a house for the Salah family, housing displaced people, west of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.

The number of killed after the occupation aircraft bombed agricultural land housing displaced people west of Khan Yunis rose to 6.

Occupation aircraft and artillery bombed homes in Al-Maghazi camp and Al-Masdar village in the central Gaza Strip, killing dozens and wounding others, and there are still missing people under the rubble.

The Al-Zawaida area in the central Gaza Strip also witnessed violent artillery and air strikes.

In an infinite toll, the number of killed as a result of the ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip for the 90th day rose to more than 22,300, including at least 9,600 children and 6,750 women, in addition to 7,000 missing persons, and more than 57,200 wounded.

By Belén Fernández

The US and Israel are yet again attempting to set up a new order in the Middle East, this time through genocide.

In July 2006, in the middle of Israel’s war on Lebanon that ultimately killed approximately 1,200 people – the overwhelming majority of them civilians – then-United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice nobly cast the onslaught as the “birth pangs of a new Middle East”.

While the metaphor was no doubt appropriately Orientalist, it did raise some questions since the objective of the birthing process is not usually to kill the baby. What role Rice and her boss, then-US president George W Bush, were meant to play in the metaphorical arrangement was also debatable, but “bloodthirsty obstetricians” was one potential option. This was particularly so, given the US decision to rush-ship bombs to the Israeli military to assist in the forging of the “new Middle East”.

Secretary Rice invoked the “birth pangs” analogy in support of the US argument that a ceasefire should be thwarted at all costs to prevent a return to the “status quo ante” in Lebanon. Insofar as the “status quo ante” signified a country where apartment buildings and villages had not been converted into bomb craters and rubble, the delivery was a rousing success.And yet the soaring public support for Hezbollah in Lebanon and the wider region during the 2006 Israeli war was not exactly the newborn Middle East that the US and Israel had envisioned popping out of the womb of mass slaughter. But, hey, the greater the enemy, the greater the opportunities for homicidal obstetrics in the future.Summer 2006, of course, belonged to a previous era of Israeli slaughter-fests, when killing 1,200 people in 34 days was still considered extraordinarily shocking. Also belonging to this era was, for example, Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip, during which Israel killed some 1,400 people over 22 days in December 2008 and January 2009. 

In Operation Protective Edge in Gaza in 2014, the Israeli military killed 2,251 people in 50 days. We have now apparently transitioned into an age of obscenely intensified birth pangs; Israel’s latest assault on the Gaza Strip murdered more than 20,000 Palestinians in the first two and a half months alone, and destruction in the besieged enclave is of a scale the human mind can barely process.

Like in Lebanon in 2006, the US has ramped up its support for the aggressors, while repeatedly agitating against a ceasefire or a halt to the savagery. From an aesthetic perspective, at least, the “status quo ante” is long gone in Gaza, the territory now resembling the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust. As it currently stands, the newest “new Middle East” is defined by Zionist genocide – the problem for Israel being that, no matter how much you bomb, you can’t really annihilate a people that refuses to cease to exist.

In mid-December, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken advocated once again for a continuation of the war, arguing: “How can it be that there are no demands made of the aggressor and only demands made of the victim?” Anyone with a minimal grasp of logic may be surprised to learn that by “victim” he meant the state responsible for killing more than 20,000 Palestinians in Gaza in two and a half months.Anyway, inversions of reality are par for the course in the US political and media establishment.So, too, is Orientalist discourse. Since the onset of this latest bout of Israeli-induced carnage, there has been no shortage of paternalistic, infantilizing lectures emanating from said establishment, which is bent on condemning Hamas – and by extension Palestinians in general – as uncivilised troublemakers who brought this whole apocalypse on themselves.Sign up for Al JazeeraWeek in the Middle EastCatch up on our coverage of the region, all in one place.Sign upBy signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policyprotected by reCAPTCHATo be sure, the United States’s Orientalist disdain for a region on the receiving end of one Western “mission civilisatrice” after another is an integral component sustaining the whole imperial mission. After all, there’s no better reason than unrelenting backwardness to bomb folks into something, um, new – a place where the US and Israel are entirely and unquestioningly calling the shots.

The case of Iraq, another Middle Eastern locale that has for decades been on the receiving end of calculatedly patronizing US rhetoric as well as explosives, confirms that a “new” Middle East is hardly a better Middle East, at least in terms of human wellbeing and so forth.

Writing for Time magazine at the time of Condoleezza Rice’s “birth pangs” diagnosis in 2006, journalist Tony Karon remarked that Iraq was “Exhibit A of the Bush Administration’s ‘New Middle East,’ and it’s a bloody mess that is growing worse by the day.”It remains to be seen what can possibly be “born” from the present genocide in Gaza – another “bloody mess” that is naturally far messier for the babies, children, and larger people who actually have to live it and not for their assassins in Tel Aviv and Washington, DC.

Whatever happens in the new year, a US-Israeli-birthed baby is by no means viable in the Middle East – and genocide should be aborted at once.

The chief of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service has vowed that the agency would hunt down every Hamas member involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, no matter where they are.

His pledge came a day after the deputy head of the Palestinian group was killed in a suspected Israeli strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Israel has refused to comment on reports it carried out the killing, but the remarks by David Barnea appeared to be the strongest indication yet it was behind the blast.

He made a comparison to the aftermath of the slayings at the Munich Olympics in 1972, when Mossad agents tracked down and killed Palestinian militants involved in killing Israeli athletes.

Israel was on high alert Wednesday for an escalation with Hezbollah after the strike killed Saleh Arouri, the most senior Hamas member slain since the war in Gaza erupted nearly three months ago.

Barnea said the Mossad is “committed to settling accounts with the murderers who raided the Gaza envelope,” referring to the area of southern Israel that Hamas attacked. He vowed to pursue everyone involved, “directly or indirectly,” including “planners and envoys.”“It’ll take time, as it took time after the Munich massacre, but we will put our hands on them wherever they are,” he said. 

Barnea was speaking at the funeral of former Mossad head Zvi Zamir, who died at age 98 a day earlier. Zamir headed the intelligence agency at the time of the Munich attack, in which Palestinian militants killed 11 members of the Israeli Olympic delegation. Israel subsequently killed members of the Black September militant group who carried out the attack.

This evening (Thursday), US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will begin a new Middle Eastern tour that includes Israel, and it comes at a time when fears are increasing about the expansion of the war that has been going on for three months between the Hebrew state and the Hamas movement, according to what an American official announced.

The American official told Agence France-Presse, requesting that his name not be published, that Blinken will leave the United States this evening (Thursday), on a trip that includes Israel and several other stops in the Middle East.

The official refused to give details about the specific timetable for this trip and its stops.

This will be Blinken's fifth official visit to Israel and his fourth to the region since the war broke out between the Hebrew state and Hamas on October 7.

By sending its Foreign Minister to the region again, the United States wants to maintain pressure on its ally while at the same time preserving its relations with its Arab allies, who are angry that the war has not stopped so far.

The United States confirms that the pressure it exerted on the Hebrew state behind the scenes bore fruit in recent days through Israel allowing goods trucks to enter Gaza and opening a second crossing into the Strip.

Regional tensions intensified with the assassination of Hamas leader Saleh Al-Arouri in an air strike targeting him in the southern suburb of Beirut on Tuesday evening, and Tehran held both Israel and the United States responsible for two near-simultaneous explosions that killed at least 95 people in southern Iran on Wednesday, an accusation it denied. Washington.

The US State Department said, on Wednesday, January 3, 2024, that the United States was not involved in the terrorist attack that occurred in the Iranian province of Kerman, which resulted in the death of 103 and the injury of 211 others, while the spokesman for the Israeli occupation army, Daniel Hagari, refused to comment on whether Tel Aviv has a relationship with it.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Iranian government declared one day of mourning in the country for the victims of the double attack that occurred in Kerman province, which led to the death of 103 people and the wounding of 211 others, according to Iranian media.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller explained in a press statement on Wednesday that the United States "is not involved in this in any way, and the allegations to the contrary are ridiculous."

He also added: “We have no reason to believe that Israel was involved in this attack,” and Miller expressed his condolences to the Iranians who were victims of the terrorist attacks.

"no comment"

In the same context, the spokesman for the Israeli occupation army, Daniel Hagari, refused to comment on the two bombings.

During a press conference held by Hagari, a journalist asked him: “What is the Israeli army’s assessment of the expected reaction from Lebanon after the assassination of (Saleh Al-Arouri)? And a second question: Can you officially say that Israel has nothing to do with the bombings that occurred today in Iran?”

Hagari said: “I will not comment on this. I can say that we are focused on fighting Hamas, and there are clear goals for this war that must be achieved, and we will continue to work to achieve them.”

He also added: “There are challenges in the fighting in the north as well, and in the actions carried out by Hezbollah. There were some of them today as well, and we thwarted them on the northern border, and there are some in other areas that we face, such as the Red Sea or from Syria, as we faced yesterday,” referring to Israeli raids targeted areas in the Damascus countryside, causing material damage.

Arabic Post

Reports from the US say Israeli PM Netanyahu wants the controversial lawyer to defend Israel at the International Court of Justice

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly wants lawyer Alan Dershowitz to represent his country at an upcoming hearing at the Hague where it stands accused of committing genocide during its conduct of the war on Gaza. The submission to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) by South Africa says that Israel is in breach of its obligations under the Genocide Convention and calls for a halt to Israel's military operations in the besieged enclave. South Africa said such an order is "necessary in this case to protect against further, severe and irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people".As a defendant, Israel is entitled to pick one judge for the 15-member court - and Netanyahu wants that person to be Dershowitz, Axios journalist Barak Ravid reported on Tuesday. 

Ravid contacted Dershowitz for confirmation, but the attorney said he “can’t comment about it at this time".Stay informed with MEE's newslettersSign up to get the latest alerts, insights and analysis, starting with Turkey Unpacked Over the years Dershowitz, a highly divisive figure, has helped defend some of America’s most high-profile criminal cases, including the late financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, infamous Hollywood executive and rapist Harvey Weinstein, and the former US President Donald Trump.The Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, called Dershowitz, Netanyahu’s "attack dog" in the international arena. Dershowitz, a long-time friend and advisor of Netanyahu has for decades defended Israeli settlements, and downplayed Israeli crimes in the occupied West Bank and Gaza to American audiences. 

A serious legal case

Israel has rejected South Africa's case at the ICJ calling it "baseless" and then going on to blame Hamas for the suffering and deaths of the Palestinian people in Gaza. However, there are signs that the Israeli government is taking the case seriously, not least because a ruling against it would cause deep international stigma at a time when it is trying to combat negative perceptions of the state. “Whether or not one agrees that Israel's actions in Gaza constitute genocide, having Dershowitz be the voice to explain Israel's side will inevitably provoke significant alarm for those hoping Israel will successfully state its case,” said Haaretz. While the proceedings in The Hague may last for years, South Africa has requested that the ICJ issue an interim injunction ordering Israel to stop combat and actions that constitute genocide. 

Israel was a founding member of the ICJ in the 1950s, following the murder of six million Jews by Germany during the Second World War. Israel defending itself from accusations of genocide at the same court is likely to have tremendous symbolism. The Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin coined the word genocide in 1944 and lobbied tirelessly for its inclusion as a crime under international law. 

His efforts paid off when, in 1948, the United Nations approved the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide.

A legal expert speaking to Haaretz said that "the Genocide Convention to which Israel is a signatory was created because of the Holocaust and thanks to the work of a Jew. Therefore, morally, Israel cannot boycott the proceedings." 

By Iman Shams 

“If Israel carries out an assassination campaign against Hamas leaders abroad, it risks provoking retaliation from Hamas and the risk of regional escalation, including possible direct Iranian intervention on the table next year, and risks slowing post-war normalization efforts, and provoking further anti-Semitism and rebuke from Western governments, and a negative regional reaction.”

This is the summary of the warning issued by the American Stratfor Center for Strategic and Security Studies, before the assassination of senior Hamas leader Saleh Al-Arouri in the southern suburb of Beirut last Tuesday evening. Stratfor, which defines itself as “a global center of excellence in geopolitical intelligence and analysis,” and which the American press calls “The Private CIA in the Shadows.” Because most of its experts are former officers and employees in American intelligence.

If Israel carries out an assassination campaign against Hamas leaders abroad, it risks provoking retaliation from Hamas and the risk of regional escalation, including possible direct Iranian intervention on the table next year.

In its monthly assessment of global situations, on December 28, 2023, the Center issued a report entitled “The Expected Repercussions of Israel’s Alleged Campaign to Kill Hamas Leaders,” in which it referred to the circulation of media reports detailing Israeli plans to assassinate Hamas leaders in some Arab countries and foreign countries, and the issuance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the country's intelligence services to track down and assassinate senior Hamas officials living in Lebanon, Turkey, Qatar, or wherever they reside for however long, in response to the intense public pressure that followed the Hamas attack on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 from Israel and shattering Israel's sense of security.

Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Qatar and Malaysia

The report suggested, a week before Al-Arouri’s assassination, that Israeli assassinations would take place in Lebanon and Syria, and added Turkey to the possibilities, and Qatar came as “the least likely.” The report mentioned countries outside the region such as Malaysia as potential locations for Israeli attacks (where Mossad allegedly carried out a 2018 kidnapping and assassination of suspected Hamas members).

But Lebanon is the most likely place for the assassinations to be concentrated, as the country has hosted a number of key Hamas leaders for years. Hamas fighters are also increasingly using southern Lebanon to launch cross-border attacks into northern Israel with the tacit, and sometimes explicit, approval of the Iran-backed party, which extends its influence over the country. Türkiye is also a potential location for Israeli assassinations because it has also hosted Hamas leaders. But compared to Lebanon, the repercussions of Israeli assassinations in Turkey are more dangerous for Israel, given its relations with Ankara and the fact that Turkey is a member of NATO. 

As for Qatar, it is the least likely to be subjected to Israeli assassinations, despite the Gulf state hosting the political office of Hamas, due to Qatar’s main role in facilitating negotiations and the exchange of prisoners and hostages between Israel and Hamas. As for Syria, according to the Stratfor report, it is likely to also witness Israeli assassinations on its soil due to its political and military support for Hamas, but Israel does not care much about any repercussions in its hostile relations with it.

The report ruled out that the Israeli assassination campaign would take place in the United States and Europe for two main reasons:

First, unlike in the 1970s, armed Palestinian leaders do not enjoy safe havens in the West, which means there are few, if any, targets that Israel can pursue.

Second, Israel will need any support it can get from the United States and European allies such as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, as it faces widespread condemnation of its military operations in Gaza, which may increase during the expected Israeli occupation of the Strip after the end of the war.

The report suggested, a week before Al-Arouri’s assassination, that Israeli assassinations would take place in Lebanon and Syria, and added Turkey to the possibilities, and Qatar came as “the least likely.”

The report warned that any assassinations in the West, amid historic levels of anti-Semitism and growing popular opposition to the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, would fuel anti-Semitic activities such as property damage, harassment, and targeted attacks on Jewish individuals and Jewish sites. 

Israeli assassinations may also lead to more protests against its actions, especially if the expected occupation of Gaza leads to a rebellion that leads to a new round of fighting, and thus new accusations of war crimes committed by Israel, and may generate criticism from Western governments that could put increasing pressure on Israel. If the attacks result in civilian casualties and/or are publicly disclosed through clear evidence. It may threaten to suspend its military or economic aid, although this will only happen in conjunction with other developments, such as accusations of major Israeli atrocities during the expected occupation of Gaza.

Lebanon first... and Saudi Arabia’s position

In the Middle East region, according to the report, Israeli assassinations may lead to diplomatic and economic repercussions, and delay, but not necessarily thwart, post-war normalization with other major regional countries, most notably Saudi Arabia. The Israeli assassinations may hamper efforts to revive relations with four countries that have normalized relations with Israel in recent years: Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates.

Lebanon backs down from demarcating maritime borders?

If Israeli assassinations occur on Lebanese territory, it may withdraw from the historic agreement it signed with Israel in 2022 to demarcate its maritime borders and move forward with hydrocarbon exploration. The deal has so far withstood the pressures of the current conflict, but a major Israeli assassination campaign in Lebanon could change the status quo. The Israeli assassination campaign would also entail inevitable retaliation from Hamas, maintain the risk of regional escalation with the party in Lebanon and various other Iranian proxies, and could cause greater involvement for Tehran itself if Israel kills targets close to the Iranian government.

In the immediate term, Israel's assassination of Hamas leaders will lead to Hamas retaliation, perhaps in the form of ambushes against Israeli soldiers in Gaza, rocket firing into Israel, and at least attempts to launch attacks inside Israel and against Israeli (and more broadly Jewish) targets in foreign countries. An Israeli assassination campaign against Hamas will increase the extremism of the movement's leaders and incite them to plan bolder acts of revenge. Israeli attacks would also risk provoking reprisals from pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Syria, as well as from the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

The report suggested that the danger would be greater in Lebanon, and that Israeli assassinations in the country would easily lead to retaliatory attacks that would quickly turn into a larger conflict, the danger of which would be great, as each party could make a mistake in judgment amid the ongoing fighting and severe tensions. 

If Iran, which supports the party, has so far controlled its response to avoid direct involvement in the current crisis, the possibility of a direct confrontation between the party and Israel may force it to do so, because the party, compared to Hamas (which Iran also supports), is by far the strongest military agent. Tehran and those closest to it politically. The risk of Iranian involvement will be greater if Israeli assassinations in Lebanon, Syria, or elsewhere target targets closely linked to Tehran. Such a scenario could lead to a wide range of Iranian retaliations, ranging from more aggressive cyberattacks against critical Israeli infrastructure, to increased support for regional proxies to escalate the intensity and/or geographic scope of their attacks against Israel, the United States, and other Western targets. In the worst-case scenario, Iran could even use its missiles to strike Israeli targets, a possibility that would guarantee a massive Israeli response and risk launching a direct military confrontation between Israel and Iran.

Source: Assas Media

The Israeli security services are preparing to present a position to the Israeli Ministerial Council for Security and Political Affairs stating that “it is not possible to prevent the return of the residents of the northern Gaza Strip to their areas for an unlimited period,” in light of the restrictions imposed by international law.

High-ranking Israeli security officials believe that the occupation authorities must allow the residents of the northern Gaza Strip to return to their homes as part of the next phase of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, stressing that Israel will not be able to prevent them in light of the “legal and political” restrictions.

This came according to what Israeli Channel 13 reported on Wednesday evening, stressing that this comes within the framework of the security services preparing perceptions about the development of military operations in the besieged Gaza Strip, in preparation for the discussions held by the Ministerial Council for Security and Political Affairs, on Thursday.

The report explained that the position formulated by senior officials in the security establishment is that “subject to the legal (referring to international law) and political circumstances (aimed at mobilizing the international community to support Israel in its ongoing war on the Gaza Strip for nearly 90 days), Israel will not be able to prevent Residents of northern Gaza from returning to their areas.

The channel indicated that the security services did not recommend a specific target date or date to begin allowing the return of displaced Palestinians from the northern Gaza Strip to their areas. However, the channel indicated that senior officials in the security services say in deliberations with the Israeli political leadership that this must happen with the start of the "third" phase of the war on Gaza.

The channel added, "Officials in the security services justify this position, among other things, by the fact that according to international law, residents cannot be evacuated from their homes 'indefinitely'." According to the channel, these estimates also come in light of the session to be held by  International Justice in The Hague, next week, to consider South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel regarding violation of the rules of war and committing genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier today, a senior Israeli official, in a briefing to Israeli media, described the calls to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip launched by ministers in the Israeli government, including the Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, and the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, as “delusions not linked to reality.” 

He claimed that Israel "is not working to displace the people of Gaza and resettle them in other places in the world," and continued, "Neither a million nor five thousand," and according to the official: "Even if we wanted to, Israel does not have the ability to push the people of Gaza to immigrate to another country" , referring to legal restrictions.

He added, "Israel does not negotiate with any country regarding the migration of Gazans. This approach must be abandoned. We are not in a vicious circle. There are many in Israel who believe that there may be a willingness in Gaza for voluntary migration. There must be no illusions. No country will accept it Palestinian resettlement.

By Emma Graham-Harrison and Quique Kierszenbaum

Letter to attorney general and state prosecutor demands action to stop ‘explicit calls to commit atrocious crimes’

A group of prominent Israelis has accused the country’s judicial authorities of ignoring “extensive and blatant” incitement to genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza by influential public figures. In a letter to the attorney general and state prosecutors, they demand action to stop the normalization of language that breaks both Israeli and international law. “For the first time that we can remember, the explicit calls to commit atrocious crimes, as stated, against millions of civilians have turned into a legitimate and regular part of Israeli discourse,” they write. “Today, calls of these types are an everyday matter in Israel.” 

Signatories include one of Israel’s top scientists, the Royal Society member Prof David Harel, alongside other academics, former diplomats, former members of the Knesset, journalists and activists. Represented by the human rights lawyer Michael Sfard, their 11-page letter contains multiple examples of “the discourse of annihilation, expulsion and revenge”. 

The list of elite Israelis who have incited war crimes includes cabinet ministers and Knesset members, former top military officials, academics, media figures, social media influencers and celebrities, the letter says.

Comments quoted in the letter include several made by MPs. One, Yitzhak Kroizer, said in a radio interview: “The Gaza Strip should be flattened, and for all of them there is but one sentence, and that is death.” Tally Gotliv, from Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, demanded the prime minister use a nuclear bomb on Gaza for “strategic deterrence”, the letter says, quoting her as saying: “Before we consider inserting ground troops, doomsday weapon.” Another Likud MP, Boaz Bismuth, is quoted as evoking the biblical massacre of the Amalek nation, enemies of ancient Israel. “It is forbidden to take mercy on the cruel, there’s no place for any humanitarian gestures,” he said with reference to Gaza, then added the biblical reference: “The memory of Amalek must be erased.” Among other commenters cited is the journalist Zvi Yehezkeli, who said on Channel 13: “[We] should have killed many times 20,000 people, [we] should have begun with a blow of 100,000.”Sfard said he was stunned by the speed with which incitement to genocide and other extreme speech had been normalized in Israel. “I never could have imagined that I would need to write such a letter,” he said. “The fact that this type of talk has completely left the far, unimportant fringes and came into the mainstream in such a massive way, for me it’s incomprehensible. “The first danger is that people will act in accordance with that speech, then you have the question of what kind of society we are going to be when this is the speech that governs our treatment of Palestinians. There are 2.3 million Gazans, most of them minors.”

The letter contrasts the lack of action on even “the gravest and most dangerous instances of incitement against residents of Gaza” with an intense campaign against incitement “whose potential victims are Israeli Jews”. Huge resources have been devoted to tracking down people, mostly anonymous and with little reach, over speech that authorities interpreted as supporting Hamas, the letter notes. 

By late November, 269 investigations had been opened and 86 indictments filed. “It is quite amazing the number of criminal investigations, when it comes to Palestinian citizens of Israel, most of them completely anonymous, many of them almost with no audience,” Sfard said. “The gap between that and the freedom and impunity for those who advocate all kinds of things – ethnic cleansing, killing civilians, bombarding civilian areas, and even genocide – doesn’t square up, and that’s something for the authorities to explain.” 

The language of genocide risks influencing how Israel wages war, the letter says. “Normalized discourse which calls for annihilation, erasure, devastation and the like is liable to impact the manner by which soldiers conduct themselves.” 

It highlights the November killing of Yuval Doron Kestelman, who stopped a terrorist attack at a Jerusalem bus stop by shooting two gunmen but was then shot himself by soldiers who arrived at the scene minutes later and assumed he was a terrorist. “We had years of incitement that dealt with not leaving terrorists alive at the scene of the crime, and there were people including myself that warned that it is immoral and illegal to kill a terrorist who is neutralized,” Sfard said. “Then came this tragic event with this Israeli who in a heroic action neutralized two Palestinian militants. He himself was then targeted, even though he threw away his weapons, took off his coat [to show he didn’t have a suicide vest], put up his hands.” South Africa launches case at UN court accusing Israel of genocide

The letter was sent before South Africa filed a case at the international court of justice accusing Israel of genocide and of failing to stop incitement to genocide. “We filed this letter last week, before South Africa lodged their complaint, and without knowing they were going to do that,” Sfard said. The group Sfard represents does not accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza; their letter is about incitement to genocide inside Israel. However, the charges of incitement levelled by South Africa includes language cited in the letter and notes authorities’ failure to take judicial action in response. 

It was the role of the attorney general to make clear that comments inciting genocide were unacceptable, amount to incitement and had become normalized, Sfard said. “We want to flag this and allow the authorities an opportunity to do something about it.” 

An official response is particularly important as Israel grapples with the legacy of grief and rage created by the “inconceivable and unforgivable war crimes and crimes against humanity” carried out by Hamas on 7 October, the letter says. “Israeli society is embroiled in trauma which will take years to heal. This is precisely the substrate on which immoral monsters are liable to grow, and are growing.”

The general Israeli public is not privy to information about the course of the war derived from sources other than the army. Some of the lies promoted by the army are beginning to be exposed by mere facts.

As the brutal Israeli war on Gaza approaches its fourth month, the range of questions being raised in Israel has also expanded, especially from analysts and opinion writers on the right-wing spectrum. These are questions that would shed light on what can be considered an ongoing and gradual failure that followed the greatest strategic failure. Which was revealed by the Al-Aqsa flood attack on October 7. Drawing these questions alone, the following can be noted:

First, although the general Israeli public does not have access to information about the conduct of the war from sources other than the army, some of the lies promoted by the army are beginning to be exposed by the bare facts. For example, those related to dry statistics. The Israeli army published before the end of last year that the frequency of launching rockets and shells from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli territory was on December 7, 1975 and then decreased, thanks to the “military achievements” achieved, to 23 On December 27, it reached 14, which means it was “eroded” by 80%. Immediately afterwards, more than 20 rockets were launched from Gaza towards central Israel. From this, an opinion columnist for the newspaper Yisrael Hayom concluded that the army is lying in order to prevent the loss of “national righteousness.”

Secondly, this Israeli lie is not limited to the alleged losses of the Palestinian resistance, and its reflection on its capabilities and ability to withstand and confront, but also applies to the stages of the war according to its general nature, and each stage separately. What is meant is not only the timetable and the starting and ending points, but also the goals that were set for each stage and the extent of their achievement. 

What is being debated most over the past few days is the end date of what is described as the second phase of the war, when the comprehensive air and artillery bombardment will stop, and the transition will take place to the third phase, which, in the Israeli interpretation, means directing military operations against the Hamas movement and the resistance factions only. 

Recent news circulating in the Israeli media indicates that there is a disagreement between Israel and the United States regarding the start date of the third phase, noting that Washington wants it to begin no later than mid-January, while Israel insists that it begin finishing the second phase. Moving to the third in late January.

In this axis, the conclusions of several analysts on the right-wing spectrum confirm, as can be inferred from what appears in the newspaper “Israel Hayom”, that the frequent talk about moving to the third stage is parallel to the absence of when did the second stage begin? What were its goals? What did you achieve from it? 

Among what was written in one of these analyses: Reports on the progress of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip have become similar, the achievements are very slow and meager, and the high prices are piling up. The fiery statements regarding the elimination of the Hamas movement and its leaders began to be dominated by ambiguity, and instead other ideas began to emerge, which were rejected by Israel, such as expelling the movement’s leaders, as happened with the leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organization during the war on Lebanon in 1982, and integrating the movement’s fighters into the authorities’ apparatus. Palestinian.

Third, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies on the extreme right do not hesitate to announce positions that contradict what the United States desires regarding the day after the war. In contrast, right-wing analysts assert that the authors of this declaration have the “luxury” of announcing contradictory positions, but not the ability not to implement Washington’s desires. 

There is no doubt that any reading of the American role in the current war must start from the fact that it will not remain limited to providing support to Israel and supplying it with ammunition during the war, but rather goes beyond that to intervening in formulating a political and strategic horizon for it, and linking the Israeli military objectives to the political and strategic objectives and interests of the United States. In the Middle East.

The White House reported on Wednesday that a new conversation took place between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby also said that Washington "will work to maintain a military presence in the Middle East region." He stated that "13 countries joined the coalition for the Red Sea operation."

He said that Washington “believes that the Israeli army is capable of undermining Hamas’ ability to launch attacks inside Israel.” However, he stated that "Hamas still has great capabilities in the Gaza Strip."

He added: "We do not believe that the military attack will eliminate Hamas' ideology, and we accept the idea that Hamas will continue to exist."

He added, "We have no details about Iran's bombings today." He continued: "We do not want the war between Israel and Hamas to expand in the region, but we will work to protect freedom of navigation in the Red Sea."

Kirby said, “Hamas members are organized as military forces and not just a militia with military capabilities and structure,” as he described it.

He stated that "talks to release hostages from Gaza are ongoing and serious."

Before Kirby's statements, the US State Department said, "We were not informed in advance about the attack that occurred south of Beirut, and we do not have information confirming Israel's involvement in it."

It added, "Gaza cannot be a launching pad for attacks against Israel."

It said, "What we want to see at the end of this conflict is to see Gaza and the West Bank under one leadership."

It stated that "Israel has the full right to combat terrorism, but we urge them to abide by international law," noting that "the aid, food and medicine reaching the Palestinians now is insufficient and must be increased."

The US State Department stated that “there should be no forced displacement of the residents of Gaza,” adding: “We were told that the statements of Israeli ministers regarding forced displacement do not represent government policy, and we affirm our rejection of any forced displacement.”

The United States and 11 allied countries urged the Houthis, on Wednesday, to "immediately stop their illegal attacks" on ships in the Red Sea, under penalty of "bearing the consequences," while a report indicated that Washington had prepared options to strike the Houthis.

This coalition of countries said in a statement, "The Houthis must bear responsibility for the consequences if they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and the freedom of movement of goods in the region's essential waterways."

The European Union's High Commissioner for Foreign Policy and Security, Josep Borrell, stressed on Wednesday that a possible solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be "imposed from the outside."

Josep Borrell said in a speech he delivered during a diplomatic conference in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, that "the Israelis and Palestinians will never be able to reach an agreement."

"What we have learned over the last 30 years and what we are learning now from the tragedy in Gaza is that the solution must be imposed from the outside," Borrell said.

Josep Borrell acknowledged the massive human losses resulting from excessive Israeli bombing of civilians, warning that the numbers of displaced people would reach unprecedented levels.

This comes as voices criticize the role of the European Union and its inability to enforce humanitarian and international laws.

The European official's statements coincided with renewed clashes between Palestinian factions and the Israeli army in Khan Yunis and the northern Gaza Strip, amid continued Israeli bombing of the Strip.

Moreover, clashes continue in the Gaza Strip for the 89th day in light of the continued intense Israeli bombing of various cities in the Strip, amid a worsening humanitarian catastrophe, and increasing escalation in the region.

On January 11, the International Court of Justice will hold its first session to consider the lawsuit filed by the Republic of South Africa against Israel against the backdrop of accusing the latter of committing genocide in its war on the Gaza Strip.

This came according to what was announced by Clayson Munilla, spokesman for the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation in South Africa, on Wednesday, in a blog post on the “X” platform.

Monella said that the first session of the trial is scheduled to begin on January 11 in the Dutch city of The Hague, and will continue the next day.

He explained that his country is continuing its preparations in this regard.

South Africa recently submitted a request to open a case before the International Court of Justice against Israel, against the backdrop of its involvement in “acts of genocide” against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to a statement by the same court.

On November 21, 2023, South Africa suspended its relations with Israel, in protest against its devastating attacks in Gaza.

This was preceded by South Africa recalling its ambassador to Israel, to consult on the attacks on the Strip, which is witnessing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.

In turn, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry described South Africa's decision to file the lawsuit as a "concrete step" towards accountability, and expressed its support for it.

During this trial, the International Court of Justice may issue a decision to stop the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on Gaza, leaving “22,313 dead and 57,296 injured, most of them children and women, massive infrastructure destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe,” according to the Gaza Strip authorities and the United Nations.

Germany denounced the statements of the Israeli Ministers of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, and the Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, regarding the displacement of Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip.

German Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer said: “Such statements do not help solve the problem, and we strongly reject Ben Gvir and Smotrich’s statements.”

He explained that the position on this issue was clarified during the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Tokyo, and that forced removal from Gaza and reducing the area of the Strip should also be out of the question.

He pointed out that Germany continues to support the two-state solution, which “remains the only permanent model for peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians,” and that it has been working in this regard for a long time.

Fisher called for increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza, noting that progress had been made by opening the Kerem Shalom crossing.

In recent weeks, calls have escalated in Israel to deport Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, which faces widespread regional and international rejection.

On Monday, the Israeli Ministers of National Security and Finance, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, announced their support for the “voluntary displacement of Palestinians” from the Gaza Strip, to which Hamas responded in a statement, stressing that the statements of Israeli leaders about the displacement of the residents of the Gaza Strip are “just dreams.” An unenforceable vigilance,” and called on the international community to “intervene to confront it.”

Since last October 7, the Israeli occupation army has been waging a devastating war on Gaza, which as of Tuesday left 22,185 dead and 57,35 injured, most of them children and women, massive destruction of infrastructure and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, according to the Gaza Strip authorities and the United Nations.

Sama News

Today, Wednesday, the Israeli Supreme Court decided to postpone the implementation of an amendment to the “Basic Law: Government” aimed at preventing the removal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, so that the amendment will enter into force at the beginning of the twenty-sixth session of the Knesset, as “personal legislation that constitutes an abuse of the constituent power of the Knesset.” .

The court’s decision came in support of 6 judges, including the outgoing President of the Supreme Court, Esther Hayut, and the opposition of 5 others, noting that the court had considered the petitions submitted against the amendment, in an expanded judicial body composed of 11 judges, in a session held on Thursday, September 28. the past.

The legislation enacted by the government coalition and approved by the Knesset last March, as part of a plan to weaken the judiciary, aimed to prevent Netanyahu’s removal, by declaring his inability to carry out his duties, in light of his violation of the conflict of interest agreement that stipulates that he is prevented from dealing with judicial changes. Due to his trial on serious corruption charges.

The amendment stipulates that the Prime Minister can be removed by personally declaring his inability, physically or psychologically, to perform his duties, or by the government declaring his inability to carry out his duties for health reasons, provided that three-quarters of the ministers support this step, noting that this task was entrusted to the government’s judicial advisor. 

The Supreme Court had clarified that its decision “does not talk about canceling the amendment, but rather about the date of entry into force of the amendment in order to cancel the personal factor (that the amendment came to prevent the removal of Netanyahu),” and made it clear that the issue revolves around the entry into force of the law, and not the cancellation of the amendment itself to the “law.” Basis: The government,” while the government coalition considers that “the court is not authorized to repeal the Basic Law.”

On Wednesday evening, the Israeli occupation forces released 36 prisoners from their prisons from different governorates, at the western entrance to Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem.

Member of the Beit Fajjar municipality, Muhammad Al-Kar, said that the occupation forces released 36 prisoners, including 15 from the governorates of Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nablus, and they were hosted in the Beit Fajjar municipal hall.

He added that the prisoners are: Ahmed Rafiq Hanaysha, Hassan Ibrahim Hassan, Hamza Munther Atwa Shabeer, Naji Shaaban Naji, Omar Abu Hassan, Muhammad Yahya Shahwan, Muhammad Shafiq Moin Azouqa, Hazem Hassan, Muhammad Eid Muhammad Abu Raida, Muhammad Nafez Saeed Hoshiya, and Jihad. Muhammad, Fawaz Alaa Fawaz Al-Jabari, Anas Mahmoud Al-Sarisi, Anas Khatatba, and Ali Manasir.

Also among them: Ghaleb Taha Manasrah, Muhammad Hamidat, Muhannad Hisham Al-Sharif, Haitham Hanaysha, Ahmed Jihad Taqatqa, Muhammad Mutee Mallah, Aseed Murshid, Akram Tallawy, Naeem Murshid, Muhammad Abu Mumin, Hassan Ibrahim Adwan, Khaled Musa Ahmed, and Asid Imad Dweikat. Amid Najwan, Salim Abu Zaatar, Nour Al-Fakhoury, Majd Jawdat Lotfi Malaysha, Sharif Omar Al-Azab, Rami Muhammad Radhi Hoshiya, Rashad Ismail Radhi Hoshiya, and Ghassan Al-Batmeh.

Three Lebanese were killed this evening, Wednesday, as a result of an Israeli bombing that targeted a house in the town of Markaba, south of Lebanon.

The National News Agency reported that the Israeli occupation artillery and aircraft bombed the town of Aita al-Shaab, by throwing an air-to-ground missile at the targeted area, in conjunction with artillery shelling, adding that the bombing also targeted the outskirts of the town of Naqoura and the Labouneh area.

Hassan Nasrallah said today, Wednesday evening, in a speech, from the southern suburb of Beirut, where the Hamas leader, Saleh Al-Arouri, was assassinated yesterday, Tuesday, that “the Palestinian issue was on its way to oblivion before the ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’.” , which was carried out by the Hamas movement on the seventh of last October, noting that the sudden attack dealt a “severe blow to the path of normalization.”

Nasrallah considered that Hezbollah's involvement in the war and its opening of "the confrontation front since October 8th made Israel lose the element of surprise," adding that "what happened yesterday is very dangerous, because it is an attack on the southern suburbs, and it is the first since 2006."

Nasrallah said that “there is no one in the Zionist entity who has an image of victory yet,” stressing that Israel “is trying to present an image of victory by assassinating Al-Arouri,” whose death he attributed “and his companions to an Israeli aggression on the southern suburbs,” adding that he will deliver another speech today. Next Friday.

He added, "The Al-Aqsa flood brought down Israel's image in the world, which was helped by the Western media," adding that it "confirmed that the Palestinian people cannot forget their land or their cause." He also pointed out that “the real goal of the Israeli aggression is to displace the population of the Gaza Strip.” He also said, "One of the results of the Al-Aqsa flood is that it destroyed the image of America that was promoted and presented in its ugliest truths."

He believed that "one of the results of the Al-Aqsa flood was the rise in support for the resistance and the option of resistance within Palestine and at the nation level." He added, "Israel believed that Operation Al-Aqsa Flood gave it an opportunity to eliminate the resistance in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon."

He stated that "the lack of confidence in the Israeli army affects the essence of the existence of the Zionist entity," adding that "the resistance has become bolder and more prepared for confrontation, and even American intervention will not deter the resistance."

He added, "The Al-Aqsa Flood operation and the past few months represent the most serious challenge to the axis of resistance," adding that "there is no person directing or moving the axis of resistance, and each of its parties decides for itself, according to the interests of its people and their cause independently."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had threatened to assassinate Al-Arouri before the “Al-Aqsa Flood” attack and the war on Gaza. Nasrallah responded to this threat and vowed that targeting any Palestinian figure in Lebanese territory would lead to escalation. Officials in Israel believe that the context of matters has changed and that the Lebanese front is in a state of continuous escalation, after the war on Gaza.

Dozens of citizens were killed, and others were injured, as a result of an Israeli bombing that targeted citizens' homes in the central and southern Gaza Strip.

3 citizens were killed, as a result of military aircraft bombing a group of citizens in the Khirbet Al-Adas area in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that several residential buildings were targeted in the vicinity of Al Amal Hospital and the society’s headquarters in Khan Yunis, causing severe panic among the ranks of the displaced people in the hospital.

The occupation also launched raids targeting the homes of citizens in the Central Governorate of the Gaza Strip, which led to the death of dozens of citizens and the injury of others who were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, while the occupation aircraft bombed a house for the Abu Assad family in Deir al-Balah.

A female citizen was killed, and others were injured, as a result of a raid launched by the Israeli occupation on a house for the Agha family, south of Khan Yunis. A number of citizens were also killed as a result of a house being targeted in the Jabalia camp, north of the Gaza Strip.

Dozens of displaced people were also injured, including seriously, inside Abu Helu Preparatory School in Al-Bureij camp, as a result of occupation aircraft targeting its surroundings.

The occupation forces launched an air raid on the homes of the families of: Al-Ghamri, Abu Rukn, Hamdan, Al-Shanti, and Al-Ansar Mosque, and carried out intense fire belts that targeted the girls’ secondary school, agricultural lands, the vicinity of the dispensary area, Wadi Abu Rashid, and the vicinity of the main entrance to Al-Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip.

15 citizens were killed as a result of the continuous Israeli bombardment since the morning on Khan Yunis in the south of the Gaza Strip, while aircraft continued to bomb the Nuseirat camp in its center.