The Wall Street Journal quoted American officials as expecting that the Israeli occupation forces will resume their military campaign after the truce and begin moving into the southern Gaza Strip.

In turn, Israeli Channel 13 said that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that the military operation in Gaza may take months, not weeks.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted an Israeli source as saying that if the list of prisoners transferred by Hamas through mediators does not change by 7 a.m., Israel will resume the attack on the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli War Council meeting ended at dawn today without announcing a decision regarding extending the truce.

Yedioth Ahronoth reported that no agreement had been reached between Israel and Hamas regarding extending the truce. It said that Hamas submitted, through mediators, a list of names of prisoners that Israel rejected, and Israel made clear that Hamas had to amend it in order to approve it, otherwise Israel would not be part of it. The deadline for Israel (to resume fighting in Gaza) is 07:00 am.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper also quoted an Israeli security source in talks to extend the ceasefire, saying that before Israel agrees to talk about releasing additional categories, Hamas must return about 25 women and children prisoners in Gaza.

American officials said that they are discussing with their Israeli counterparts how to protect thousands of civilians in southern Gaza if Israel decides to resume the attack on the Strip after the end of the truce.

Options being discussed by US and Israeli officials include transferring civilians who were displaced south at the beginning of the war to the north once military operations there end, a senior US official told CNN.

Agence France-Presse quoted a source in the Hamas movement on Wednesday evening as saying that what has been proposed to extend the temporary truce in the Gaza Strip is “not the best” at this stage.

Source: agencies

The World Health Organization said that it documented 427 attacks launched by Israel on health facilities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, since the beginning of the war on October 7.

The organization explained that 203 of those attacks occurred in the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of 560 people in Gaza and 6 people in the West Bank, in addition to wounding 718 others in Gaza and 40 in the West Bank.

The United Nations organization called for the protection of health facilities and civilians in Palestine.

The Israeli occupation intensified its targeting of hospitals in the Gaza Strip during its aggression against the Strip, bombing many of them and imposing a siege on a number of others. It stormed the Shifa Medical Complex - the largest hospital in the Strip - and forced the medical staff and patients to evacuate it. It also blew up some of its facilities, before withdrawing from it on Friday. The past, about 10 days after it was stormed.

The occupation army also besieged the Indonesian hospital and bombed it for days before storming it last Friday, hours before the temporary humanitarian truce took effect.

At the time, the director of hospitals in the Gaza Strip, Muhammad Zaqout, confirmed to Al Jazeera that 250 people were still inside the Indonesian hospital, after the occupation army forcibly removed hundreds of patients from the hospital.

Last month, the Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that all hospitals in northern Gaza were out of service, due to the Israeli bombing and the depletion of fuel and medical supplies.

Warning of a health disaster

Yesterday, Wednesday, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned of a health catastrophe in Gaza, and said, “The current living conditions in the Strip and the lack of health care may cause diseases that will kill a greater number of those killed as a result of the Israeli bombing of the Strip.”

The Director of the Health Organization pointed out that about 1.3 million people in Gaza are currently living in shelters, and stressed that “there is now an urgent need for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, because the matter has become a matter of life and death for civilians.”

He explained that overcrowding, lack of food and water, basic hygiene requirements, poor sanitation and waste management, and difficulty obtaining medicines are factors that have led to tens of thousands of people becoming infected with various diseases, including acute respiratory infections, scabies, diarrhea, skin rashes, jaundice, and other health afflictions and diseases.

The Israeli occupation has imposed a stifling siege on Gaza since October 7, cutting off electricity and water from its residents and preventing the entry of food, medicine and fuel supplies.

However, the temporary humanitarian truce, which began on Friday, November 24, and was extended twice, enabled the entry of some relief, medical, and fuel aid into the besieged sector, but many parties confirm that this aid only meets a small portion of the population’s needs.

A settler attempted to storm the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, armed with a knife, on Thursday evening, and the mosque guards were able to detect and prevent him.

A brief statement issued by the Islamic Endowments said that Al-Aqsa Mosque guards caught a settler in civilian clothing carrying a knife after suspecting him as he entered through the Qattanin Gate, and prevented him from entering.

President Mahmoud Abbas received, today, Thursday, at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

During the meeting, they discussed the latest developments on the Palestinian arena, and the latest developments in the ongoing efforts to stop the aggression against our people, as President Abbas stressed the necessity of consolidating the ceasefire currently in effect in the Gaza Strip and achieving a complete cessation of the Israeli aggression, in order to spare civilians the scourge of bombing, killing and destruction that is carried out by the Israeli killing machine.

President Abbas stressed the importance of doubling relief, medical and food supplies, providing water, electricity and fuel as quickly as possible, and providing the necessary aid so that hospitals and basic facilities can resume their work in treating thousands of wounded and providing their services to our people.

President Abbas handed Minister Blinken a complete file on the crimes of the Israeli occupation in Gaza and the West Bank, including Jerusalem, including killing, destruction, ethnic cleansing crimes, and other crimes.

Regarding the repressive measures taken by the occupation authorities against our prisoners, the President asked the US Secretary of State to oblige the occupation government to immediately stop these measures and violations against our prisoners and our people.

President Abbas reiterated his rejection and prevention of the forced displacement of the Palestinian people, whether in the Gaza Strip or in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, stressing the need for the American side to intervene to prevent the expulsion of the Palestinian population in the West Bank, especially the Jordan Valley areas, which witnesses a silent and planned annexation by settlers and the Israeli occupation army, as well as a cessation of terrorist settler attacks in the West Bank, including Jerusalem.

The President pointed out that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the Palestinian state, and it is not possible to accept or deal with the plans of the occupation authorities to separate it, stressing the need to release Palestinian clearance funds, and that our people in the Gaza Strip will have priority and will not be abandoned, and they are the responsibility of the State of Palestine. 

President Abbas stressed the necessity of the State of Palestine obtaining full membership in the United Nations and holding an international peace conference, stressing that peace and security are achieved through the implementation of the two-state solution based on international legitimacy resolutions, which includes the entire territory of the State of Palestine in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, and recognition The State of Palestine, and that security and military solutions have proven their failure and will not achieve security and stability for the region.

High-ranking American officials confirmed in an interview with Politico newspaper that the administration of US President Joe Biden does not intend to place any conditions on future military aid to Israel, despite public comments indicating that the idea is under study.

Amid growing calls from Democrats to impose conditions on military aid to Israel, President Biden told reporters that the idea of imposing conditions on how Israel uses American weapons is “an interesting idea,” prompting his administration officials to clarify that: “This is not something we are currently seeking.”

These comments come amid reports that the United States is pressuring Israel to show restraint when it resumes and expands its military operations in southern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who fled the south are located.

John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said on Wednesday that the United States "has been clear with the Israelis that we do not support them moving forward with their operations in the south unless they have a plan to deal with the increased level of civilians there."

But there is no indication that the administration is using any of its influence over Israel to limit civilian casualties, and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant has vowed that Israeli operations will be greater than before once the hostage deal truce ends.

Regarding President Biden's tweet indicating that he supports a real ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday night, the president's platform X: "To continue on the path of terrorism, violence, murder and war is to give Hamas what it seeks. We cannot do that," which he viewed as a major shift in The president's speech, after Biden had previously rejected the idea of a permanent ceasefire, said a senior administration official who spoke to Jewish Insider said this was not a change in policy and that the United States would continue to support the Israeli offensive.

“We want this to be the last war, and we realize that for that to happen, Hamas cannot be the ruling authority,” the senior official said. “They have to be out of power, because if Hamas is in power, you will most likely have another conflict.”

According to the Gaza Information Office, the Israeli attack has killed more than 15,000 Palestinians so far, including more than 6,000 children and 4,000 women. It is expected that expanding operations in the south will lead to more civilian casualties due to the overcrowding of displaced Palestinian citizens in these areas.

Settlers seized about 300 dunams, south of the city of Bethlehem, and prevented their owners from approaching it at gunpoint.

The director of the Office of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission in Bethlehem, Hassan Barijiyah, reported that settlers planted vast areas estimated at about 300 dunums with forest trees in the Khallet an-Nahla area near the village of Wadi Rahal in the south, which is located between the “Efrat” settlement and the “Kivat Eitam” settlement outpost, which is located on Palestinian Citizens' lands.

Brijiyeh added that this arbitrary measure aims to expand the borders of the “Kivat Eitam” settlement outpost, stressing that the lands they seized belong to the private property of the citizens.

In an analysis by Israeli pollster Dalia Sheindlin, published by the American magazine Foreign Affairs on Thursday, the expert says that “from the moment Hamas breached the Israeli security fence with the Gaza Strip on October 7 and began its attack, it seemed as if Israel would not return to what it was.” It never was, and within hours, Israelis were forced to confront the reality that many of the assumptions that had long guided Israeli policy toward the Palestinians had collapsed.

“The state’s policy of blockading Gaza for 16 years has failed to make them safe. Instead, the government calculates that it can lure Hamas toward pragmatism – whether by allowing Qatari funding for Hamas or by granting work permits to workers in Gaza –

  Israel has been tempted into complacency.. The belief that most of the threats posed by Hamas can be neutralized through high-tech surveillance, deep underground barriers, and the Iron Dome missile defense system has proven completely wrong."

On a broader level, according to the analysis, “the attacks demonstrated the abject failure of the idea that the Palestinian political issue can be marginalized indefinitely without any cost to Israel, which is an intuitive belief among the Israeli leadership to the point that commentators found names for it: conflict management, or “reducing the size of the conflict.” Consequently, there have been no Israeli-Palestinian negotiations on a final status peace agreement for years, even as Israel sought normalization with a growing number of Arab countries. “For more than two decades, the right-wing parties dominating the Israeli political scene have promised voters that the country was safer than it was.” It would be under any other policy, and the majority of voters agreed to that. But on October 7, a Hamas attack led to the collapse of the status quo.”

The analysis reviewed a number of assumptions that were considered no longer true for the Israelis, such as: the failure of the Gaza siege policy, the belief that most threats can be neutralized through high-tech surveillance and deep underground barriers, and even the failure of the missile defense system.

Fighters of the Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" were able to penetrate the barrier, and after unprecedented attacks, they kidnapped more than 240 hostages, including about 100 Israeli soldiers, and transferred them to the Gaza Strip, before reaching a humanitarian truce with Israel, according to which it was agreed to the release of 50 women and children hostages in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners, most of whom are women and children.

The analysis reiterates that over the past two decades, the right-wing parties that dominate the Israeli political scene promised voters that the country had become safer, but on October 7th “the status quo collapsed.”

He continues that despite blaming Israel's leaders for "catastrophic security" failures, “their right-wing political orientation is unlikely to budge,” as Israeli history over the past decades shows that “episodes of war or extreme violence only serve to reinforce the rightward tilt in Israeli politics,” which means “the election of a new government in which voters endorse false assumptions, the same thing that contributed to causing the current crisis.

The analysis reviewed the times of voter support for the Israeli right, which began when the right-wing Likud Party was elected for the first time in 1977, which came after the aftermath of the 1973 war, and the conflicts during the 1980s helped strengthen the continued presence of the Israeli right.

“The catastrophic mismanagement that led to the war may prevent Israeli voters from making what would otherwise be a reverse slide toward a more theocratic, anti-democratic, and irredeemable right,” according to the analysis.

In the 1990s, despite the passage of quieter times and the rise of the left, by the end of the decade and the beginning of the millennium and the occurrence of the Intifada, the positions of Israelis began to return to the right more, and by 2011 more than half of Jews described themselves as right-wing.

The author of the analysis believes that the current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will continue in his position during the current crisis, but even if he is forced to leave it, Israel will not take a different ideological path, as opinion polls in Israel show a flow to the National Unity Party led by Benny Gantz, which is unlikely it will deviate from the current right-wing approach to the Palestinian issue.

The head of the Egyptian State Information Service, Diaa Rashwan, confirmed that there are Egyptian-Qatari contacts to extend the humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) for an additional two days, after extending it for one day, today (Thursday).

Rashwan said in a press statement that the humanitarian truce in Gaza was extended through intense Egyptian-Qatari efforts for one day, today, Thursday.

He explained that today's truce includes an agreement to release 10 Israeli detainees and 30 Palestinians, with the continued flow of humanitarian aid to the north and south of the Gaza Strip in the same quantities agreed upon in the previous six days of the truce.

He noted that the intense Egyptian-Qatari efforts resulted in overcoming many of the obstacles facing the implementation of the armistice agreement today.

Rashwan stressed that Egypt is closely following the implementation of today’s humanitarian truce agreement, and urges both parties to adhere to what was agreed upon.

Through Egyptian, Qatari, and American mediation, Israel and Hamas reached a four-day truce that entered into force last Friday morning, before it was extended for two days, then one day.

Since the beginning of the truce last Friday, 180 Palestinians, 61 Israelis and 20 foreign citizens have been released.

Since yesterday evening and until Thursday morning, the Israeli occupation forces arrested at least (40) citizens from the West Bank, including two girls and former prisoners. The arrest operations were concentrated in the governorates of: Hebron, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem, and the rest of the arrest operations were distributed in the governorates of: Jericho, Qalqilya, and Tubas. .

In addition, the occupation carried out arrests of dozens of citizens in the town of Biddu, and we have not been able to confirm the numbers of citizens and their identities until this moment.

Thus, the total number of arrests after the seventh of last October rose to more than (3,365), 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.

The Prisoners' Commission and the Prisoners' Club confirmed that the occupation continues its systematic arrest campaigns, as one of the most prominent established policies, which escalated in an unprecedented manner after the seventh of October, not only in terms of the level of the number of detainees, but also in terms of the level of crimes it committed, in addition to the raids into the homes of the detainees' families, Which is accompanied by widespread sabotage and destruction.

On Thursday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a paper clarifying China's position on the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Below is the full text of its content:

Position Paper of the People’s Republic of China on Resolving the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

The current Palestinian-Israeli conflict has caused heavy civilian casualties and a serious humanitarian disaster. It is a grave concern of the international community. 

President Xi Jinping stated China’s principled position on the current Palestinian-Israeli situation on a number of occasions. He stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire and ending the fighting, ensuring that the humanitarian corridors are safe and unimpeded, and preventing the expansion of the conflict. He pointed out that the fundamental way out of this lies in the two-state solution, building international consensus for peace, and working toward a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question at an early date. 

Pursuant to the Charter of the United Nations, the Security Council shoulders primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and should thus play an active and constructive role on the question of Palestine. 

In this connection, China offers the following proposals:

1. Implementing a comprehensive ceasefire and ending the fighting. Parties to the conflict should truly implement the relevant UNGA and UNSC resolutions and immediately realize a durable and sustained humanitarian truce. Building on UNSC Resolution 2712, the Security Council, in response to the calls of the international community, should explicitly demand a comprehensive ceasefire and end of the fighting, work for de-escalation of the conflict, and cool down the situation as soon as possible.

2. Protecting civilians effectively. The UNSC resolution demands in explicit terms that all parties comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, notably with regard to the protection of civilians. It is imperative to stop any violent attacks against civilians and violations of international humanitarian law, and avoid attacks on civilian facilities. The Security Council should further send a clear message on opposing forced transfer of the Palestinian civilian population, preventing the displacement of Palestinian civilians, and calling for the release of all civilians and hostages held captive as soon as possible.

3. Ensuring humanitarian assistance. All relevant parties must, as per requirements of the UNSC resolution, refrain from depriving the civilian population in Gaza of supplies and services indispensable to their survival, set up humanitarian corridors in Gaza to enable rapid, safe, unhindered and sustainable humanitarian access, and avoid a humanitarian disaster of even greater gravity. The Security Council should encourage the international community to ramp up humanitarian assistance, improve the humanitarian situation on the ground, and support the coordinating role of the United Nations as well as the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in humanitarian assistance, and prepare the international community for supporting post-conflict reconstruction in Gaza.

4. Enhancing diplomatic mediation. The Security Council should leverage its role in facilitating peace as mandated in the UN Charter to demand that parties to the conflict exercise restraint to prevent the conflict from widening and uphold peace and stability in the Middle East. The Security Council should value the role of regional countries and organizations, support the good offices of the UN Secretary General and the Secretariat, and encourage countries with influence on parties to the conflict to uphold an objective and just position so as to jointly play a constructive role in deescalating the crisis.

5. Seeking political settlement. According to relevant UNSC resolutions and international consensus, the fundamental settlement of the question of Palestine lies in the implementation of the two-state solution, restoration of the legitimate national rights of Palestine, and the establishment of an independent State of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty based on the 1967 border and with east Jerusalem as its capital. The Security Council should help restore the two-state solution. A more broad-based, authoritative and effective international peace conference led and organized by the UN should be held as soon as possible to formulate a concrete timetable and roadmap for the implementation of the two-state solution and facilitate a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the question of Palestine. Any arrangement on the future of Gaza must respect the will and independent choice of the Palestinian people, and must not be imposed upon them.

The most interesting part of the pro-war trend that dominates most of the Israeli media now is the determination to achieve its goals as formulated in the Israeli government's decision to wage it, which is to eliminate Hamas' capabilities.

The performance of the Israeli media in the current war against the Gaza Strip is no different from its performance in previous wars, whether in the Strip or on other fronts, especially in terms of distancing itself from searching for secrets far from the light, and in everything related to the challenge of military censorship, which is not hidden. It is now more stringent than ever before.

The performance of these media outlets is also characterized by the absence of the civilian side of the war, and in particular the civilian side related to the other side, the Palestinians, as the stories of the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population do not even find a foothold on the small screen, nor in most of the reports of the written and audio press.

Until now, the Israeli media has continued to be a major contributor to fueling a general climate of complete and absolute support for the war and promoting its “justice,” even though some of them do not ignore the question marks that have been raised since the first day of its outbreak, regarding Prime Minister Netanyahu’s responsibility for it. Despite all this, from time to time, in parallel with this support, critical positions appear that point to some elements related to the management of the war, most importantly its ability to achieve the goals set for it. These critical positions have increased with the approach of the stage of truces that are described as humanitarian, and after it became clear that the Israeli army has failed to achieve victory, but the public spirit that emerges from the coverage of the war, in the broadest sense, that is, the strategic one, has remained clearly uncritical since the moment it broke out.

The most exciting part of the trend of supporting the war and demanding its return following the end of the truces, which currently dominates most of the Israeli media, is the determination to achieve its goals as formulated in the Israeli government’s decision to wage it, which is to eliminate Hamas’s military and authoritarian capabilities, and to strive towards establishing a new “security reality” in the Gaza Strip, and releasing civilian prisoners and hostages. This is a tendency that, in our reading, confirms the failure to achieve these goals so far, and indicates in depth the capabilities of the resistance.

According to most military analysts in the main Israeli newspapers, Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel Hayom, Maariv, and Haaretz, the army achieved important, but tactical achievements over the three weeks of the ground maneuver (which began on 10/27/2023), and the Hamas movement received major military strikes, despite all of that Hamas's resolve is still very far away, just as this movement is far from raising the white flag.

In the new reality in the Gaza Strip, the army controls most of the northern regions, with the exception of the eastern section, where the army is awaiting fierce battles in Jabalia and Shuja'iya. In the days preceding the truces, the army-controlled areas of the northern Gaza Strip witnessed daily confrontations with teams of Hamas fighters who launched their attacks from tunnel openings, or through snipers who were stationed behind the windows of high-rise buildings, and led to the army paying a price.

These attacks were a daily routine experienced by Israeli soldiers in Beit Hanoun, Al-Shati, Sheikh Ajlin, Al-Rimal, Tal Al-Hawa, and other neighborhoods and towns in the northern Gaza Strip. The truce process also demonstrated that Hamas is still operating within highly organized frameworks and according to a leadership structure.

Although all of the above-mentioned Israeli newspaper reports are general information that is not detailed or relative and nothing more, without diminishing its significance, the most optimistic about the achievements achieved by the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip also seem pessimistic, led by the former head of the Military Intelligence Division and the Air Force Command, General Reserve Amos Yadlin, believes that in the context of seeking to achieve the goal of undermining Hamas, Israel has only passed 50% of the way, and the path to reaching the desired point is still very long.

The consulting firm said in a statement that Kissinger, who was Secretary of State under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, and played a pivotal diplomatic role during the Cold War, “died today at his home in Connecticut.”

The giant of American diplomacy, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, died at the age of 100, on Wednesday, according to what his foundation announced.

The consulting firm said in a statement that Kissinger, who was Secretary of State under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, and played a pivotal diplomatic role during the Cold War, "died today at his home in Connecticut."

The statement did not specify the cause of death of Kissinger, who was known for his small build, hoarse voice, and strong German accent.

Kissinger was born in Germany in 1923 and marked the decades of American diplomacy, even after he left his post as Secretary of State.

Kissinger set in motion the rapprochement between Washington and Moscow and Beijing in the 1970s, and in 1973, in recognition of his peaceful efforts during the Vietnam War, he won the Nobel Peace Prize, shared with the Vietnamese Le Duc Tho.

But his image was tarnished by dark episodes in US history, such as his role in supporting the 1973 coup in Chile and the invasion of East Timor in 1975, as well as the Vietnam War.

Until his death, Kissinger remained active on the international political scene, and his advanced age did not prevent him from traveling and meeting with many world leaders, the most recent of whom was Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he met last July in China.

Last September, Kissinger gave an interview to the Maariv newspaper, which was published today, Friday, during which he talked about the role he played and the administration of the US president at the time, Richard Nixon, in the October War of 1973, and the decisive services it provided to Israel, which It affected the course of the battles on the ground, and it also had a great weight in the subsequent talks that ended in a “peace” agreement between Egypt and Israel.

At dawn today, Thursday, a young man was killed and a number of others were injured by Israeli occupation forces during confrontations in front of Ofer Military Prison, in the town of Beitunia, west of Ramallah.

The Ministry of Health reported that the young man, Fadi Muayyad Badran (21 years old), from the village of Beit Ur al-Tahta, west of Ramallah, died as a result of being shot in the chest by live bullets. Four others were also injured by live bullets in the limbs, and two were injured after falling in front of Ofer Military Prison.

The occupation forces had stormed the neighborhoods near the Ofer military prison, which was built on citizens’ lands in the town of Beitunia, all the way to the school roundabout in the center of the town, which led to the outbreak of confrontations with citizens.

At dawn today, Thursday, the Israeli occupation authorities released 30 detainees, including 15 women and 15 children, from the “Ofer” military prison, which was established on citizens’ lands in the town of Beitunia, west of Ramallah, and from the “Al-Maskobiyya” detention center in occupied Jerusalem, as part of the sixth batch of “Exchange deal.”

Before the release of the detainees, the Israeli occupation forces stormed the neighborhoods near the Ofer military prison, all the way to the schools roundabout in the center of the town.

A bus and vehicles belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross transported 15 of the released detainees from the “Ofer” military prison to Ramallah, while 8 Jerusalemite detainees were released from “Al-Maskobiyya” to their homes. In addition,  7 female detainees from within the 1948 territories were released.

Earlier today, the occupation police stormed the homes of the families of a number of Jerusalemite detainees prior to their release, and warned them against holding any celebrations or gatherings.

The Prisoners' and Ex-Prisoners' Affairs Authority and the Prisoners' Club announced in a joint statement the names of the sixth batch of female detainees and child detainees who were released, within the terms of the "humanitarian truce" agreement.

The statement stated that all the female detainees were arrested after the seventh of last October, with the exception of the detainee Asmaa Abu Takfa from within the 1948 territories.

Three Israelis were killed, and at least 12 others were injured, with injuries described as moderate to serious, as a result of a shooting attack carried out on Thursday morning in the city of Jerusalem, where shots were fired at a group of settlers when they were at a bus waiting stop in the “Ramot” settlement.

Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem announced the arrival of 4 serious injuries and one moderate injury from the site of the shooting attack near Ramot.

The Israeli media reported that the shooting took place on the main street of the Ramot settlement in Jerusalem. Following the shooting, the Israeli police mobilized its forces and deployed to the site of the shooting in Ramot.

It reported that the shooting took place at the northwestern entrance to the occupied city of Jerusalem, and was carried out by three Palestinians, who were killed at the scene.

The Israeli Channel 7 reported that the perpetrators of the shooting attack in Jerusalem were two brothers from the town of Sur Baher, east of the occupied city.

The Israeli occupation police stormed the home of the family of Ibrahim and Murad al-Nimr in Sur Baher. According to the Israeli media, they were the perpetrators of the “Ramot” settlement operation and werekilled during the exchange of fire.

On the 55th day of the Israeli war on Gaza, Qatar announced the extension of the temporary truce between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) for a seventh day, amid intense efforts to turn it into a permanent ceasefire.

Qatar confirms the extension of the truce in Gaza

The Qatari Foreign Ministry confirmed the extension of the truce between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) until tomorrow morning, Friday.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Palestinian and Israeli sides reached an extension of the truce in the Gaza Strip for an additional day.

The Foreign Ministry indicated continued intensification of efforts with the aim of reaching a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

Since last Friday morning, a temporary humanitarian truce began in Gaza under an agreement between Israel and Hamas that was reached with Qatari-Egyptian mediation and American support, which includes the release of Palestinian prisoners and Israeli detainees and the introduction of aid into the besieged Strip.

Israeli media reported, this evening, Wednesday, that procedures had begun to hand over the detainees scheduled for release within the sixth batch of the exchange deal to the International Committee of the Red Cross, with the expectation that the truce in the Gaza Strip would be extended for the third time between Israel and Hamas.

The masses of our people in Jenin Governorate, this evening, Wednesday, mourned the bodies of the two coldblooded murdered children, Basil Suleiman Abu Al-Wafa and Adam Suleiman Al-Ghoul, in the town of Al-Sila Al-Harithiya, west of Jenin, and in the Jenin camp.

The occupation forces executed the two children, Abu Al-Wafa (15 years old) and Al-Ghoul (8 years old) during their aggression against the city of Jenin and its camp.

The funeral procession began in front of the Martyr Khalil Suleiman Governmental Hospital in Jenin, towards the main roundabout, where the two bodies were raised on the shoulders, amid chants denouncing the ongoing crimes of the Israeli occupation against our people.

Today, Wednesday, settlers burned agricultural lands in the village of Qaryut, south of Nablus.

Settlement resistance activist Bashar Qaryouti said that settlers burned dozens of acres of agricultural land in the Btisha area, west of the village.

He pointed out that the occupation and settlers have been preventing farmers from reaching the aforementioned area since the beginning of the aggression on the Gaza Strip, stressing that it is located within the lands classified as (B).

On Wednesday evening, the Israeli occupation army forced a Jerusalemite citizen to demolish his house in the Ras al-Amud neighborhood in the town of Silwan, south of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Citizen Fadi Abu Sobeih reported that the occupation municipality forced him to demolish his house, in order to avoid paying a fine if its vehicles demolished it.

He pointed out that the area of the house does not exceed 60 square meters, and he lives in it with his family of six members, adding that the family will become homeless.

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By Muhammad Al-Awdat

Eisenhower Proclamation in 1957; Which marked the beginning of the American rise and the decline of the British and French Empires. Since that date, the countries of the Old Continent have become, in most of their foreign policies, subordinate to the American position on the current events in the Middle East. When we talk about the Western position; We are talking about the American position, and the often similar European positions that follow it.

Some forms of support

Western American support for Israel is diverse and has many forms, including political support. The United States recognized it de facto immediately after announcing the establishment of the State of Israel, and then recognized it legally after the first Israeli elections were held in January 1949.

America also supported Israel in the Security Council; It has used the veto power granted to the five permanent members of the Security Council since its establishment 88 times, 43 times in the face of resolutions presented against Israel and its practices in occupied Palestine.

The United States also provides significant financial and military support to the State of Israel. Financial support - since the founding of the State of Israel until 2023 - amounted to about 158.6 billion dollars, the largest part of which is spent on military support that ensures Israel’s superiority in the region. Military aid amounted to about 124.4 billion, or 78% of the value of American aid to Israel. Israel is also provided with advanced weapons that are not given to other countries in the region, in addition to the amount of economic support amounting to 34.2 billion dollars - throughout American history - for Israel. .

Since the announcement of Hamas carrying out its operations on October 7, American support for Israel and the green light for its operations began unlimitedly, as 14.3 billion were allocated for military support to Israel, and two groups of aircraft carriers were moved equipped with 150 warplanes, in addition to moving a nuclear submarine, and providing significant political support; It reached the point where the US Secretary of State announced himself that he was speaking to the Israelis as a Jew and not as a foreign minister, just as US President Joe Biden arrived there and declared himself as a Zionist as well.

The visits of politicians of major Western countries to Israel continued. French President Macron arrived and announced his readiness to form an international coalition against Hamas, like the coalition that fought ISIS. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also arrived and announced his support for the Israelis in their darkest hour, as he described it.

Drivers of bias

This Western support for Israel; How can it be explained? In what context does it come?

The reasons that push the West to support Israel - and side with it - may seem multiple, intertwined, and mutually reinforcing. Endless support makes Israel ignore all international laws and American and Western controls, which countries put into their relations with other countries and arm them, and the most important of these reasons can be summarized as follows:

Israel is a functional state

America and the West have great material interests in the Middle East region, and the backbone of these interests are the waterways that connect the Arabian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, and the Red Sea through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean Sea, and then the Atlantic Ocean.

The struggle over these waterways and ports began since the BC period between the great powers of that time, and with the modern industrial revolution, the competition over these passages became greater. To ensure the flow of energy represented by oil from the Arab Gulf countries, and the flow of goods to and from the Middle East and the Indian continent.

The West found in establishing an Israeli state in the region something that would achieve this purpose, and it considered the State of Israel a Western base in the region that would provide it with protection at the lowest financial and human cost. It is also a foreign entity that separates Africa from West Asia. This prevents any federal or confederal alliance, or a strong, connected Arab state that constitutes an Arab project competing with the Western project in the region.

Religious motive

An important part and driver of Western support for Israel is the religious motive, even though Western countries are secular countries. But politicians use religion as a card that can be used to serve the interests of their countries and their political interests. Since the German priest, monk, and theology professor Martin Luther established the Protestant movement, it has become a revolution against the Catholic Church, and a major step in the Judaization of Christianity.

This movement in which Martin Luther King called for a return to the Bible as the primary and main source of Christian education, and therefore, Protestants rely heavily on the texts of the Old Testament: (the Torah and the Jewish holy books), along with the New Testament. This means that some Protestant practices and interpretations may reflect respect and appreciation for the Jewish origins of Christianity. As a result, many branches of Protestantism began to support Christian Zionism, which works for the return of the Jewish people to Palestine, and Jewish sovereignty over the Holy Land in Palestine.

The influential Jewish lobby in America: Jews make up an estimated 8 million people; In the United States, they constitute the largest concentration of Jews in the world after Israel, and they represent 1.7 percent of the total population of the United States. The Jewish lobby - which attempts to direct American foreign policy in a way that supports and works in favor of the State of Israel - consists of 34 organizations active within the United States. United.

Western feeling of guilt complex

The idea of establishing a national homeland for the Jews in Palestine preceded the Balfour Declaration by hundreds of years, and Napoleon was the first European politician to publicly call for the establishment of a national homeland for the Jews on the land of Palestine, even if it was not essentially a call for the establishment of a sovereign Jewish state, but rather it was seen as an attempt to gain the support of the Jews in his campaign against the Ottomans. Then the modern Zionist movement - which called for the establishment of a national homeland for the Jews in Palestine - began in its known form in the late nineteenth century, led by figures such as Theodor Herzl. Then the Balfour Declaration was the practical and executive step for all the calls that preceded it.

But this sympathy for Israel took a different turn after World War II, the rise of Nazism and what is known as the Holocaust or the genocide of six million Jews. This narrative was exploited to turn the matter into a guilt complex for Western people. A complex that allows Zionism to play the role of victim. Which allows it to do whatever it wants under the pressure of sympathy, oppression, and the rise of the term anti-Semitism to become a sacred and sinful doctrine that is forbidden in the Western mentality.

Israel is a cultural and moral extension of the West

Israel presents itself as a secular state that sponsors Western freedoms and culture in the region, even though its founders exploited the Protestant and Jewish religious narrative to contribute to the establishment of a national homeland for the Jews. But Israel still boasts that it is the only secular, democratic state in the region, and it represents the head and vanguard of the successful Western project in the Middle East region, which makes it imperative for the West to make and support this project a success. Especially in light of the failure of any democratic model to be established, and the failure to replicate the Japanese model in the region. The model by which the West succeeded in transforming Japan from an enemy country into the West's most important ally in Asia.

Qualitative superiority

The Zionist movement realized that the numerical scarcity of Jews in the world must be compensated for by qualitative superiority in all fields - especially in the humanities - so many of them went to study the most influential humanities disciplines in the field of politics. Law and the media, as a published study indicates that one of the most common reasons for the American people’s sympathy for Israel is “what they saw or read in the media, at a rate of 30 to 35 percent.” The Zionist narrative and the media force were able to be the closest to the ear of the Western listener and the closest to shaping their personal convictions. Narratively, Israel is presented as a civilized, peace-loving country located in a region that harbors a lot of hatred and hostility. Which represents hatred and hostility to the Western model and style in the Middle East.

End of Western support for Israel

Although there is a complex and intertwined environment that achieves Western support for Israel; But when might this support end, or become less severe and biased? This depends on several factors, the most important of which are:

Democratic transformation in the region

The democratic transformation in the region and the rule of the Arab people for themselves will end the Israeli narrative as the only civilized state in the region, and the leadership coming from the womb of the Fund will make the leaders in the region manage their interests with America away from the logic of dependency and the necessity of adopting Western legitimacy in assuming power. Which makes the relationship with the West and America parallel. In a way that preserves the interests of the Arab countries at the expense of Israel, and this explains Israel’s endless support for the counter-revolutions against the Arab Spring.

Interest motivated

Also, the motive of interest is; It is the most important driver of that support, as America wants the Arab countries - and the Middle East region - as its partner in the influence struggle with China, and when America feels that Israel has become a burden on it in its relationship with the Middle East region, it will abandon Israel, and so that America will not find itself faced with this option, in the last decade I have worked on the idea of integrating Arab countries. To be a friend of the Israeli-American project, and to establish a single alliance that serves and helps America in the influence struggle with China, and limits Iranian influence in the region; Therefore, American support for the normalization of Arab-Israeli relations accelerated in the last stage, at the same time that America was raising the problem of the Muslim Uighur minority in China.

Establishing an Arab and Islamic lobby

Nearly 5 million Muslims live in the United States of America, constituting 1.1 percent of its total population. Although there is an Islamic lobby, “Kirbak,” it is still in the beginning of its formation and building its infrastructure. A weak lobby compared to the Jewish lobby. It also suffers from scarcity and lack of financial resources, and its expansion and spread of influence are prevented by the differences between Islamic groups. However, making more efforts and investing in these similar lobbies could achieve something influential in American foreign policy and Western policies.

Investing in social networking sites

By the Arab and Islamic communities in the West as media platforms to reveal the truth about middle east; the birth of social networking sites played a major role in managing the shift in sympathy of modern Western generations with the Palestinian cause. All opinion polls indicated that American youth have become more sympathetic to the Palestinian issue than before, and the Western left is clearly active in supporting the Palestinian issue, but this has not reached the point that could change Western policies towards the Palestinian issue. Especially in the absence of a unified Arab narrative and demands towards the Palestinian issue.

An American magazine revealed that Washington provided more unrestricted aid to Israel than any other country ever, with a value exceeding $130 billion.

The “Responsible Statecraft” electronic magazine affiliated with the Quincy Institute in Washington reported in a news analysis that, since its founding in 1948, Israel has remained heavily dependent on the United States politically, economically and militarily as one of its closest allies.

In the war raging between Israel and the Palestinian resistance, the Israeli army used weapons, most of which came from the United States, as “overwhelming” firepower led to the death of thousands of Palestinian civilians and the destruction of entire cities, according to the American magazine’s report.

The analysis, written by the director of the Inter Press Service news agency at the United Nations headquarters, Thalev Dean, stated that arms supplies - which the United States often provides to Israel for free - are directed through foreign military financing, the military aid program, and the surplus military equipment program.

According to the Congressional Research Service, the United States has provided more foreign aid to Israel since World War II than any other country.

The American magazine's analysis stated that the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute revealed documented information stating that 79% of the weapons transferred to Israel in the period between 2018 and 2022 were supplied by Washington.

Germany came in second place with a distant 20% of weapons, and Italy came in third with only 0.2%, according to a report by Responsible Statecraft magazine.

The report's author considered that steadfast support for Israel's security has remained the basic pillar of American foreign policy for all successive administrations that have ruled the country since the era of President Harry Truman.

The US State Department stated that the United States has provided Israel since its founding in 1948 with more than $140 billion in direct aid, focusing on helping it confront the “new and complex” security threats to which it is exposed, filling the gaps in Israeli capabilities through security cooperation, and increasing the possibility of Interoperability through joint exercises to help it maintain its qualitative military edge.

The US State Department says that this aid helped transform the Israeli army into "one of the most capable and effective armies in the world, and transformed the Israeli military industry and technology sector into one of the largest exporters of military capabilities around the world."

An academic at an American university blamed the United States government for the continued random Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

The magazine quoted Dr. Natalie Goldring, a visiting professor at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy, as saying that the American government bears a special responsibility, as it "provided Israel with massive amounts of military aid and weapons, at a time when Israel ignored American restrictions on the use of those weapons."

Source: American press +Aljazeera

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that far more people could die from diseases than from bombing in the Gaza Strip if devastated health and sanitation systems are not repaired.

Vital infrastructure in the besieged Strip has been paralyzed due to a lack of fuel and supplies and attacks targeting hospitals and United Nations facilities since Israel launched its raids on Gaza on October 7.

In a statement, Margaret Harris, spokeswoman for the World Health Organization, said at a press conference in Geneva on Tuesday: “Ultimately, we will see more people dying from disease than from bombing if we cannot rebuild this health system.”

Harris described the collapse of Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza as a "tragedy" and expressed concern about Israeli forces detaining some medical staff there after seizing the complex earlier this month.

It also reiterated its concern about the rise in outbreaks of infectious diseases in Gaza, especially diarrheal diseases.

“There are no medicines, no vaccination activities, no access to safe water and hygiene and no food,” she said, citing a UN report on the living conditions of displaced residents in northern Gaza.

The risk of a widespread disease outbreak

All major sanitation services are said to have stopped working in the Gaza Strip, raising the possibility of a massive surge in gastrointestinal and infectious diseases among the local population - including cholera.

For Gaza's population of 2.3 million, half of whom are children, obtaining safe drinking water has become almost impossible, according to Harris.

The World Health Organization has recorded more than 44,000 cases of diarrhea and 70,000 cases of acute respiratory infections, but the real numbers may be much higher.

The UN health agency (WHO) said it was deeply concerned that rains and floods during the approaching winter would worsen an already bad situation.

International media quoted James Elder, spokesman for the United Nations Children's Agency in Gaza, as telling reporters via video link on Tuesday that hospitals were full of children suffering from war wounds and gastroenteritis due to drinking dirty water. He added: "They do not have access to safe water, and this paralyzes them."

It is noteworthy that Richard Brennan, Regional Emergency Director for the Eastern Mediterranean at the World Health Organization, said in a statement to Al Jazeera English earlier this month that if nothing changes, “there will be more and more people who become infected with the disease and the risk will increase.”

The Gaza Ministry of Health said that no fuel for generators had arrived at hospitals in the northern Strip despite the temporary truce agreement between Israel and Hamas, which was extended for two days (and was scheduled to expire on Tuesday morning).

The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, warned that the humanitarian situation “remains catastrophic,” stressing that this “requires the urgent introduction of additional aid and supplies in a smooth, scheduled, announced and ongoing manner to alleviate the unbearable suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza.”

Gaza City Mayor Yahya al-Sarraj told Al Jazeera English that without fuel, the area would not be able to pump clean water or remove waste accumulating in the streets, warning of a potential “disaster” for public health.

The cleaning process was underway at Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest hospital in Gaza. “We hope that it will be able to resume its activities soon,” said Mahmoud Hammad, spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

The Israeli bombing led to the death of more than 14,800 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and more than 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the Strip.

US President Joe Biden published a post on the “X” platform in which he accused the “Hamas” movement of trying to undermine “peaceful coexistence” between Israelis and Palestinians.

“Hamas launched an attack because what it fears most is Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace,” Biden said in the post.

He added, "Continuing on the path of terrorism, violence, murder and war is tantamount to giving Hamas what it seeks. We cannot do that."

Biden had indicated in a previous post that the United States would not hesitate to work until “the Israeli and Palestinian two-state solution” was achieved.

The US President explained, "The two-state solution is the only way to ensure long-term security for the Israeli and Palestinian peoples. In order to ensure that Israelis and Palestinians alike live in equal freedom and dignity, we will not give up working to achieve this goal."

The US President's statement comes at a time when the truce between Hamas and the Israeli government continues for the sixth day in a row after extending it for two days under the same conditions.

Today, Wednesday, the United Nations called on the international community to move towards a two-state solution to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, saying that Jerusalem should be the capital of two states.

The Director-General of the United Nations Office in Geneva, Tatiana Valovaya, said in a speech written by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, that “it has been a long time since we had to move in a firm and irreversible way towards a two-state solution, on the basis of United Nations resolutions and international law.”

She added that this means "Israel and Palestine coexist side by side in peace and security, with Jerusalem becoming the capital of the two states."

These comments coincide with the United Nations International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which is celebrated annually, and coincides with the issuance of the decision to divide Palestine into two states and place Jerusalem under international rule.

Calls for a two-state solution increased following the Hamas attack on the towns surrounding Gaza on October 7, followed by a war that Israel is still waging against the Gaza Strip to this day, which led to the death of more than 15,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom were children and women. A terrible humanitarian disaster in the Strip.

The Palestinian delegate to the United Nations in Geneva, Ibrahim Khreisha, said that the current war on Gaza is a wake-up call to the international community to support the two-state solution.

He added, "The two-state solution is difficult after the (Israeli) settlement and the reduction of (territories), but it is still possible if the will is present."

He continued, "This is the right moment. This is a good thing for Israel, by the way. If they do not accept the idea, it will be too late for them, not for us."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed today, Wednesday, that Israel will return to fighting as part of its war on the Gaza Strip, which has been ongoing since October 7, as soon as “the stage of returning the hostages has been exhausted,” stressing that this issue has been settled, and that the goals of declared war on Gaza “is still ongoing.”

This came in a videotape released by his office today, on the sixth day of the humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip, in light of talk that a new agreement is being discussed in Doha that includes the release of all detainees in Gaza in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners accused of killing Israelis, amid reports of reaching a deal. “A preliminary agreement on a new extension of the truce, for two additional days.”

Netanyahu said, "Since the beginning of the war (on Gaza), I have set three goals: eliminating Hamas, the return of all Israeli hostages from Gaza, and ensuring that Gaza will never again pose a threat to Israel. These three goals still exist."

He continued, "Last week we achieved a very great achievement, which was the return of dozens of hostages. A week ago it seemed unreal, but we achieved it."

He added, "But in recent days I have heard a recurring question: Will Israel return to fighting after the hostage return phase is exhausted? So my answer is an unequivocal yes."

He continued by saying: "It is impossible for us not to return to fighting until the end. This is my policy. The entire Cabinet stands behind it, the entire government stands behind it, the soldiers stand behind it, and the people stand behind it - and this is exactly what we will do."

Today, Wednesday, settlers expelled a citizen from his land in the village of Kisan, east of Bethlehem.

The director of the Office of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Authority in Bethlehem, Hassan Barijiyah, said that a group of settlers expelled the citizen Ali Issa Nabahin from his land in the “Umm Qatfa” area surrounding the “Ibi Hanahel” settlement, which was established on citizens’ lands east of the village, while he was reclaiming it.

On Wednesday evening, the Israeli occupation forces arrested three citizens from scattered areas in occupied Jerusalem.

Local sources said that the occupation forces arrested the young Jerusalemite, Samir Sarhan, from the Al-Thawri neighborhood in the town of Silwan, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, after storming his house, searching it, and vandalizing its contents, along with the director of security at Al-Quds University, Nafez Jaffal, and his son Muhammad, in the town of Abu Dis, east of occupied Jerusalem.

The occupation forces also summoned the liberated Jerusalemite prisoner, Ramzi Al-Abbasi, to the “Al-Maskobiyya” detention center after his release following the end of his sentence.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Wednesday that he would seek to extend the truce in Gaza during his upcoming visit to Israel.

“Over the next two days, we will focus on doing everything we can to extend the truce so that we can continue to remove more detainees and provide more humanitarian aid,” Blinken said after a NATO meeting in Brussels.

An American official said yesterday, Tuesday, that US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, will stress to all partners in the region the continued flow of aid to Gaza.

The US State Department said that Blinken will travel to Belgium, North Macedonia, Israel, the West Bank, and the UAE from Monday to Saturday.

The Foreign Ministry statement said: “We will discuss continued efforts to ensure the release of the remaining detainees, protect civilian lives during Israeli operations in Gaza, and accelerate humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.”