The Ministry of Health announced, Thursday evening, that the number of martyrs had risen to 11,660 dead, and about 32,000 injured, since the beginning of the comprehensive Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, on the 7th of last October.

The Ministry stated, in its daily report on the Israeli aggression that has been continuing for 41 days, that the number of dead in the Gaza Strip until November 15 reached 11,470 dead, including 4,707 children, 3,155 women, and 686 elderly people, while the number of injured reached about 29,000.

It said that among the dead were 203 health personnel, 36 dead from the Civil Defense, in addition to more than 210 wounded health personnel.

It said that on November 15, Israeli occupation forces, including tanks, stormed the Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, and reportedly stormed several departments, searched them and interrogated people, and the bombing hit and damaged parts of them, including the operations department. The specialized surgical department, the cardiac care department, and a warehouse, adding that after the storming, patients, health personnel, and displaced people were transferred inside the complex.

It indicated that 40 patients were dead in Al-Shifa Complex, including three premature babies, since November 11, due to the lack of fuel and the closure of its departments after the occupation forces besieged it, adding that there is no drinking water or food in Al-Shifa Hospital, neither for patients nor for employees, in addition to what they suffer.

It confirmed that the medical staff inside the Shifa Complex cannot move between the medical complex’s departments and buildings, because an Israeli drone opened fire on everyone moving inside or around the complex.

The Ministry explained that among 24 hospitals that have the capacity to receive inpatients in the north, there is only one hospital, which is Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, which is currently operating and receiving patients, and 18 hospitals have been closed and evacuated since the start of hostilities, including three - Al-Nasr. Al-Rantisi and Al-Quds - during the past three days, while 5 other hospitals, including Al-Shifa, provide very limited services to patients who have already been admitted to the hospital, but these hospitals cannot be reached, do not have electricity and supplies, and do not receive new patients. .

It said that the Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that it was unable to respond to hundreds of calls to help and evacuate the wounded or those trapped under the rubble.

The Ministry stressed that hospitals and medical workers enjoy special protection under international humanitarian law, and must be provided with protection, and any military operation around or inside hospitals must take steps to protect patients, medical staff and other civilians as well as health facilities, and all possible precautions must be taken, including This includes effective warnings, which take into account the ability of patients, medical staff and other civilians to evacuate safely.

It indicated that the entry of fuel is still prohibited, including hospital generators and water and sanitation facilities, because hospitals need at least 100-120 thousand liters of fuel per day to operate, while UNRWA needs about 160 thousand liters of fuel. daily to run essential humanitarian operations, and has been forced to stop major services.

It said that, for the third day in a row, the main generator at Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis stopped due to a lack of fuel, and the hospital operates a small generator that supplies the delivery room with electricity and lights in the reception area.

Humanitarian agencies and first responders have warned that power outages are putting the provision of life-saving assistance at risk.

It indicated that consuming water from unsafe sources raises serious concerns about drought and water-borne diseases, and in this context, the World Food Program has expressed its concern about malnutrition and famine.

The most prominent effects of the Israeli aggression:

The ministry reported, citing displaced people from the north, that there were bodies in the streets, and as of November 15, more than 3,640 civilians were still missing, including 1,770 children, who were still missing and presumed to be trapped or died under the rubble, adding that due to the interruption of Communications In the northern region, the effects of the Israeli aggression are still unclear.

It stated that on November 15, around midday, the Al Salam Mill in Deir al-Balah was reportedly bombed and destroyed. This was the last operating mill in Gaza, and its destruction means that locally produced flour will not be available in Gaza for the foreseeable future, and on October 15 Also, November 2, telecommunications companies in Gaza announced the gradual cessation of all telecommunications and Internet services in the Strip, after exhausting fuel reserves to operate generators.

In the north, the ministry reported that hundreds of thousands of people who are unwilling or unable to move to the south are still under Israeli aggression, and are struggling to secure the minimum amount of water and food to survive.

“The carnage in Gaza cannot be allowed to continue,” UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said today, offering a ten-step plan to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis, including agreeing to a humanitarian ceasefire and respecting humanitarian law. International, allowing the entry of fuel.

The Ministry of Health confirmed that the continued Israeli occupation aggression, restrictions on movement, and shortages of electricity, fuel, water, medicines, and basic materials hinder humanitarian agencies and their workers from providing assistance safely.

Health System - Gaza Strip:

The ministry said that 10,000 oncology patients were being treated in Al-Rantisi and Al-Turki hospitals, and now they are threatened with death after the occupation forced them to leave the two hospitals, noting that doctors are forced to perform surgeries without anesthesia, including those wounded by the Israeli bombing, and women undergoing cesarean sections. .

It indicated that more than 60 ambulances were attacked, and 55 vehicles were damaged and out of service. Only seven ambulances out of 18 vehicles belonging to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in the north were still working, but they were at risk of completely stopping operations due to running out of fuel. While 26 of 35 hospitals in Gaza and 52 of 72 primary health care clinics (more than two-thirds) were closed due to damage resulting from the bombing or lack of fuel.

Destroyed buildings:

The Ministry indicated that more than 58% (approximately 276 thousand housing units) were destroyed, (more than 54 thousand completely destroyed units and 222 thousand partially destroyed), indicating that the final number of destruction is not available due to the continued Israeli bombing, while at least 7 were damaged. Churches and 73 mosques.

Large displacement:

It confirmed that the Israeli occupation continues to target forcibly displaced civilians, whether inside shelters or while they are on the roads searching for safety in the southern region of Gaza, while UNRWA indicated that the occupation forces entered one of its schools and two health centers in the northern region, and forced the forcibly displaced people who were taking shelter there, they were forced to evacuate towards the south, then the two health centers were bombed.

In Rafah, an UNRWA guest house designated to house United Nations employees was targeted by Israeli occupation naval strikes, resulting in severe damage.

It indicated that the cumulative number of forcibly displaced people since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza is estimated at more than 1.6 million people, equivalent to 70% of the population of the Strip, as there are about 183,000 forcibly displaced people in 154 UNRWA facilities in the north. However, UNRWA is no longer able to provide services in those areas and does not have accurate information about people’s needs and conditions since the Israeli forced displacement and forced evacuation of all humanitarian workers on October 12.

The Ministry of Health said that 15% of the forcibly displaced people suffer from various disabilities, and that most shelter centers are not adequately equipped to meet their needs, warning that an imminent public health catastrophe looms on the horizon, in light of the mass displacement, overcrowding of shelters, and damage to the structure. 

The West Bank, including Jerusalem:

The Ministry of Health stated, in its report, that the number of killed in the West Bank since the 7th of last October until the preparation of this report amounted to 197 persons, and the number of injured was about 2,750, indicating that the number of citizens who were killed in the West Bank since the 7th of last October , representing 43% of the total Palestinians killed in the West Bank since 1/1/2023.

It indicated that the closure of Israeli occupation checkpoints, lack of safety, restrictions on movement and attacks on health facilities and their workers make the movement of ambulances difficult, in addition to obstructing the movement of health care workers and patients’ access to primary care and hospitals between the cities of the West Bank and Jerusalem.

It noted that partners running mobile clinics are still unable to reach parts of areas classified as C, leaving residents without access to basic health care services.

In its report, the Ministry of Health stressed the need to immediately stop the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and allow

Urgently bring humanitarian and health supplies into the Gaza Strip, especially fuel, to operate electricity generators in hospitals, and allow volunteer medical teams to enter to support health personnel in treating the sick and wounded, and allow

By discharging the wounded for treatment in hospitals in the Arab Republic of Egypt and elsewhere, and stopping the displacement of citizens from their homes and residential areas in the Gaza Strip.

The Ministry noted that there are great difficulties in obtaining updated information, due to the interruption of communications services in the Gaza Strip.

Nine citizens were killed, and others were injured, today, Thursday, as a result of a series of raids carried out by occupation warplanes on various areas in the Gaza Strip.

The occupation forces bombed a petrol station in central Gaza and a mosque in Khan Yunis, south of the Strip, resulting in nine martyrs and dozens of injuries.

While the occupation forces continue to storm the Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, after storming it for the second time last night within 24 hours.

Eyewitnesses said that the occupation forces placed facial recognition cameras and electronic gates in the courtyard of the medical complex, forced the displaced people to take off their clothes, detained them, and subjected doctors, patients, and displaced people to field investigations.

Palestinian sources explained that the occupation bulldozers and vehicles stormed the complex from its southern entrance, completely razing it, and destroying all vehicles in the square.

Reports reported by the Israeli media this evening, Wednesday, indicated “optimism” in Tel Aviv about the possibility of moving forward with the ongoing talks to reach a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, which includes a ceasefire in Gaza.

Reports indicated that the Israeli side set additional conditions for implementing a deal that includes the release of 50 hostages held by Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza, in exchange for the release of 150 women and children prisoners in the occupation prisons.

The channel also spoke about prisoners over the age of 16, but who “did not commit murders,” referring to prisoners with relatively short sentences.

According to Israeli Channel 12, the deal includes a ceasefire that may last up to five days, the entry of fuel under the supervision of the United Nations, in addition to an increase in the volume of humanitarian aid that the occupation allows to enter the Strip.

The channel reported that Israel demands the release of all Israeli children and mothers detained in the Gaza Strip, and the start of a ceasefire in conjunction with the Hamas movement's release of the first batch of prisoners or hostages.

The channel also indicated that the Israeli side demands the gradual release of the hostages in fixed and equal payments over several days. The Israeli side also insists on holding Hamas responsible for locating and bringing all the hostages.

For its part, Channel 14 reported that Israeli estimates indicate that the deal to release Israeli hostages will take place “within a few days” and will include 70 children, mothers and elderly women.

It reported that the deal would include the release of female and child prisoners in the occupation prisons “whose hands were not stained with blood,” according to the channel’s expression. In return, the occupation would agree to bring in fuel and humanitarian aid, and a ceasefire for several days.

On the other hand, informed sources indicated that Israeli intransigence may fail the talks, in light of the disagreement over the number of days of the ceasefire, and its rejection of some arrangements that include stopping the flights of drones during the preparations for the deal and the collection of hostages.

Israeli Channel 13 reported that the deal stipulates that Hamas will release a certain number of prisoners and hostages over the days of the ceasefire, and stated that Israel refuses to begin the ceasefire before releasing the first batch of hostages.

The channel reported that Israel insists on starting a ceasefire, with the release of the first hostages held by resistance factions in Gaza.

She pointed to the Israeli dilemma of agreeing to complete the deal or tightening the position in the talks so that this plays a role in Israel’s favor in possible subsequent negotiations or deals.

In turn, the Walla website stated that the issue of the duration of the ceasefire is the main gap in the indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas through the American and Qatari mediators, and said that Hamas insists on 5 days, while Israel agrees on 3.

He stated that Israel would not agree to a temporary ceasefire unless it included the release of a large number of hostages held by Hamas and other factions in Gaza. He pointed out that the deal paralyzes Israel’s permission to bring fuel into the Gaza Strip under the supervision of the United Nations to supply hospitals and bakeries, in addition to the commitment By increasing the number of aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip daily from Egypt to 200. For this purpose, the website indicated “the need for Egyptian approval and assistance.”

The website stated that the main difficulties in the mediation efforts are the difficulty of communicating with the leaders of the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, which delays the negotiations and makes them very slow. Reaching understandings with other factions holding Israeli prisoners and hostages.”

Walla quoted high-ranking Israeli and American officials as saying, “Due to the gaps that still exist between the two parties, it is not clear whether it is possible to reach an agreement to release the hostages in the coming days.”

The report also pointed out that the occupation's storming of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, which includes thousands of sick, wounded, displaced, and medical staff, and taking them hostage and human shields, aroused the dissatisfaction of Hamas leaders, which may complicate negotiations.

The leader of the Israeli opposition, Yair Lapid, called this evening, Wednesday, for the isolation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his removal from the political scene, and the formation of a broad national unity government led by Likud, to “rehabilitate” the State of Israel and continue the war on the Gaza Strip.

Lapid's statements came in an interview this evening on Israeli Channel 12, in which he called for the first time to dismiss Netanyahu in light of his government's failure to repel the Qassam Brigades attack on October 7th.

Lapid said, "Netanyahu must leave now during the fighting, and we will participate in a government under the leadership of another Likud candidate. We will talk with Likud leaders. There are many, many Likud members who understand that the country has gone to a bad place."

Lapid considered that the current government is a "nonfunctional government." He continued, "We need change. Netanyahu cannot continue as prime minister. We cannot bear the costs of managing a long battle with a prime minister whom the public does not trust."

Commenting on Lapid’s statements, a brief statement issued by Likud said, “It is unfortunate and shameful for Lapid to get involved in politics during the war and call for the dismissal of the prime minister who is leading the battle.”

Likud claimed that Lapid aims to "replace (Netanyahu's current government) with a government that establishes a Palestinian state and allows the Palestinian Authority to control Gaza."

Following this, Yesh Atid, Lapid’s party, issued a statement saying, “It seems that Likud got the idea wrong: Lapid is proposing a government led by Likud, and the prime minister from Likud is not Netanyahu. This is how we begin national healing.”

The head of the "National Camp" party and member of the Israeli "War Cabinet", Benny Gantz, expressed his rejection of calls to replace Netanyahu, considering that the time is "not appropriate to replace him," in statements he issued last Monday.

Gantz reportedly "opposes" calls coming from several directions in the corridors of the Israeli political system, urging action to replace Netanyahu.

Gantz said in closed-room interviews that “in the midst of war, it is not an appropriate time to change the head of the political pyramid,” in a position he expressed several times recently, according to “Kan 11.”

Israelis are demanding that Netanyahu be replaced, especially after he refused to bear responsibility for the sudden attack by the Hamas movement against the “Gaza envelope” settlements on October 7.

The failures are scheduled to be investigated on October 7, after the end of the war on Gaza, according to several Israeli officials.

The White House denied on Wednesday that the United States approved the Israeli army’s operations around Al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip, pointing out that the plan and implementation were Israeli.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, "We have always been very clear with our Israeli partners about the importance of minimizing civilian casualties, and the need to be particularly careful when we talk about hospitals."

The White House said that it knows that the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) uses hospitals such as Al-Shifa to hide and store weapons, stressing its understanding that “Israel is seeking to get rid of that,” and that it has “the right to demand that Hamas fighters in hospitals surrender.”

The White House explained that their intelligence information yesterday, Tuesday, regarding the presence of Hamas around the hospitals had nothing to do with the timing of the military operation in the medical complex.

US President Joe Biden had earlier called on Israel to “protect” Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, telling reporters at the White House, when asked whether he had expressed his concern to Israel regarding this matter, “The hospital must be protected.”

The occupation forces stormed the Al-Shifa Medical Complex at dawn on Wednesday, after days of surrounding it with tanks and cutting off fuel and electricity, which led to the martyrdom of many intensive care patients and premature babies, in addition to its outer courtyards being crowded with the bodies of the martyrs.

On Wednesday evening, Israeli occupation forces stormed the town of Ya`bad, southwest of Jenin, and villages north of the governorate.

Local sources reported that the occupation forces stormed the town of Ya'bad, raided the Al-Baajwa neighborhood, and demolished for the second time in a row the monument of the martyr Abu Jandal at the entrance to the town.

In a related context, the occupation forces stormed the villages of Jalboun, Faqoua, Deir Abu Daif, and Beit Qad, and launched extensive combing and inspection campaigns, intensified their military presence and set up mobile military checkpoints in the vicinity of those villages.

This evening, Wednesday, settlers fired live bullets at citizens’ homes in the village of Al-Laban Al-Sharqiya, south of Nablus.

Local sources reported that a house was hit by a bullet that penetrated the window of one of its rooms, fired by settlers from the “Eli” settlement, which was violently established on citizens’ lands, which created fear among the owners of the house and the people in general of a repetition of shooting crimes from the settlement, as the settlement guard fired during this week Shots were fired four times towards the village.

The official spokesman for the Jordanian army announced that seven staff members from the Jordanian field hospital in Gaza were injured at the entrance to the hospital's emergency department, while trying to treat Palestinian citizens who were injured during an Israeli bombing and were taken to the hospital.

The source said that the injuries of the crew members were between minor and stable, and their colleagues were providing the necessary care for them and a number of Palestinian brothers, according to what was reported by official media.

He added that the Jordanian army began an official investigation to find out the details of what happened, stressing Israel's responsibility to provide the necessary protection for the hospital and its staff.

He also indicated that the hospital will continue to perform its humanitarian duty.

The government office in Gaza reported that the number of dead had risen to 11,500, including 4,710 children, since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

He added that the occupation committed 1,200 massacres in Gaza, and destroyed 95 government headquarters in the Israeli raids on Gaza, as well as about 25 hospitals and 52 health centers that were out of service in Gaza.

He stressed that the Israeli occupation forces carried out a historic crime today by storming the Al-Shifa Medical Complex, urgently and immediately calling for the permanent opening of the Rafah crossing.

He added, "We are on the cusp of a new crime by announcing the cessation of communications tomorrow due to the lack of fuel."

About 50 persons killed in a new Israeli massacre in the Al-Sabra neighborhood in the central Gaza Strip

About 50 citizens were killed and dozens were injured, this evening, Wednesday, in an Israeli massacre launched by occupation warplanes on the Al-Sabra neighborhood in the central Gaza Strip.

Local sources reported that the occupation warplanes targeted a mosque in the Al-Sabra neighborhood in the middle of the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of about 50 persons and dozens of injuries.

In a related context, three citizens were killed and dozens were injured as a result of an air strike that targeted the Malaysian school in the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.

The occupation warplanes also targeted Palestinian communications towers in the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, resulting in the death of a child and a number of injured people.

It is noteworthy that the toll of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since the seventh of last October has reached 11,500 martyrs, including 4,710 children, and about 32,000 wounded.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that the timing of renewing the exemption issued by the United States to Iraq regarding the transfer of $10 billion to Iran, to pay electricity revenues imported from Iran, is linked to the expiration of the previous exemption.

Miller added, in response to a question from Al-Hurra, that the previous exemption expired last Tuesday.

Two senior US State Department officials announced that Secretary Anthony Blinken signed, on Tuesday, the decision to extend Iraq’s exemption from sanctions imposed on Iran, for a period of 120 days.

The two officials explained that this extension is the twenty-first since 2018, and that Iran “can only use funds restricted in Iraqi banks for humanitarian and other non-sanctioned transactions.”

Miller refused to answer a question about whether Iran helped prevent Hezbollah from waging an all-out war on Israel, saying, “I will not talk about the measures taken by Iran, but we sent very clear and strong messages that we believe that no party hostile to Israel should enter into this conflict.” ".

He added: "We sent public messages in this direction, and you saw President Joe Biden talking about it. We also sent private messages in this regard and we hope they will arrive. If they do not arrive, we will be ready to take action."

Regarding the six billion dollars transferred from South Korea to Iran via Qatar, he said, “As I understand it, none of this money has been spent yet.”

Press sources reported to Al-Hurra on Wednesday that the Israeli army withdrew from the entire Shifa Hospital in Gaza, after carrying out an earlier raid.

The sources said that Israeli tanks are still besieging the medical complex, the largest in Gaza, which has been at the heart of the war between Israel and Hamas for several days.

Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City became the main target of the ground operation launched by Israeli forces. They say that Hamas fighters made the “beating heart” of their operations in a headquarters with tunnels under the hospital, which Hamas denies.

Israel said that its forces found unspecified weapons and "terrorist infrastructure" inside the hospital complex after killing fighters in a clash outside it.

It stated that once the forces entered, there was no fighting and no contact with civilians, patients or employees.

The Israeli army said, "Before entering the hospital, our forces encountered explosive devices and a terrorist squad, and fighting ensued, resulting in the killing of two terrorists."

Israel constantly confirms that the hospital is located above one of Hamas's headquarters. The United States said yesterday, Tuesday, that it has intelligence information that supports what Israel is saying.

A doctor at Al-Shifa Hospital told Reuters that hospital workers, patients and displaced Palestinians sheltering there were terrified when Israeli forces moved to raid the complex.

The fate of Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest hospital in Gaza, has raised concern at the international level due to deteriorating conditions with shortages in supplies of fuel, medicine, food and water.

Alhurra

An official in the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said today (Wednesday) that there is no agreement on the hostage issue yet because Israel is still evading what hinders reaching any agreement.

Taher Al-Nono, media advisor to the head of Hamas’s political bureau, said in a telephone call with Xinhua News Agency that no agreement had been reached on the hostage issue due to continued Israeli evasion.

Al-Nono added, "There is no agreement yet because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is evasive and deliberately procrastinates and obstructs the efforts of the mediators to reach an agreement regarding the detainees."

Hamas offered to release 50 to 70 civilian and dual-national hostages in the Gaza Strip in exchange for announcing a ceasefire agreement under negotiations led by Qatar and Egypt, according to media reports.

Israel says that during its unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, Hamas detained 240 people, including foreigners and civilians.

Israel uses fuel as a weapon of war. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced that it “received today slightly more than 23,000 liters of fuel for the besieged Gaza Strip. 

The Israeli authorities have restricted the use of this fuel only to transport the small amount of aid coming through Egypt, as they stressed that this fuel cannot be used for the comprehensive humanitarian response.” This includes medical facilities, water or UNRWA work.”

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said, “It is appalling that fuel continues to be used as a weapon of war. For the past five weeks, UNRWA has been appealing for fuel to support humanitarian operations in Gaza,” explaining, “This is seriously paralyzing our work and the delivery of aid to Palestinian communities.” in Gaza".

He added, "By the end of the day, about 70 percent of Gaza's population will not have access to clean water, and major services, including desalination plants, wastewater treatment, and hospitals, have stopped working."

He continued, "Getting fuel only for trucks will no longer save lives. Waiting longer will cost lives," explaining, "More fuel is needed and we need 160,000 liters of fuel per day for basic humanitarian operations."

The UNRWA Commissioner called on the Israeli authorities to immediately allow the delivery of the required amount of fuel as required under international humanitarian law.

Source: Sama News

The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said that the Israeli occupation army’s claim that it found weapons in Al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip is a “farcical farce.”

The movement added - in a brief statement published on Telegram - that “the Zionist occupation’s claim that it found weapons and equipment in the Shifa Medical Complex is nothing but a continuation of the lies and cheap propaganda through which it is trying to give justification for its crime aimed at destroying the health sector in Gaza.”

The movement added, "These allegations are the same trivial propaganda that Israel made during its storming of Rantisi Children's Hospital, where the occupation placed weapons in the place and staged a farce that no longer deceived anyone."

Hamas continued in its statement, "We repeated more than once and two weeks ago our call to the United Nations and international organizations to form an international committee to review the conditions of hospitals, and to determine the falsehood of the occupation's narrative and its false claims, because we are aware of the level of lies and deception that the occupation is spreading to cover up its crimes against children, women, and defenseless civilians."

At dawn on Wednesday, the Israeli occupation army stormed the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in a military operation that eyewitnesses described as a “nightmare,” at a time when the complex contained patients, injured people, and displaced people, in addition to its outer courtyard being crowded with dozens of bodies of martyrs of the Israeli raids on Gaza.

Sources from inside Al-Shifa Medical Hospital reported that the occupation forces arrested a number of displaced people and the families of the martyrs and wounded during their storming of the complex. A hospital source described the situation as "tragic."

There are about 1,500 members of the medical team in the Shifa complex, about 700 patients, 39 premature babies, and 7,000 displaced people, according to the government media office in Gaza.

A senior official in the occupation army said that "the forces found weapons and infrastructure belonging to terrorists" inside Al-Shifa Hospital, adding that no fighting had occurred inside the hospital complex.

The Israeli official did not specify which part of the hospital the forces were searching and inspecting, nor did he disclose the nature of what was found, but he said that evidence would be presented later.

Earlier Wednesday, Israeli Army Radio said that there were no indications of the presence of Israeli prisoners in Al-Shifa Hospital, even though the army claimed for weeks that there were Israeli prisoners there.

For days, Al-Shifa Hospital and its surroundings, as well as other hospitals in the Gaza Strip, have been subjected to Israeli bombing and siege, claiming that there is a headquarters for the Palestinian resistance there. This is repeatedly denied by the Hamas movement and Palestinian officials in the Strip.

In a statement issued after her visit to Gaza, the Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Catherine Russell, described what she saw and heard in the Gaza Strip as "horrific." Russell explained that she met children, families and UNICEF workers in Gaza.

Russell stressed that the amount of humanitarian aid allowed to enter Gaza is largely insufficient to meet the needs.

She added: "What I saw and heard is heartbreaking. They are suffering from continuous bombing, injuries and displacement, and there is no safe place in the Strip for the children of Gaza to return."

Russell confirmed that more than 4,600 children were killed in Gaza, and nearly 9,000 others were injured, in addition to the presence of many children under the rubble of buildings destroyed as a result of the bombing.

She added: “At the same time, newborns who needed special care died as a result of the power outage and the depletion of medical resources in a hospital in Gaza.”

She pointed out that she met at Nasser Hospital in the Khan Yunis area a 16-year-old girl who would never be able to walk again. She said: “The young infants were trying to cling to life in incubators, while the doctors were busy with how to operate the equipment without the availability of fuel in the hospital’s neonatal department.”

She stated that UNICEF employees shared their “tragic” experiences with her, noting that the risks to which humanitarian relief employees are exposed in Gaza cannot be underestimated, and that more than 100 employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) have lost their lives since last October.

The UN official renewed her call on all parties "to end this horror and ensure the protection and assistance of children."

Today, Wednesday, settlers at gunpoint forced a family to leave their land in the town of Tuqu, southeast of Bethlehem, and seized the furniture, solar cells, and water tanks that were on it.

The director of the Office of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Authority in Bethlehem Governorate, Hassan Barijiyah, told our correspondent that settlers forced the citizen, Mahmoud Hammad Jibril (60 years old), and his family, to leave their land in the “Al-Tabq” area, east of the Tuqu’a Wilderness.

Brejiya added that the settlers seized the furniture, solar cells, water tanks, and other livestock raising items that were on the land.

He pointed out that citizen Gabriel has lived in the aforementioned area for 20 years, and grazes his sheep there, as they are a source of livelihood for his family.

On Wednesday evening, two citizens were shot, one of them seriously, during clashes with Israeli occupation forces in the village of Fahma, south of Jenin.

Local sources confirmed that the occupation forces stormed the village of Fahma, leading to the outbreak of confrontations during which two citizens were injured, one in the chest and shoulder, and the other in the hand. They were subsequently transferred to Ibn Sina Hospital in the city of Jenin.

In the city of Ramallah, the Israeli occupation forces shot a young man before arresting him, near the town of Beit Ur al-Tahta, west of the city.

Local sources reported that the occupation forces fired live bullets at the young man, Hamza Abdel Hafeez Suleiman, wounding him with injuries described as critical, and arrested him, near the town of Beit Ur al-Tahta, this morning, for allegedly trying to throw a homemade bomb.

In the same context, the sources added that the occupation forces opened fire on a vehicle this evening, on the “Wadi Al-Delb” road, west of Ramallah, and it was not confirmed until the news was prepared that anyone in the vehicle was injured.

Israeli aircraft continued their raids on various areas in the Gaza Strip, targeting populated areas and homes on the heads of their residents. The raids left dozens wounded and injured among the displaced and civilians.

The occupation forces stormed Al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip and carried out attacks and arrests against a number of those present there and took them to an unknown destination, in another escalation of the ongoing war on Gaza at a time when raids continue on areas inhabited by displaced people and people throughout the Strip.

The death toll from the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip rose to more than 11,500 dead, while the wounded rose to more than 29,000, while the toll is witnessing a daily increase in the number of martyrs and wounded due to the ongoing Israeli raids.

In the context of the prisoner exchange talks that have been ongoing for days, on Wednesday, a Qatari-brokered proposal was presented that includes the release of 50 children and women detained in the Gaza Strip in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, including children and women, in the occupation prisons (their number has not been announced).

The talks also included a three-day ceasefire in addition to increasing aid to the Gaza Strip. For its part, Hamas agreed to the deal while Israel is still conducting negotiations and requests a deal with a “larger number” of prisoners.

Various areas in Gaza are witnessing fierce battles and clashes in the areas of the incursion, at a time when the Israeli occupation army announced the killing of two soldiers and the wounding of 4 others, which raises the number of its dead since the start of the ground operation to 47, and the number of deaths also rises to 368 soldiers and 59 policemen since the start of the “Al-Aqsa Flood.” “On the seventh of last October.

Anat Kam 

The Israeli government continues to treat its citizens as minors, helpless, and people with special needs, and does not tell them the truth to their faces. This time, it is not about “deaths” and “fierce battles,” but rather about a very fundamental issue: What is the goal of the war in Gaza?

In the few interviews that Benjamin Netanyahu gave to the Israeli media, and in the statements of all kinds of "high-ranking political sources" - a term that should disappear from the world - it was said that the goals of the war are in the following order: overthrowing the authority of Hamas, and returning the kidnapped people. More than a month after the attack, and three weeks after the ground entry into Gaza, the public began to realize. My colleague Amit Eran expressed this well, and the families of the kidnapped people understood this, but no one dared to tell them the truth.

Much has been said about the chaos in managing the relationship with the families, and about managing the negotiations to return all the kidnapped people, and much has been written, but this is just the tip of the iceberg regarding the poor management of this event. However, the problem is not that members of the Israeli government are not telling the truth to the families and the public, but rather that they have not made their decision yet: they know as well as we do that: either overthrow Hamas, or return the kidnapped ones. 

They have not yet decided whether they prefer one over the other, as if the kidnapped ones and their families have all the time to put up with Netanyahu's hesitation and cowardice, his inability to make a decision, and certainly his inability to talk about it.

Yesterday, Amos Harel wrote in the newspaper that negotiations on a deal to return the kidnapped persons require a cessation of fighting for several days, and so far, there is no agreement on a truce that Israel will accept (based on the claim that the truce will allow Hamas to accumulate materials and energy to resume fighting afterward). In any case, it seems that this problem is still theoretical, not practical, because, according to what Harel wrote, “If a serious proposal is later put forward, and it is clear that Hamas is capable of implementing it, the government will agree to it. The moral debt is towards the citizens, who were abandoning them on October 7 is too big.”

I wish I could believe this is "reasonable". But there is nothing reasonable, expected, logical, or humane that can be expected from this government, which is incapable of making a decision that could lead to the implementation of the Hannibal Measure in an unannounced manner against its citizens whom it abandoned, who were kidnapped while they were alive, and with each passing day, the danger of them becoming dead increases. And perhaps in certain cases, by fire from our forces, as stated in the orders, and as Hamas hinted to, that this is what happened to soldier Noaa Merciano.

Netanyahu, Gantz, Eisenkot: The people are steadfast and able to bear the decision you make, provided that it is honest, transparent and public. Have you decided to sacrifice the kidnapped on the altar of overthrowing Hamas? Look into the eyes of the families of the kidnapped, and tell them that, and thus increase the fighting in Gaza as if there were no kidnapped people in the tunnels. But if you decide on the morally correct decision, which is to return the kidnapped ones first, respect yourselves, and stop fighting as much as is required to return them, even knowing that this will allow Hamas to arm itself. everything is possible. It is possible to continue fighting next week, but it is not certain that the kidnapped people will be recovered. In the meantime, continuing this process will not lead us to achieving either goal, but will continue to claim human lives.

Source: Institute of Palestinian Studies 

The results of a new opinion poll published by the Maariv newspaper on Wednesday showed that about a third of Israelis support the annexation of Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

The newspaper reported that the poll came about a month after the war, and was conducted by the “Mitvim” Institute, and focused on the Israelis’ position on the goals of the war and Israeli-Palestinian relations.

The poll indicated that 28% of Israelis believe that the long-term goal is to annex the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip to Israel, while 27% support an agreement on the basis of two states for two peoples, and 25% support unilateral separation from the Palestinians, while 5% support the continuation of the administration. Conflict.

The poll results showed that 32% of Israelis believe that the Palestinian Authority is important to Israeli interests, while 31% believe that it contradicts Israeli interests, and 16% say that it is not important.

In their response to a question about the day after the war on the Gaza Strip, 37% of respondents said that they support the introduction of an international force that relies on foreign countries into the Gaza Strip after the war, while 8% said that they support a force that relies on moderate Arab countries, and 18% support a force that combines forces from Western and Arab countries, while 22% said that the presence of an international force would harm Israeli sovereignty.

Director of the Polling Institute, Gil Murciano, said, “The Israeli public, according to the results, indicates that the time for procrastinating in order to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has passed, and that relying on the method of managing the conflict, as was the case in the last decade, died on October 7.” “The public has begun to move towards supporting the decision.”

He stated, “On the one hand, about a third of Israelis (28%) support a political decision such as annexing the territories of Gaza and the West Bank, but on the other hand, more than half of the public (52%) realize that the solution lies in independent Palestinian sovereignty within the framework of an agreement with the Palestinians.” or by unilateral separation.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday called on Israel to put an end to the "blind killing of Palestinians" in the Gaza Strip, in his harshest criticism of the Hebrew state since the outbreak of the war with Hamas.

The Socialist Prime Minister demanded "an immediate ceasefire by Israel in Gaza and strict adherence to international humanitarian law, which is now clearly not respected."

He stressed, "There is no doubt, we stand with Israel in its rejection and response to the terrorist attack that this country was subjected to in October," and "we demand the immediate release of the prisoners" who have been held by Hamas since the October 7 attack.

Sanchez added, "But with equal clarity, we reject the blind killing of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank," pledging that his new government would work "in Europe and Spain for the recognition of the Palestinian state."

In 2014, the Spanish Parliament almost unanimously adopted a non-binding resolution calling for recognition of a Palestinian state.

In 1991, Madrid hosted the Middle East Peace Conference, in which, for the first time since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, all Arab parties involved in a direct conflict with the Hebrew state participated.

Two years after this conference, the Oslo Accords were signed in Washington, which stipulates mutual recognition between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Source: Annahar Alaraby

A new opinion poll conducted by Reuters and Ipsos showed a decline in American public support for the war launched by Israel on the Gaza Strip, with most Americans believing that Israel should cease fire, as the conflict turns into a humanitarian crisis.

According to the poll, the results of which were published by Reuters on Wednesday, and which lasted for two days and closed on Tuesday, 32% of its participants affirmed that the United States should support Israel, when they were asked about the role that Washington should play in the fighting, in a decline from 41% in the poll. A previous poll was conducted on the 12th and 13th of last October.

On the other hand, the percentage of those who believe that the United States should be a neutral mediator increased from 27% last month to 39% in the new poll. 4% of participants said that the United States should support the Palestinians, while 15% believed that the United States should not be involved at all, according to results similar to last month's poll.

According to Reuters, the decline in American popular support may be a worrying sign for Israel, which is facing not only Hamas in Gaza, but also Hezbollah in Lebanon.

In addition, 68% of the survey participants said that they agree that “Israel must call for a ceasefire and try to negotiate.”

Reuters indicated that about three-quarters of Democrats, and half of Republicans participating in the opinion poll, supported the idea of a ceasefire, at a time when President Joe Biden rejected calls to pressure Israel to cease fire, and in return urged it to do everything in its power to avoid casualties. Of civilians.

In an indicator that may be worrying for Israel, only 31% of respondents said that they support sending weapons to Israel, while 43% opposed the idea, and the rest responded that they were not sure. Reuters noted that support for sending weapons to Israel was stronger among Republicans, while nearly half of Democrats opposed it.

Source: (Reuters)+ Al-araby Aljadeed 

The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has no end, because peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians depends on the Palestinians accepting an idea that is still difficult for them to accept and comprehend, which is that an Israeli entity will be established in those lands, overnight, according to a resolution issued by the United Nations from He did not consult the Palestinian people. 

A decision that was the result of decades of struggle by the Zionist movement that arose in the late nineteenth century in the wake of the campaigns of persecution against Jews in Russia and Central and Eastern Europe, and then was consolidated by the international solidarity movement after the tragedy of the Holocaust.

But it was a decision that came at the expense of the residents who had resided there since ancient times, through the era of the Ottoman Empire, and then the British Mandate, so that the establishment of the State of Israel caused the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

In addition, the one who heads the Israeli government today is Benjamin Netanyahu, who puts the Palestinians in the center of his goals, seeking in the best cases to expel them from all the occupied territories, or eliminate those who have the opportunity to annihilate them, because to him there is no difference between “Hamas” and those who live under Its system. We must not forget that he strove from day one against the Oslo Accords, which opened a window in the 1990s to reach lasting peace, and did everything in his power to disrupt the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state in the occupied territories. 

He helped Hamas against the Palestinian National Authority because he believed that by separating them and preventing the administration of affairs The West Bank will prevent this from becoming the nucleus of a Palestinian state. As long as there is no compromise solution that allows Jews and Palestinians to coexist in peace, there will be no end to wars like the one taking place today in Gaza.

Perhaps the way is for the United Nations to impose a solution by force, which requires the acceptance and approval of the major powers, led by the United States. But this, if it happens, will only lead to temporary peace unless the Palestinians and Israelis accept final peaceful coexistence between them. 

I believe that this will not happen, and the solutions will always remain fragile as long as the problem is not addressed in its depth. It is an extremely complex conflict, as evidenced by the failure of efforts made to resolve it decades ago, and by the casualties caused by the numerous confrontations it has caused.

But matters have become exceptionally complicated recently after the provocative operation carried out by Hamas, when it committed a brutal massacre, killing more than 1,200 Israeli civilians and kidnapping hundreds. Netanyahu has been trying to respond to this terrorist operation since the seventh of last month by applying collective punishment from which only a few Palestinians will survive if things continue as they are today, after the death toll among them has exceeded eleven thousand, nearly half of whom are children and women, and a significant number of others. Countless wounded. 

Netanyahu and the extremist ministers in his government (one of whom was sentenced to court) can eliminate all Palestinian fighters in the name of Israeli justice, without any consideration that thousands of victims have no connection to Hamas or terrorist groups, and most of them are children or grandchildren of the ethnic cleansing that took place. It happened in 1948.

There are other similar cases in the world, such as the one that arose from Vladimir Putin’s decision to control Ukraine under the pretext that in the distant past it was part of the Soviet Union, ignoring that the Ukrainians rejected this when they decided to establish their independent state. There are also thousands of civilian victims who are not at fault. Thanks to an exceptional leader, Ukraine has shown the world that it is determined to resist, and it is doing so thanks to the military aid it receives from the United States and Europe. 

It is a problem similar to the one existing between the Palestinians and the Israelis, in terms of the danger that may result from its escalation to the point of reaching a nuclear war. The only possible way to confront Russian military superiority is Western assistance to Ukraine, but continued escalation and the possibility of error may lead to the nuclear weapon getting out of control, while no one seems to care about such a danger that may lead to the annihilation of the world.

There is absolutely no doubt that the most urgent and dangerous issue today is stopping the war in the Gaza Strip and surrounding areas. Netanyahu knows very well that the thousands of Palestinians he expelled from their bombed-out homes have nowhere to flee to, and that they find great difficulty obtaining water and food. It is not lost on him that this situation may push other countries to enter this war, which may lead to a broader conflict that could raise the hypothesis of the use of nuclear weapons.

Many conflicts are apparently local, or limited to specific geographical areas, which are connected vessels with major countries that possess nuclear weapons, or with other countries such as Iran that are on the verge of possessing them. By this I mean the conflicts taking place in Africa, or other regions of the Middle East such as Yemen.

Meanwhile, the Palestinians are wondering: How long will we tolerate this sovereignty imposed on us by the force of Israeli weapons, which has forced us to live in inhumane conditions for decades? As long as there are no nuclear weapons, the situation remains “under control,” despite the thousands of deaths and injuries in the Palestinian areas.

But things may change radically if other countries decide to intervene, which will not be easy to subjugate, such as the Palestinians besieged in Gaza. When deadly weapons enter the battle, all that remains is to resort to the gods to prevent mass destruction. There is no doubt that since the missile crisis in Cuba in 1962, the international situation has not reached such a level of danger, where the hotspots of these two conflicts could expand or lead to horrific massacres, such as the entire Palestinian population falling under the control of the Israeli armed forces with no outlets. They have to escape, with the possibility of intervention by the Palestinians’ allies who possess lethal weapons that they can use at any moment.

What amazes me most is that those in positions of responsibility do not realize that insisting on achieving complete victory carries with it the risk of eliminating the world, while analysts tend to favor the victory of this or that party or whoever might enter the arena of this conflict.

We are facing an extraordinary paradox. The world is developing in an unprecedented way, and the miracles of artificial intelligence capture our attention and amazement more than ever. On the other hand, we stand on the verge of a nuclear explosion that takes us back to the first dawn of humanity. We live in the twenty-first century, and in the Stone Age, at the same time.

I end with the following question: When will things get out of our control due to the indecency and barbarism of fanatical and obscurantist politicians who do not value people’s lives?

Source: Alsharq Al awsat

A human rights observatory said that the Israeli army turned the buildings of the “Al-Shifa Medical Complex” in Gaza, after storming it, today, Wednesday, into a center for detention and torture.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory, in a press statement today, strongly condemned the storming of the “Al-Shifa Complex” by the Israeli army, with large military reinforcements, and its transformation into a military barracks, a center for detention and abuse of the sick and displaced, as well as medical staff, according to what the “German News Agency reported. "

The Observatory expressed its fears of “murders and executions, with intermittent gunfire being heard inside the Al-Shifa Complex since it was stormed, even though the complex did not witness any shooting except from Israeli forces when it was stormed.”

It said, “The Israeli army is the only party controlling the scene inside the Shifa Medical Complex, with the voice of Ministry of Health officials being blocked from the media, and not allowing any third international parties, including international organizations, to be present, which raises prior doubts about any narrative that will be issued.” Later".

It added, "The allegations about the use of Al-Shifa Medical Complex for military purposes do not require all these long hours of combing and raiding in order to uncover them, and therefore the length of time that the army spends inside the complex raises fears of preparing a stage for an artificial scene."

The Observatory for Human Rights noted that the Israeli army “deliberately, over successive days, exaggerated the goal of storming the Shifa complex; To portray it as a military achievement, and to pre-emptively inform its soldiers of the extent of the incitement against the complex; To prepare them as if they were going to take control of a fortified military site.”

The Observatory called on the Israeli army to “immediately leave the Al-Shifa Complex and fulfill its obligations under the international law relating to wars and conflicts, which requires parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of relief and health workers and their facilities, and not to restrict their work in any way.”

Israeli army forces and military vehicles stormed the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, which was met with strong condemnation from the Hamas movement.

Gaza Ministry of Health officials stated that the Israeli army stormed the surgical and emergency buildings in the Al-Shifa Complex, and was conducting searches in several sections of the complex, including its basement.

According to them, the storming of the complex took place under gunfire and artillery shelling, while doctors and workers at the complex were being interrogated.

On Tuesday, the French judiciary issued an international arrest warrant against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, on charges of complicity in crimes against humanity, resulting from chemical attacks in the summer of 2013 in Syria, according to what the plaintiffs announced on Wednesday.

A judicial source confirmed that four arrest warrants had been sent, on charges of complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes in sarin gas attacks that targeted, on August 21, 2013, Eastern Ghouta and Moadamiya al-Sham near Damascus, killing more than a thousand people, according to what was reported. Washington and activists announced.

The arrest warrants target, in addition to President al-Assad, his brother Maher, the de facto commander of the Fourth Division in the Syrian army, and two other brigadier generals.

Source: Alsharq Alawsat

There is no lack of voices in the Israeli media that the broad public needs to read the situation as it is, and it is not within the constraints of media misinformation, which has its strongest presence these days. What these voices say is oftentimes so true that it serves as a reference for framing what is happening, and even anticipating its implications.

It is certain that there will come a time when a final comparison is made between what Israel claimed to achieve in terms of the results of its war on the Gaza Strip, especially after the start of its ground maneuvers on 10/27/2023, and what was actually achieved in the field, and in a way that serves the implementation of its ultimate goals of the war, which it stated in the first goal is to eliminate the military and authoritarian capabilities of the Hamas movement. But before that, and specifically more than two weeks after that ground maneuver, Israeli military analysts tended to establish a dividing line between the language of Israeli politicians, which was described as offensive rhetoric, and the language of military leaders, especially former ones, which they said implied a degree of professionalism.

There is limited space to present many examples that are accumulating daily, so we will limit ourselves to a few. The first thing that should be noted, as we do so, is that there is no significant discrepancy between the various military analysts and specialists in security affairs in concluding that the fate of the war depends not only on the military operations carried out by the Israeli army from the air, land and sea, but also on what the Palestinian resistance is doing now. And the capabilities it stores in the future as well.

The military analyst for Haaretz newspaper, Amos Harel, acknowledges that the partial coverage carried out by official Israel, including through its media outlets subject to strict military control, and the ambiguity of the battles that impose the isolation of the Gaza Strip from the media from the Palestinian side, place great difficulties in the way of obtaining a complete picture of the field situation in the northern Gaza Strip.

Although he indicates the preference for dealing with the statements of the army and its leadership, because they are professional and objective in his opinion, at the same time, he confirms that the goal of the war that the army denounces, in the words of the Chief of the General Staff, General Herzi Halevy, is to dismantle the capabilities of “Hamas” while avoiding distributing promises to erase its military power are very ambitious, and the ability to achieve it remains conditional on three things: the use of effective military force, the allocation of a sufficiently long period, and the ability to address the areas south of the Gaza Strip as well as the possibility of harming Hamas is relatively small in the wake of the transition. civilian population to it.

The military analyst for the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Yossi Yehoshua, confirms that the path to “completely eliminating Hamas strongholds in the north of the Gaza Strip” is still long and not easy at all, let alone its south?

This is what the military analyst for the Maariv newspaper, Tal Lev-Ram, repeats, pointing out, as others did, especially among reserve generals, that even if we succeed in reaching that “achievement,” it will amount to half the work required, or perhaps the least, in light of the estimate of the Israeli security establishment that half of Hamas’ forces are present in the southern part of the sector is controlled by these forces have rarely been attacked, so they maintain their ability and fighting spirit. 

This applies to movement leadership. In this regard, three challenges are indicated: international pressure, and when Israel will operate in southern Gaza, there will be about two million people, the total population of the south who have no place to go, and 900 thousand people from the population of the northern Gaza Strip, and the time factor, as long as The fighting continues, the fire will continue in the north as well, and in the two regions, and we cannot start talking about the return of the population.

This analyst reaches the point when he describes the Israeli ground maneuver as Sisyphean. Sisypheanism is often equated with absurdity, often describing arduous and useless tasks.

Source: arab48

President Mahmoud Abbas said on Wednesday that Israel is waging a war against the Palestinian presence in Gaza, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the “Palestinian Declaration of Independence.”

Abbas said, “The unjust aggressive war to which we are exposed is a war against the Palestinian existence, the Palestinian national identity, the identity of the land, and the identity of man,” considering it an episode in a series of aggression that has continued for more than a century.

He added: “Our first priorities now, which we are working on with all our energy, are to stop the barbaric aggression against our people, and to protect this people from further bloodshed. A drop of blood from a Palestinian child, or from a woman or a man from among our people, is more precious to us than the world and everything in it. We want a safe, dignified, free life for our people in their homeland and in their free, independent, fully sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital. This is our strategy, and this is our goal, and we will continue to fight for it until it is achieved, God willing.”

The President continued: “We have rejected with all force, and we will always reject, all plans to displace and deport our people from their homeland. These diabolical plans are not hidden from us. Rather, they have become exposed and shamelessly spoken by some leaders of the occupation, but we have always thwarted them, and we will continue to confront them with full force.”  

He added: “For this reason, we are working and will continue to work to secure all the components of the steadfastness of our people, especially in the Gaza Strip now, the Gaza Strip, which was and will remain forever an integral part of the land of the State of Palestine, and it is an integral part of our national responsibilities that cannot be We must abandon it, and therefore we categorically refuse to talk about the Gaza Strip in isolation from the West Bank, including Jerusalem. The future of the Gaza Strip is the future of the West Bank, including Jerusalem, just as the present of the Gaza Strip is the same as the present of the West Bank, including Jerusalem.”

Abbas continued: “The Declaration of Independence, which we commemorate today, was a Palestinian national decision with which the Palestine Liberation Organization culminated decades of national struggle in order to protect the Palestinian national existence and establish the Palestinian identity and character of our people and our cause... our people who decided, through their struggle and sacrifices, that the Palestine Liberation Organization would be Its only legitimate representative, the bearer of its national standard, and the guardian of the dream of independence, return, and statehood. Our people, and we with them and in them, will remain this steadfast, armed with the independent national decision, until all the hopes and national aspirations of our people are fulfilled, by embodying the Declaration of Independence as a national and political reality on the land of Palestine, and that will be "Sooner than later, God willing."

President Abbas concluded his speech by saying: “We have long told the world, and we will always confirm that, that a just and comprehensive peace cannot be achieved through occupation, aggression, or military and security solutions, but rather through recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy, and the return of refugees, and the world today has become more aware and more convinced of this, and we will not stop the national struggle until we achieve our freedom, independence, and state... and the occupation will inevitably end.”

The same source indicated that Hamas agreed to the general principles of the agreement, but Israel has not yet agreed and is still negotiating the details.

The Hamas movement agreed to a prisoner exchange deal that includes the release of women and children from the Gaza Strip and Israeli prisons, while Israel is still negotiating and seeking to conclude a deal with a larger number of prisoners. As reported by Reuters, citing a source familiar with the ongoing talks mediated by Qatar.

The talks include the release of 50 children and women detained in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, including children and women, from Israeli prisons (their number has not been announced).

The source familiar with the progress of the negotiations said, “Today, Wednesday, Qatari mediators are trying to negotiate an agreement between Hamas and Israel that includes the release of about 50 civilian detainees from the Gaza Strip in exchange for declaring a three-day ceasefire.”

He added, "The agreement being discussed, which came in coordination with the United States, will also see Israel release some women and children from its prisons and increase the amounts of humanitarian aid it allows to enter the Gaza Strip."

The same source indicated that Hamas agreed to the general principles of the agreement, but Israel has not yet agreed and is still negotiating the details.

It is not yet known how many Palestinian women and children Israel will release from its prisons as part of the deal being discussed.

For his part, an Israeli official commented on the talks by saying, “The mediators know that we are requesting a prisoner exchange deal for a much larger number.” As reported by Israeli Channel 12.

It is noteworthy that recent days have witnessed intense talks mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States in order to conclude a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and the Hamas movement.

Israel and the United States of America have admitted that the prisoner exchange talks have achieved tangible progress and a breakthrough may be achieved within several days, while Hamas accused the Israeli government of procrastinating in completing the deal.

Arab48

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation strongly condemned the Israeli occupation forces’ storming of the Al-Shifa Medical Complex and continuing the siege of Gaza City hospitals, cutting off electricity, fuel, and food from them, and targeting medical staff, displaced persons, the sick, the wounded, and premature babies in incubators, with the presence of dozens of dead bodies inside the complex, in addition to the continued bombing of residential homes, infrastructure and vital facilities, and the practice of collective punishment and war of extermination against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, which constitutes a war crime under international humanitarian law.

In a statement today, Wednesday, the organization renewed its call on all international actors to assume their responsibilities towards stopping the Israeli aggression immediately and completely, and to ensure the opening of humanitarian corridors to deliver aid in a safe and sustainable way to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

Former Army Minister and member of the Israeli war government, Benny Gantz, said that the ground operation in Gaza will take a long time, stressing that the fighting will not stop until “our goals” are achieved.

Gantz added that the army is operating deep in Gaza, and that there is no immunity anywhere in the Strip.

He stressed that the Israeli forces intend to reach any place with the aim of eliminating the Hamas movement, as he claimed.

He said about the head of the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, that the Palestinian leader “believes that he will dismantle Israeli society, but he will lose this war.”

In a related context, an Israeli army spokesman said that the military operation carried out by his forces in Al-Shifa Hospital is taking place in one specific area, and he claimed that weapons and other infrastructure belonging to militants were found in the hospital.

The spokesman added that there was no contact with medical staff and civilians during the operation, and no fighting occurred inside the hospital, he said.

At dawn today, the occupation army forces stormed the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza and are still there to this day. Our correspondent reported that the occupation forces arrested a number of young men from inside the hospital after they assaulted and beat them.

The American "Bloomberg" agency said, on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, that the White House "feels increasingly frustrated" about Israel's behavior in the war on Gaza, with the number of martyrs increasing to more than 11,000, and the failure to respond to the American administration's calls for a truce.

The agency believed that this would lead to a widening of the gap between the two close allies, noting that US administration officials are holding what they describe as “more difficult” talks with their Israeli counterparts at a time when the United States is trying to frame the conflict.

However, several people familiar with those talks, who requested anonymity because they are related to private deliberations, said that the American efforts were met with “ignorance” from Israel.

Washington's impatience is growing

The officials said that the administration has intensified its private messaging to Israel as impatience grows, but at the same time the administration is still fulfilling Israeli weapons requests, and has not yet threatened any consequences against its main partner in the region.

The tense talks highlight the dangers of the Biden administration's strategy, which has been largely based on the idea that a close public embrace of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would open up space behind the scenes to deliver tough messages and frame Israel's behavior in the war.

But this has proven to be a difficult balance as Israel escalates its aggression against the Gaza Strip, and the administration has also come under increasing pressure from Arab allies, who say embracing the Biden administration has given Netanyahu the green light to move forward.

At the same time, Netanyahu has so far ignored U.S. concerns about Americans still detained in Gaza, and the hundreds of Palestinian Americans who have been unable to leave the Strip, people familiar with the matter said.

In this context, Brian Katulis, vice president of the Middle East Institute for Research, said: “If Israel’s plan of action was basically that ‘there were 30,000 Hamas fighters and we will kill them all, and yes there will be blood and damage, and we regret that’, then "This is worrying."

He added: "This results in a humanitarian crisis inside Gaza, produces threats to American citizens who have not yet exited, and may lead to escalation of tensions throughout the region."

American anger

Another point of tension is the future of the Gaza Strip, where Netanyahu went from saying that Israel did not want to occupy the area again to pledging that Israeli forces would remain there indefinitely, sparking regional and international reactions.

In a related context, the officials said that the United States repeatedly warns about the need for Israel to protect civilians during its war on Gaza, pointing out that when the United States asked what happened when Israel bombed the Jabalia camp in the Gaza Strip and committed a massacre there; The Israeli response was almost dismissive, claiming that "the goal has been achieved."

Israeli officials declined to comment on the talks, but Israeli officials acknowledged that they could only continue the campaign for so long, according to Bloomberg.

Recently, the United States has begun to make its domestic anger toward Israel more public, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying last week that “far too many Palestinians have been killed.”

While National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, “Hamas’ use of civilians as shields does not diminish Israel’s responsibility to act in ways that separate terrorists from civilians,” as he put it.

Biden also let some of his frustrations show, telling reporters on Monday that he was “not hesitant to express his concerns” about the fighting in Gaza hospitals. Last week, Biden also said that efforts to implement a humanitarian truce in the fighting “took time.” A little longer than I had hoped."

Partners pressure

Part of America's growing impatience is due to pressure from other partners, especially in the Arab world, and some leaders believe that Biden's embrace of Netanyahu, and his meeting with the war cabinet during his visit to Israel last October, gave the green light to the campaign now unfolding.

In turn, Karen Young, a senior researcher at the Center for Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, said: “There is enormous frustration with the United States, and what many see as the Biden administration’s lack of credibility,” adding, “It will take a long time to restore a sense of confidence.”

But amid these concerns, the United States went ahead with financial and military support for Israel, including providing some of the weapons that Israel used in the bombing campaign, including 155 mm artillery shells, which sparked protests from aid groups because of their poor accuracy.

For the 40th day, the Israeli occupation army is waging a devastating war on Gaza, leaving 11,320 Palestinian martyrs, including 4,650 children and 3,145 women, in addition to 29,200 injured, 70% of whom are children and women, according to official Palestinian sources.

Source: Arabic Post