The official spokesman for the presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeina, said that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the Palestinian territories, and it is the responsibility of the PLO, and that Israeli attempts to separate it from the West Bank will fail, and this will not be allowed, no matter the ongoing pressures and threats, and that consolidating the occupation in the West Bank and Gaza And East Jerusalem will not bring security to anyone.

Abu Rudeina added that Israel must stop the aggression it is carrying out against our people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and the American administration must move immediately to stop the war of genocide that Israel is carrying out in the Gaza Strip.

He stressed that security and stability in the region and the world will not be achieved except by ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, which includes the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.

The official spokesman for the presidency stressed that ending the occupation is what achieves security and stability, and that any international efforts will be useless as long as the occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem continues, and the end of the occupation is the only solution to restore stability and prevent the continued eruption of the situation in the entire region.

On Sunday morning, a special force from the occupation army executed former prisoner Montaser Muhammad Saif (34 years old) from the town of Burqa, Nablus district, after they shot him and arrested him. He was later declared dead, and the occupation continues to detain his body until now.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Club said that  Muntaser Saif, was arrested as a minor and was 17 years old at the time. He spent his sentence of about 17 years in the occupation prisons, and was released in February of this year. 

The Prisoner's Club explained that field executions constituted and continue to be the most prominent crimes committed by the occupation over many decades, but it has regained its strength since last year, and during the current year with the escalation of resistance operations, reaching its peak after the seventh of October, including executions of Former prisoners in the West Bank, and many of them were assassinated during the genocide operations in Gaza.

It is worth mentioning that during the arrest campaigns and raids it carries out at night, the occupation deliberately fires live bullets with the aim of killing.

The extremist Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, called for the reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, justifying this by saying that if Israel had been in the Strip, the “massacre” of October 7 would not have occurred, in reference to the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation announced by the “Hamas” movement.

The minister, who is affiliated with the extremist movement in Israel, considered that former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to disengage from Gaza in 2005 was a grave mistake.

Ben Gvir said in his interview with the “This Morning” program on the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (Kan) with journalist Aryeh Golan, that “following the evacuation of Gush Katif, reality changed.”

“Gush Katif” was considered the largest Israeli settlement complex in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, which included approximately 21 settlements, before the implementation of the disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip in 2005 during Ariel Sharon’s presidency of the Israeli government, a plan that Ben Gvir sees as a grave mistake. .

The minister, who heads the radical extremist coalition "Otzma Yehudit" party, added: "If the settlers were there (in Gaza), it would not have been possible to carry out such a massacre. When you are in the square, you will have intelligence and control, because you are the owner of the house at that time."

Ben Gvir wrote on his account on the "Liquidate them."

The Israeli Minister of National Security, whose party belongs to the religious Zionist movement, criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, Saturday, on the "Meet the Press" program on the "News 12" channel.

Ben Gvir said that the Israeli Prime Minister marginalized him after he demanded the implementation of a policy of organized assassinations against Hamas officials.

He stated that Netanyahu and those close to him accused him of seeking to keep the situation burning in the region all the time, adding: "I hope they realize that their concept was not correct."

Ben Gvir admitted, saying: “I bear responsibility because I am a member of this government, but they (the government) did not listen to me. They marginalized me.”

When the interviewer asked him whether Netanyahu should submit his resignation in light of the miserable failure on October 7, Ben Gvir said, “I am certain that in the wake of the war, an account will be opened against everyone, and Netanyahu will provide clear responses. Now I demand the occupation of the Gaza Strip.” .

Amnesty International collected one million signatures from people around the world on a petition demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The organization's director of research, advocacy activities, policies and campaigns, Erika Guevara Rosas, said in a statement issued today, Sunday, that the world is watching with horror more loss of civilian lives in the midst of the ceaseless Israeli bombing and ongoing ground operations.

She added that the continued shooting means the continuation and expansion of the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.

In non-final statistics, the Ministry of Health announced that the toll of martyrs and wounded as a result of the ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip since the seventh of last October has risen to 11,025 martyrs and more than 27,000 injured.

Rosas continued: Israel's tightening of its siege on Gaza left two million people without access to drinking water, food, medical supplies, and fuel, which led to the collapse of the health system at a time when the number of wounded exceeded 25,000 people. At least 1.5 million were forcibly displaced from their homes to the south of the Strip.

She added: The signatories of the petition called for the protection of civilians, at a time when hundreds of thousands continue to protest around the world to demand a ceasefire, yet their calls have not fallen on deaf ears by the international community.

Rosas pointed out that the occupation authorities continue to dehumanize the Palestinians in their speech while their forces bomb densely populated refugee camps, hospitals, UN-run schools, bakeries, mosques, churches, roads, and civilian homes, eliminating entire families.

She stressed that the international community's inaction is a disgrace to humanity in light of more than a month of civilian bloodshed, destruction, and unimaginable human suffering in Gaza.

She called for international action to achieve an immediate ceasefire, prevent further loss of civilian lives and allow aid to reach those who need it most.

Today, Sunday, Israeli occupation forces arrested 27 citizens from the West Bank and Jerusalem.

The Israeli occupation army claimed, on Saturday, that it would help evacuate infants from Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest in the Gaza Strip, in an attempt to appear humanitarian before the international community and humanitarian organizations, which have sharpened their statements in condemning the occupation and its violations against civilians in Gaza.

Earlier, Saturday, medics said that two premature infants died in hospital in Gaza City when the neonatal intensive care unit stopped working due to a power outage.

The Israeli NGO Physicians for Human Rights reported that there was “a real danger to the lives of 37 other premature infants.”

The surgeon at the hospital, Muhammad Obaid, confirmed the death of the two premature babies, adding that an adult patient also died due to the lack of electricity for a respirator.

He said, in an audio recording published by Doctors Without Borders: “We want someone to guarantee that we can evacuate patients because we have about 600 patients.”

Eyewitnesses in the hospital confirmed that continuous gunfire, air strikes, and artillery shelling prevented people from moving even inside the Al-Shifa Medical Complex.

Dr. Nidal Abu Hadros, head of the surgical hospital and consultant neurosurgeon at the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza, sent an urgent message to international medical institutions and world governments.

Dr. Abu Hadros said, "The situation in Al-Shifa Hospital now is very dangerous. We, as medical staff, want to leave, but we cannot."

"We may not be able to survive until the morning... We don't want to be killed here, just because we remain committed to our patients and our medical profession," he said.

He continued, "I am urgently calling for assistance. Please do everything you can through your government or the International Committee of the Red Cross to arrange safe passage for the medical staff."

"Please treat this matter as extremely urgent," he concluded his message.

Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert wrote on the X platform: “39 infants were removed from incubators due to the destruction of the oxygen device and the cutting of electricity. They are now being treated in another department for security reasons, but they are now without the oxygen and thermostat they need.”

The Norwegian doctor sent a message to US President Joe Biden yesterday, Friday, saying: Do you hear me? Can you hear the screaming from Al-Shifa Hospital?”

The World Health Organization announced the loss of contact with the people it deals with at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.

The organization said in a statement that it "lost contact with people it deals with at Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza."

It stressed, "As horrific reports continue to emerge about the hospital being subjected to repeated attacks, we assume that those we deal with there have joined tens of thousands of displaced people who have fled the area."

Earlier on Saturday, Gaza Health announced that it had been decided to dig a mass grave inside the campus of the Shifa Medical Complex to bury 100 wounded people who died in the besieged complex, the surroundings of which are subject to continuous Israeli bombing.

Director General of the Ministry of Health, Mounir Al-Barsh, said: “The bombing has not stopped in the vicinity of the hospital for 3 nights. There is very violent shelling almost every minute, with the aim of paving the way for entering the complex.”

The Israeli army has continued its war on the Gaza Strip since the seventh of last October, amid a tightening siege on the residents of the Strip, a depletion of food and medical supplies, and Israeli aircraft bombing hospitals and schools.

So far, the aerial bombardment and ground operation carried out by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip has resulted in the death of 11,078 Palestinians, including 4,506 children, and the injury of 27,000 others since October 7.

The Israeli newspaper "Maariv", through a lengthy report entitled "Scary cracks in relations", warned the Israeli government of the deterioration of relations with Egypt due to the continuing fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Michael Harari, an Israeli political analyst in the Hebrew newspaper, said that Tel Aviv must pay attention to its relations with Egypt after the war, and Israel must think very seriously about the consequences of the war on its relations with Egypt.

The Israeli analyst pointed out that October 7 surprised a long series of countries, one of which is Egypt, which considers that the developments of the conflict in the Gaza Strip have direct consequences for it, stressing that unlike previous rounds of conflict in the Gaza Strip, when Egypt was able to put an end to the round of violence. Continuing, things look different this time.

The Hebrew report explained that there are three main factors behind the deep anxiety in Egypt: The first relates to the strength of the Israeli response, which resulted in the largest number of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip and a large amount of destruction, perhaps unprecedented, and this relates primarily to the Egyptian street. And fear of internal pressures that have already begun to boil, at a time when presidential elections are expected to be held in Egypt next month.

He continued: “The second relates to the fear, which we are not able to express publicly, of course, that Hamas will emerge from the war with great achievements, in a way that strengthens political Islam in the region in general, and in Egypt in particular (even though the Egyptian regime has weakened the Muslim Brotherhood significantly.” Large in recent years), and although there is a certain contradiction between the first and second factors, this tension only leads to the intensification of the strait in which Cairo is located.

He continued: “Thirdly, there is a new development. Reports related to Israel’s interest in immigration from the Gaza Strip to Sinai, including what resembles a (comprehensive deal) according to which Egypt’s burdensome financial obligations are erased in exchange for Egypt’s agreement to receive refugees, but in Cairo, this is being interpreted.” Although it is a solution to the Palestinian problem in Gaza at the expense of Egypt, the Israeli statements, including the Ministry of Intelligence report which stated that the migration of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt serves Israel’s long-term interest, has put Cairo in real turmoil, and President Sisi has stated firmly that Egypt will not allow this, and that if the Egyptian people call for protecting the national interest, “millions will do so.”

An Israeli political analyst doubted the possibility of achieving victory in the Gaza Strip, and stressed that the Hamas movement had prepared well for the battle, noting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s talk about a long-term war “is a marketing alternative to a victory that does not exist.”

Nahum Barnea said in an article in the weekly supplement of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, on Saturday, referring to the Israeli ground operation in Gaza: “The progress allows for more intensive treatment of the tunnels and the Hamas members who guard them, but it also includes difficult battles with the militants.”

He added: “Hamas has prepared for this battle. It is true that it lost many of its warriors and leaders, but it continued to fight. The backbone of the Supreme Command, headed by (Yahya) Sinwar, is still working.”

Barnea continued: “The next few days may be the final and decisive stage in both efforts, the battle against Hamas and the American-Qatari attempt to reach a deal to release the hostages. After this period, it is doubtful that Israel will be able to withstand American pressure for a ceasefire, especially if a hostage deal is on the table.”

He went on to ask: “Will Israel be able to resume ground maneuvers after the ceasefire?”

He added, “Previous experience, whether in Gaza or Lebanon, does not give much opportunity for this. The day after the ceasefire agreement, children return to school, residents return to work, settlement reconstruction begins, the world expects a different agenda, and reservists want to return to their homes, to their families, to their work.”

Barnea stressed that “it is important to maintain realistic expectations: it is not certain that the Israeli army will be able to reach Sinwar and his colleagues in the current round. Even if they are eliminated, Hamas will not disappear; It is important to remember that we are not alone. In this drama, we need the American administration and we must listen to it.”

He pointed out that “the votes that (US President Joe) Biden is losing in his country exacerbate his need for an imminent ceasefire in Gaza.”

The Israeli writer touched on the ground operation in the Gaza Strip and the talk about the expected victory by saying, “Unfortunately, there is no such victory on the horizon,” considering that Netanyahu’s talk about a long-term war (..) is a marketing substitute for a victory that does not exist.”

He considered that in light of this situation, “it is correct to view every person who is released alive from there (Gaza) as a victory, and every day that the forces advance in the field without incurring many losses is a victory.”

Source: Sama News

Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi confirmed (Saturday) that his country "does not see any obstacle to expanding relations with Egypt."

This came during a meeting between Raisi and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, on the sidelines of the joint Arab-Islamic summit on the Palestinian issue, which was held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, today, according to a statement published on the website of the Iranian president’s office.

The Iranian President described Egypt as a "friendly country," stressing the need for greater unity among Islamic countries.
Regarding the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, Raisi said that the popular demand around the world is to open the Rafah crossing in Egypt so that supplies can be sent to the Palestinian coastal enclave.

He held the presidents of the United States and Israel responsible for "obstructing" the opening of the Rafah crossing.

For his part, the Egyptian President said that his country has the political will to establish “real relations” with Iran.

Al-Sisi said that to achieve this goal, the relevant Egyptian ministers were assigned the task of pursuing the establishment of deep relations between the two countries.

Regarding the Palestinian issue, Al-Sisi said that Egypt was more affected than any other country by the repercussions of the ongoing situation in Gaza.

Earlier today, Raisi also met with the head of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and expressed Tehran’s readiness to exchange diplomatic delegations with Khartoum and expand relations in various fields.

Al-Burhan also expressed his country's readiness to rebuild and resume relations with Iran, which he said would "be in the interest of the entire Islamic world."

Iran and Egypt severed diplomatic relations in 1980. In recent months, the two countries have expressed their willingness to repair bilateral relations by resolving differences on certain issues.

Last month, Iran and Sudan announced the resumption of their diplomatic relations, seven years after severing them in 2016 after Saudi Arabia moved to sever relations with Tehran in the same year.

This evening (Saturday), a high-ranking Israeli official revealed to Channel 13 that negotiations on a major prisoner exchange deal have witnessed significant progress, stressing at the same time that it does not include soldiers.

According to the Israeli Channel 13, the Israeli source confirmed that “no final agreement has been reached yet,” adding that the deal includes the release of dozens of hostages in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for Israel releasing female prisoners and minors from Israeli prisons and allowing fuel to enter the Strip.

The publication on Channel 13 comes at a time when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed during a press conference held this evening (Saturday) at the headquarters of the Israeli Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, that the issue of returning the hostages constitutes the first priority of the Israeli government, while the head of the Israeli Mossad, David Barnea, is working together. With the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Prisoner Affairs, coordinating efforts to do so.

As for Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, it was reported by prominent political sources that the deal would include, in addition to the release of children and women, several days of ceasefire, in addition to the introduction of fuel, provided that it reaches the places that were previously agreed upon.

The newspaper added, quoting the same source, that no agreement had been reached on the number of prisoners who would be released, “but we aspire to release the largest possible number.” The source confirmed that finalizing the deal requires several more days until it is presented to the Israeli government for approval.

A number of countries, including Qatar and Egypt, play the role of mediator between Israel and Hamas in order to reach a prisoner exchange deal between the two parties.

The Hamas movement has expressed its willingness to conclude an exchange deal that includes “all Israeli prisoners” in Gaza, in exchange for all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, who number more than 7,500. But at the same time, it stressed that it will not take place under fire.

The Prime Minister of the Israeli occupation government, Benjamin Netanyahu, confirmed on Saturday night in a joint conference, with Defense Minister Yoav Galant and Minister of the “War Cabinet” Benny Gantz, that the Palestinian Authority will not return to the Gaza Strip at the end of the war, while the Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Galant, threatened, Lebanese Hezbollah attacked Beirut.

During a press conference for the Israeli War Council, Netanyahu said: “We will not stop until we complete the mission. The war against Hamas is progressing with full force and its only goal is victory and nothing but victory. We will eliminate Hamas and return the kidnappers.”

Netanyahu claimed that the occupation army had completed the encirclement of Gaza City and killed thousands of resistance fighters, including those who participated in the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation on October 7, which was carried out by the Palestinian resistance in response to the occupation’s crimes and violations.

He also claimed that "Hamas has lost control over the northern Gaza Strip and there is no place for Yahya Al-Sinwar (Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip) and even the last gunman to hide. They will all die. Our forces are striking them from above the ground and from under the ground, and we will continue with all force until victory," as he put it. .

Regarding the war on the Lebanese front, Netanyahu said: “We are also ready on the northern front, and I warned Hezbollah not to make a mistake and enter the war, because this will be the mistake of their lives and they will decide the fate of Lebanon.”

Regarding the prisoners, Netanyahu spoke of “daily sessions” to discuss this file in the cabinet, before saying that “there will be no ceasefire without the return of our kidnappers. When we have something to say, we will inform the families and bring it to the government table, and until then it is better to remain silent.” .

Netanyahu also addressed the Americans, saying: “You also enlisted for our primary goal, which is to eliminate the Hamas movement, and this is your goal as well, and most of the American public supports us (..) From time to time there are disagreements. I tell them, our war is your war as well, and in this war we must win by “For our sake, but also for your sake.”

While he said that “there is no global pressure that will undermine our work in defending ourselves,” he announced that “Gaza will be a demilitarized Gaza,” and that “the Israeli army will continue to have security control over the Gaza Strip,” claiming that “the events of October 7 (the Al-Aqsa flood) “It has proven conclusively that we must not compromise security control under any circumstances,” he said.

Regarding what he means by security control, Netanyahu said that this means “that we enter whenever we want in order to kill those who pose a threat to Israeli security.”

He added: "What we can pledge is that there will not be Hamas that can enter and kill the Israelis, nor will there be a (Palestinian) authority, and there cannot be an authority headed by a president who has not, to this day, denounced what happened on October 7."

The World Health Organization announced the loss of contact with the people it deals with at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, as a result of the horrific attacks on the hospital.

The organization said in a statement at dawn today, Sunday, that it "lost contact with people it deals with in Al-Shifa Hospital, and there is fear for the safety of health workers, patients, injured people, children in nurseries, and numbers of displaced people inside the hospital."

She stressed, "As horrific reports continue to emerge about the hospital being subjected to repeated attacks, we assume that those we deal with there have joined tens of thousands of displaced people who have fled the area."

A number of citizens were martyred and others were injured, yesterday evening, Saturday, in raids launched by Israeli occupation aircraft on the northern, central and southern Gaza Strip.

Medical sources reported that 9 were killed and a number of wounded in an Israeli raid on a home for the Al-Askari family in the Tal Al-Zaatar area in the northern Gaza Strip.

The occupation aircraft also bombed the headquarters of the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, which houses displaced persons, in the Al-Nasr neighborhood in Gaza City, resulting in martyrs and injuries at the place. Two doctors were also martyred and a number of displaced people were injured after the occupation aircraft bombed the Mahdi Maternity Hospital in the Al-Nasr neighborhood.

The displaced people in the hospital appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene to evacuate them and rescue the wounded.

The official agency reported that a number of martyrs were killed and wounded in an Israeli raid on the home of the Rantisi family in the Shaboura camp in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip. A female citizen was also martyred and others were injured in a raid on the home of the Abu Abda family in the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.

Al-Shifa Medical Complex announced the death of a second child inside the incubators in the premature infants section, after the electric generator stopped and the complex went out of service, while the occupation aircraft continued to target the complex, bombing the water well and its tanks, and drones fired fire on the complex and its surroundings.

Israeli drones opened fire on Al-Shifa Hospital in conjunction with violent artillery shelling towards it and its surroundings.

The displaced people in the hospital appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene to evacuate them and rescue the wounded.

Earlier, our correspondents reported that five citizens were martyred and others were injured in the bombing by occupation aircraft of the house of the Al-Najjar family in the Al-Tahlia area in Khan Yunis. A female citizen was also martyred in the bombing of the Al-Kadhimi family’s house near the Grand Mosque in the center of the city.

They also reported that a number of martyrs and wounded were reported as a result of the occupation aircraft bombing a house in the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.

The occupation aircraft targeted with two missiles a four-story residential building belonging to the Al-Farra family in the Sheikh Nasser area, east of Khan Yunis, which led to the complete destruction of the building, without causing casualties after the building had been evacuated earlier.

The Israeli occupation forces continued to target hospitals and their surroundings, and the occupation aircraft launched raids on the vicinity of the Indonesian hospital in the town of Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip. The occupation air force also launched a series of raids on Al-Shifa Medical Complex and its surroundings, west of Gaza.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that occupation tanks and military vehicles are surrounding its Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza from all sides, and are stationed 20 meters away from it.

She added that the hospital building was completely shaking as a result of the artillery shelling, in addition to heavy gunfire on the hospital, which led to a number of casualties, in addition to a state of panic among patients and displaced people.

Doctors Without Borders said that Gaza hospitals were subjected to continuous bombing during the past 24 hours, while medical teams and patients were still inside them.

The organization called for an urgent halt to the shooting at Gaza Strip hospitals so that doctors could save the lives of the injured.

The death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has risen to more than 11,100 martyrs, including more than 8,000 children and women, an infinite toll.

Former US President Donald Trump strongly criticized Israel regarding the war it is waging in the Gaza Strip, describing what is happening as "terrible and terrible" and expressing his solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

In an interview with the Univision television network yesterday, Friday, Trump touched on the Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, and considered them unbelievable.

He stressed that many people are dying, directing criticism at Israeli propaganda regarding the war, saying, "Israel needs to do a better job in public relations, because the other party is directing a blow at them on this front."

On the other hand, Israeli Channel 12 described Trump's statements as "surprising."

Macron criticizes Israel

Following in Trump's footsteps, statements against Israel and its war on Gaza also came from Europe, especially those who came on a solidarity visit to Israel only about two weeks ago.

French President Emmanuel Macron said - in an interview last night with the British BBC - that Israel must stop killing civilians in Gaza.

Macron stressed that Israel's war on Gaza kills children, women and the elderly, without any reason or legitimacy for this.

Following Macron's statements, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly responded to him, saying that the responsibility for harming civilians lies with the Hamas movement, and not with Israel, because Hamas is holding "our hostages."

In his response to Macron's statements, Netanyahu claimed that the Hamas movement uses schools, mosques and hospitals as headquarters, as he put it.

He added, "World leaders should condemn Hamas, not Israel."

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also criticized Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, saying, "A lot of things must be done to protect civilians and ensure that humanitarian aid reaches them. A very large number of Palestinians have been killed, and many of them have suffered during the war in recent weeks."

Thousands of Israelis demonstrated in the cities of Tel Aviv and Caesarea this evening, Saturday, November 11, 2023, to demand that the government work to release the prisoners detained in Gaza, according to Hebrew media.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that thousands demonstrated on Kaplan Street in central Tel Aviv, demanding the release of prisoners in Gaza.

According to the Commission, representatives of the families of Israeli prisoners confirmed that “the government is obligated to return all detainees in Gaza.”

For its part, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said, “Hundreds of Israelis demonstrated in front of the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in the city of Caesarea, to demand the immediate release of the prisoners (in Gaza).”

The demonstrators also demanded Netanyahu's immediate resignation as prime minister, according to the same source.

Qatar and Egypt are mediating between Israel and the Hamas movement to reach a prisoner exchange deal between the two parties, ending the current escalation in the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas movement has expressed its readiness for an exchange deal that includes all Israeli prisoners in Gaza, in exchange for all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, who number more than 7,500.

In previous statements issued by its officials, Hamas indicated its readiness to complete this deal in stages, but stressed that it would not take place under fire.

The families of Israeli prisoners are pressuring their government to conclude a deal that may include all prisoners in Israeli prisons under the title "All for All."

Fighters of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, captured about 239 people, including military personnel and civilians, including those with dual nationalities, when they stormed Israeli settlements and military points around the Gaza Strip on October 7, in an operation called “Al-Aqsa Flood.”

American billionaire Elon Musk made a loud surprise with bold statements about the Israeli massacres in Gaza, in an interview with the famous broadcaster Lex Friedman.

The famous businessman said: "If you are going to commit genocide, which is something that should not be acceptable to anyone, you will leave behind a lot of people alive who are haters of Israel."

A few days ago, Musk was subjected to massive criticism because of a strange joke he made about the Israeli aggression on Gaza during Joe Rogan's show, and he returned to spark widespread controversy with his answers to Friedman, as he saw that there is no easy answer about everything related to the Middle East.

“How many new members will Hamas give?”

During the interview, Musk stated, “The real question here is, in exchange for killing one individual, how many new members will you give Hamas? If you kill, you did not succeed.”

He went on to explain, "If you kill someone's child in Gaza, you have created at least as many Hamas members, who are willing to die just to kill an Israeli."

Elon Musk also added in this interview that Israel should “act with the utmost kindness possible,” and he considered that applying the principle of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth exacerbates the situation.

Reaction to Musk's statements

Social media users interacted with Elon Musk's recent statements, as Belqis Al-Huraizi said that the American billionaire "spoke about America's main plan to dismantle Hamas from within, which is what the Netanyahu government did not understand, and is the basis of the dispute between America and the Tel Aviv government."

“Baghdad’s Daughter” said in a post on the “X” platform that this is the best thing that has been said about the afflicted Gaza and the rising terrorism.

She added in her post: “Terrorism, deliberate killing, and injustice only generate injustice and oppression. The roots of the problem are still present in colonialism and tyrannical occupation. The solution must be radical and final to stop the retaliatory bloodshed!”

As for Dr. Aziza Naimi, she wrote: “Does Elon Musk know that Israel’s primary concern is seizing the land, and it does not care that it creates more enemies, not only from the Palestinians, but also from other Arabs and non-Arabs, and since the Zionists control American and European politics and the economy, Israel does not It cares about enemies, not their size or type.”

The Israeli bombing of hospitals in the Gaza Strip continues, with a focus on the Shifa Medical Complex, which the Ministry of Health spokesman confirmed to Al Jazeera is completely out of service, while international organizations have warned of an almost complete collapse of medical services.

The director of the Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza, Dr. Muhammad Abu Salamiya, said that the complex no longer has water or electricity. He added - in an interview with Al Jazeera - that the free world is watching children, women and the wounded in Gaza die without providing anything.

Abu Salmiya confirmed that death began among patients in the intensive care unit and in children's incubators due to the power outage and military operations in the vicinity of the hospital.

The director of Al-Shifa Hospital indicated that the occupation targets anyone who moves in its courtyards, or tries to leave it, pointing out that the hospital administration sent a distress call to the International Committee of the Red Cross, but it has not received any response yet.

For his part, Dr. Ahmed Abu Nada - Head of the Vascular Surgery Department at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza - said that the hospital no longer lives up to being a hospital, and that the situation is disastrous.

He added to Al Jazeera that there is no electricity or water, and that they are sometimes forced to leave some patients to their fate, stressing that 600 patients and dozens of children are at risk of death in light of the continued interruption of electricity and water to the hospital.

A new "Holocaust".

As for the Director General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, he confirmed that the equipment in Al-Shifa Hospital had completely stopped, noting that one child out of 37 newborns was martyred.

Al-Barsh added - in contact with Al-Jazeera - that "the Israeli occupation is committing a new holocaust by targeting Al-Shifa Hospital."

For his part, the spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf Al-Qudra, told Al Jazeera, “There are wounded and martyrs lying on the ground at the gate of Al-Shifa Hospital, which has become an open field for Israeli bombing from all sides.”

While Al-Qudra confirmed that the hospital was completely out of service, he pointed out that they were trying to save what could be saved using primitive methods.

The Undersecretary of the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, Yousef Abu Al-Rish, issued what may be the “last call” that could be heard from Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, due to the intensification of the Israeli attacks on the complex.

Abu Al-Rish said, "Death began to claim the lives of the wounded and children because all means of life were cut off from the hospital."

Earlier today, Saturday, the Palestinian factions said that they had informed the United Nations of the necessity of sending UN missions to ensure that Al-Shifa Hospital was free of any military manifestations.

In a statement, the Follow-up Committee for the Palestinian factions called on international bodies to attend the Al-Shifa Complex to prevent the Israeli occupation forces from storming it and to prevent them from falsifying the facts.

In turn, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) warned of the repercussions of the occupation army's escalation of its barbaric bombing in the vicinity of the Shifa Medical Complex in the Gaza Strip, for the fifth time in 24 hours.

Targeting Gaza Strip hospitals

Pictures showed scenes of Israeli army forces targeting the vicinity of the Indonesian hospital in the northern Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said, "Israeli tanks are currently 20 meters from Al-Quds Hospital," and reported direct fire on the hospital amid a state of severe panic and fear among the displaced people who took refuge in the hospital.

As for the head of the surgery department at Al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital, Muhammad Al-Mady, he told Al-Jazeera that “there is no place in Gaza that currently treats children, indicating that children are the group most affected by this war.”

Al-Mady added, "We challenge the occupation to prove any presence of resistance elements in the hospital. We were besieged for 3 consecutive days and the enemy asked us to leave and we refused."

The Director General of Gaza Strip Hospitals, Muhammad Zaqout, said, “We are constantly communicating with UNRWA and the World Health Organization, but they have apologized for providing anything in Gaza and the northern region.”

Zaqout explained that talks were held with the Red Cross to bring some fuel to hospitals, noting that the Red Cross informed them that the occupation forces refused to do so. Zaqout called for urgent humanitarian intervention for a complete ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

International warnings

For its part, Doctors Without Borders announced that it is currently unable to contact any of its employees inside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. The organization expressed its concern for the safety of patients and medical staff.

The organization urgently repeated its calls to stop attacks on hospitals and protect medical facilities, medical staff and patients.

Doctors Without Borders confirmed that attacks on Al-Shifa Hospital had intensified significantly during the past hours, noting that patients were still inside, and some of them were unable to move.

The organization said - via the X platform - that "Gaza's hospitals have been subjected to continuous bombing during the past 24 hours, while medical teams and patients are still inside them."

The organization called for an urgent halt to the shooting at hospitals in the Gaza Strip, so that doctors could save the lives of the injured.

In this context, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that the lives of one million Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip are on the "brink of the abyss" in light of the almost complete collapse of medical and health care services.

The organization indicated a near cessation of medical care at Al-Rantissi and Al-Nasr Hospital for Children, coinciding with attacks and intense hostilities near Al-Rantissi Hospital, where children are undergoing dialysis and in intensive care.

The organization also warned that thousands of children in northern Gaza are still in great danger in light of the intensification of hostilities and the lack of a place to go.

Today, Saturday, Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh called on German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock to take a position consistent with international humanitarian law regarding the war crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip.

This came during Shtayyeh’s reception with Minister Baerbock, in his office in Ramallah, in the presence of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Amal Jado, and the German Representative to Palestine, Oliver Ovtscha.

The Prime Minister said that not calling for an end to the war is an encouragement for Israel to continue its aggression against our people in Gaza, considering that Israel’s war is against the Palestinian people in all its lands.

He added, "Targeting hospitals is a war crime that cannot be tolerated. It must be condemned by every country and international institution. Immediate measures must be taken to stop it, provide protection for civilians, and stop collective punishment."

The Prime Minister called on Germany to take serious measures against settlement and settler terrorism in the West Bank, since Germany considers settlement illegal.

Shtayyeh said, "Our priority today is a ceasefire, delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, and stopping terrorist settlers' attacks on our people in the West Bank."

The meeting was attended by a number of citizens with martyrs’ families who rose during the current aggression in the Gaza Strip.

Today, Saturday, Israeli Occupation Army Minister Yoav Galant inspected the northern border with Lebanon.

The occupation army minister said that the Hezbollah group is dragging Lebanon into war, claiming that Lebanese citizens will be the ones who will pay the price.

The occupation army minister added, "What we do in Gaza, we can do in Beirut."

He continued: “Our pilots are sitting in the cockpit, with the noses of the planes facing north. We have enough to do everything we need in the south, but the air power is directed towards the north and its strength is very large.”

Targeting hospitals

In the context of the continued Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, an Israeli military official said today, Saturday, that the army is not firing on Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, but that clashes are taking place with Hamas around it, adding that people there can still leave the hospital safely.

Colonel Moshe Tetro of the Government Coordination Unit in the Territories said in a video message in Arabic that the eastern side of the hospital was open to anyone who wanted to leave safely.

On the ground, the statements of officials and what is broadcast by various media outlets reveal another picture that contradicts the Israeli allegations.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced the cessation of operations at Al-Shifa Medical Complex due to running out of fuel and repeated Israeli bombing.

The spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Dr. Ashraf Al-Qidra, said that operations at Al-Shifa Medical Complex stopped after the fuel ran out completely, indicating that the occupation is besieging the medical teams inside the complex.

Al-Qudra added in an interview with Al-Ghad that 39 children in Al-Shifa Hospital are at risk of death due to the interruption of electricity, oxygen, and medications.

Demonstrators gathered in central London on Saturday before a pro-Palestinian march in which tens of thousands are expected to participate, amid heavy security guarding, to demand an end to the aggression.

This demonstration sparked a political crisis in the country, and prompted the police to launch a major security operation due to fears of clashes, on the day Britain commemorates war veterans.

For the fourth week in a row, tens of thousands are taking part in unprecedented demonstrations in London, calling for a ceasefire.

Political crisis in Britain

According to Agence France-Presse, organizing the demonstration despite government criticism sparked a political crisis, as Interior Minister Suella Braverman is now facing harsh criticism calling for her dismissal for questioning the neutral stance of the police, who refused to ban the popular movement.

Braverman described the marches calling for a ceasefire in Gaza as “hate marches,” noting that police officers “make choices” when it comes to demonstrations, and considered that they ignored “pro-Palestinian mobs.”

These statements sparked a torrent of criticism, and opposition representatives called on Sunak to dismiss her immediately.

In turn, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned London Police Chief Mark Rowley that he would hold him "responsible" for any unrest, especially if demonstrators disrupt the commemoration of "Armistice Day", which falls on the same day in the capital.

"The National March for Palestine"

The activities of the "National March for Palestine" began at noon GMT today, and it is the latest to be organized in the British capital in solidarity with the Palestinians since October 7.

The organizers of the demonstration pledged to avoid the Whitehall area in central London, where the celebration, which the Prime Minister will attend, is scheduled to take place.

About one and a half kilometers from the site from which the march will start, about 1,000 people lined the streets to watch Armistice Day activities at the War Memorial, which is the day on which World War I ended and is celebrated in memory of people killed in military operations.

Amid the crowd, some right-wing demonstrators opposed to the pro-Palestinian march chanted slogans including, “We want to restore our country,” according to what Reuters reported.

Two citizens were injured by Israeli occupation forces' bullets, this Saturday evening, during clashes that broke out near Khirbet Tana in Beit Furik, east of Nablus.

According to local sources, the occupation forces targeted a number of citizens with bullets and poisonous tear gas bombs, while they were removing dirt barriers on the road connecting Khirbet Tana, which led to two young men being injured by rubber-coated metal bullets, and others suffocating as a result of inhaling poisonous gas.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society called on the international community and partners in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to intervene immediately and urgently to protect Al-Quds Hospital and its medical staff, in addition to the 500 patients and more than 14,000 displaced persons present there, in accordance with international humanitarian law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.

The association denounced the occupation tanks besieging Al-Quds Hospital and shooting directly at it, causing a number of injuries that are not yet known, in addition to a state of panic and extreme fear among the ranks of the displaced, the majority of whom are children and women.

Red Crescent expressed her deep concern for the safety of her medical staff working in the hospital, especially with the continued interruption of internet and communications services for the fourth day in a row and with the hospital continuing to be isolated from its surroundings for the sixth day in a row, as a result of the closure of all roads leading to it due to the continuous bombing, which led to the destruction of buildings. And the surrounding streets.

Doctors Without Borders called for an end to the systematic Israeli bombing of the Shifa Medical Complex and hospitals in the Gaza Strip, and reviewed horrific testimonies from doctors and health workers in the Shifa Complex, which has been subjected to a fierce campaign for more than 24 hours.

Doctors Without Borders said in a statement on Saturday that over the past 24 hours, hospitals in Gaza have been subjected to continuous bombing. The Shifa Hospital complex, the largest health facility where MSF staff is still working, was bombed several times, including the maternity wards and outpatient clinics, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.

The organization noted that the hostilities of the occupation forces did not stop around the hospital. MSF teams and hundreds of patients remain inside Al-Shifa Hospital. The organization reiterated its urgent calls for an end to attacks against hospitals, an immediate ceasefire and the protection of medical facilities, medical staff and patients.

The organization reviewed testimonies from Al-Shifa Hospital nurses and doctors: “We are being killed here, please do something,” is a text message to one of the Doctors Without Borders nurses from the basement of Al-Shifa Hospital this morning, where he and his family were taking shelter from the continuing bombing. “Four or five families are now taking shelter in the basement and the bombing is very close, and my children are crying and screaming in fear.”

While Doctors Without Borders quoted the head of the organization’s mission in Palestine, Anne Taylor: “The situation in Al-Shifa is truly catastrophic. We call on the Israeli government to stop this ongoing assault on the health system in Gaza. Our staff and patients are inside Al-Shifa Hospital, where the violent bombing has not stopped since yesterday".

“There are a lot of patients who have already had surgery and cannot walk. They cannot evacuate. We need an ambulance to transport them, and we do not have ambulances to evacuate all the patients,” said Dr. Mohamed Obaid, an MSF surgeon at Al-Shifa Hospital.

The doctor added: "We cannot leave because since yesterday morning until now, we have performed surgeries on about 25 patients." Obaid wondered: “If I or the other surgeon are not here, who will take care of the patients? There is a patient who needs surgery, another who needs surgery, and one of them is already sleeping under anesthesia.”

Doctors Without Borders condemned what it described as the death warrant issued against the civilians currently besieged in Al-Shifa Hospital, which was signed by the Israeli army. “There must be an urgent and unconditional ceasefire from all warring parties; humanitarian aid must be delivered to the entire Gaza Strip now.”

Doctors Without Borders noted that it had lost contact with a surgeon who works and resides in Al-Quds Hospital with his family. Other health facilities, including Rantisi Hospital which MSF has supported in the past, were reportedly surrounded by Israeli tanks.

The organization renewed its demands to respect international humanitarian law, calling on the United States, Britain, Canada, member states of the League of Arab States, member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the European Union to take the necessary measures to ensure a ceasefire now.

“The atrocities unfolding before our eyes in Gaza clearly show that calls for restraint and adherence to international humanitarian law have fallen on deaf ears,” MSF said. “Working purposefully to achieve a ceasefire is the most effective way to ensure the protection of civilians.”

The organization recalled that thousands of civilians had been injured, many of whom were in critical condition and would require complex surgical operations and continuous treatment for weeks, if not months. “This can only be achieved through a complete ceasefire and the unconditional supply of humanitarian aid, including access to food, fuel and water; the survival of the people of Gaza depends on this.”

Today, Saturday, Israeli occupation forces arrested the mayor of Sebastia, northwest of Nablus.

According to local sources, Israeli occupation forces arrested Muhammad Azem, mayor of Sebastia, as he passed through a surprise checkpoint near the town of Zawata, northwest of Nablus.

A young Palestinian was killed this Saturday evening by Israeli occupation forces during their storming of the town of Arraba, south of Jenin.

According to local sources, the occupation forces stormed the town of Arraba, and as a result, confrontations broke out in the southern side, during which bullets were fired at the young men, which led to the martyrdom of the young man, Wissam Jamal Hamran.

President Mahmoud Abbas called on the Security Council to assume its responsibilities to immediately stop the brutal aggression against our people, and to secure the entry of medical and food supplies and provide water, electricity and fuel into the Gaza Strip, and to prevent the displacement of our Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem.

President Abbas said in his speech before the extraordinary joint Arab-Islamic summit held in Riyadh, today, Saturday, that we will not accept military and security solutions, after all of them have failed, and after the occupation authorities undermined the two-state solution, and replaced it with deepening settlement, policies of annexation, ethnic cleansing, and racial discrimination. In the West Bank and Jerusalem, the siege of the Gaza Strip, and the violation of the historical and legal status of Islamic and Christian sanctities. We will continue our steadfastness in our land and will not compromise on the legitimate rights of our people.

He stressed that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the State of Palestine, and the political solution must be comprehensive, for the entire territory of the State of Palestine, including the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza. We reject Israeli piracy of our money that we send monthly to the Gaza Strip, which we have not abandoned for a single day.

The President called on the Security Council to approve the State of Palestine’s full membership, hold an international peace conference and provide international protection for the Palestinian people, adopt a plan to implement a political solution based on international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative, end the Israeli occupation of the land of the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, and resolve the issue of Palestinian refugees in accordance with UN Resolution (194), with international guarantees and a timetable for implementation, is what the State of Palestine is working on, and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, is committed to.

President Abbas called for mobilizing international support to enable the institutions of the State of Palestine to continue their tasks to support the steadfastness of our people on their land, including the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, and the implementation of your decisions regarding supporting the government budget and providing the financial safety net that was approved in previous summits, especially in these delicate circumstances, as well as Providing resources to advance the Palestinian economy.

The President thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and the Crown Prince, Chairman of the Summit, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for hosting this summit, and the brotherly leaders for their genuine stances to support our Palestinian people in these difficult and fateful circumstances.

Four citizens were injured today, Saturday, as a result of settlers assaulting them while picking olives in the town of Jama’in, south of Nablus.

According to local and medical sources, two women (67 and 66 years old) were injured by stones and pepper gas, and another citizen (28 years old) was bitten by a colonist’s dog, while a fourth citizen (26 years old) was injured as a result of the fall.

The sources added that the injured were transferred to Balsam Medical Center to receive treatment.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor urged the International Committee of the Red Cross to take urgent action to save the lives of newborns in the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza, in light of its exposure to power outages and intense Israeli attacks.

The Euro-Mediterranean Red Cross called on the Red Cross to urgently bring an electric generator and the necessary amounts of fuel to the neonatal ward in the Al-Shifa Complex in order to save their lives in light of the threat of death that threatens them.

Newborn babies and patients who need life support devices will begin to die within minutes due to the power outage, at a time when the Shifa Complex administration announced a complete power outage to the hospitals in the complex.

Doctors announced that a newborn child who was attached to the incubators had already died, and they warned of a similar fate threatening 39 other children in the coming hours if electricity was not provided to the section in which they were located.

The Euro-Med Monitor stressed that the Red Cross must leave the box of warnings and condemnations and take urgent practical action to save the lives of children and patients in the Gaza Strip in light of Israel's renunciation of its obligations to protect civilians and prohibit siege or targeting medical facilities.

By Ebal Giladi

After 4 weeks of difficult war, while the army is besieging Gaza and effectively dismantling the structures affiliated with Hamas, the Israeli government has not succeeded in agreeing on its policy regarding the day after the war. 

This matter is of utmost importance, because the steps of war are derived from its strategic goal. The military does not operate in a vacuum, and its operations must be supported, even as they strengthen policies for the day after the war. There is no agreement on these policies, and therefore, the main battle is taking place in Jerusalem, not in Gaza.

The Israeli government has three options after it decided to dismantle Hamas and its military force:

1. Israel itself controls the administration of the Strip, maintains security and law, activates the education and health system, and is responsible for rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure.

2. Israel is content with annihilating Hamas' military capabilities and allowing it to be a weak party that can continue as a civilian authority.

3. Israel ends Hamas' rule in Gaza, removes its senior leaders, and then transfers population management to another party. The solution could be a multinational force, integrating the Palestinian Authority into the management of civil issues.

There are no responsible supporters in Israel for the first option, except for a small group of Messianics, so the battle is between two options. 

The second option is the continuation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's policy over the past 14 years, which has been strengthened after the current government. Netanyahu worked to thwart the two-state solution and intentionally weakened the Palestinian Authority. He did not pass to it the clearance funds to which it was entitled, and claimed that it was not a partner in the negotiations. At the same time, he allowed money to enter Hamas leaders, built a force to confront Abu Mazen's force, and even gave them various guarantees in the arrangements that were made at the end of each combat round. 

If it were up to Netanyahu alone, he would have continued his policies today as well: Hamas would have been hit hard, but it would have been able to continue activating civilian rule in Gaza, even if the price was a round of combat every few years. The basis is not to strengthen the Palestinian Authority, and not to institutionalize it as a leadership in the West Bank and Gaza, in order to maintain the saying that there is no single address for negotiations - in a way that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state.

However, Netanyahu and the government of Israel are not alone in this battle. The United States joined the battle, militarily, politically, and economically, and it is interfering in the management of the fighting to try to give the army the necessary time and to influence the next day of the war.

This takes us to the third option, which President Biden has been pushing Netanyahu for about 4 weeks. 

The United States actually supports the overthrow of the current regime in Gaza, and is not satisfied with just statements about dismantling Hamas, which have been heard since 2009, time after time, without merit. According to this option, management of the sector must be given to another party, because there will be no “Hamas.” The body best suited for this task is the Palestinian Authority, and Biden actually asked to see how it would be integrated the next day. But it is clear that the authority is too weak to manage the Gaza Strip after 16 years of Hamas rule, and after a war that left a severe humanitarian crisis. The authority also cannot be treated as if it had returned to Gaza with the force of the army. 

Therefore, there must be a transitional phase in which multinational forces work, with the intervention of Egypt and Jordan, to impose law and order in the sector, while the authority bears responsibility for civil cases. After some time, the authority strengthens its capabilities and, through a gradual process, assumes more and more responsibilities. This option, when Gaza returns to be under the control of Ramallah, turns the Authority into a partner in the two-state solution. This is the fundamental reason why the Israeli government opposes this option, even if it is supported by the United States, the international community, the moderate Arab camp, the majority of Israeli society, and a small majority in Palestinian society.

Since the beginning of the war, Israel has declared that the goal of the war is to end Hamas' rule and return the kidnapped people, but the United States demands to understand how the government plans to do this after the end of the military battle. This began politely, when President Biden asked Netanyahu about his plan for the next day, and went up a notch when Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined the war council sessions, even approving a draft of the final statement for the session in which he participated. And now, the literature is over. 

The United States does not ask Netanyahu, nor does it suggest that he discuss it. Rather, it specifies for him and the war council the humanitarian steps that they must approve, when the truce will be, and how harm to civilians can be reduced. She is still waiting for answers about the next day.

Netanyahu, who managed the past year very poorly, understands the absolute attachment to the United States, and is inclined to accept its demands. The biggest challenge facing him remains managing the government sessions in a way that allows Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir to make their positions heard, without them having any influence on the decisions. Therefore, he formed a war council, where neither of them existed, and neither of them could be heard. 

However, representatives of the extreme right do not accept the situation submissively, and are trying to resist the strategy that is being formulated for the next day. Smotrich does not soften his opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state, and he even recently said that the army would remain in Gaza for many years. The same applies to Ben Gvir, as well as Minister Orit Struk, who wants to return and settle in the Gaza Strip. 

All three of them understand what it means to bring power back into the picture. If Hamas is no longer present in Gaza, and the Authority controls all the Palestinian territories, there is someone with whom we can dialogue. In their view, this is the big danger.

There are ministers in the government who believe that the annihilation of Hamas is only a military mission. They are wrong. "Hamas" is an idea and an ideology. "Hamas" is a social and political movement, and it lives in the hearts of people. There is no missile against the idea. In order to kill the idea of Hamas, another alternative must be built and allowed to grow. 

Previously, this alternative was the authority that offered the Palestinians a state, through negotiations, and in agreement with Israel. Netanyahu's policies eliminated this alternative and turned Hamas into a strong player. Dismantling Hamas now requires economic, legal, diplomatic, media, and also military equipment. The army can dismantle all missile launchers, hit command posts, and kill people. However, weakening Hamas politically and cutting off its funds is not a military move.

The United States immediately and clearly stood by Israel on October 7, and is paying an economic and political price to allow the army the required freedom of action. In addition, the United States deployed its forces in the Middle East to deter Israel's enemies and defend its soldiers present in the region. President Biden is paying a price among his voters in the Democratic Party, at a time when Secretary Blinken is moving between Middle Eastern countries, trying to reach understandings within the moderate Arab camp regarding Israel’s steps in Gaza. 

The government should appreciate these steps, and not underestimate their importance. It must also begin to provide answers to the basic questions in this fight. For 4 weeks, the United States has wanted to exaggerate Israeli post-fighting policy, and the Israeli government has found it difficult to reach an agreement on the next day. 

If Israel does not answer US questions within a reasonable time, consistent with Washington's policies, the White House could run out of patience. In this case, Israel will have to emerge with its own capabilities from the mud it got into. Now, the Americans are giving the differences with Israel a public dimension. Following an interview Netanyahu gave to ABC in which he explained that “Israel will have security control over the Gaza Strip for an indefinite time,” a US State Department spokesman said that “Gaza is Palestinian territory, and will remain Palestinian territory.” It is true that Biden will work to approve an aid package worth $14 billion, and will not back down, but political support and maintaining legitimacy for Israeli operations could decline and disappear.

Netanyahu understands all of this, but his coalition still stands in his way. Currently, the Prime Minister is listening to America, and not arbitrarily. More than helpful, he has good reasons:

1. Everyone knew

Netanyahu knew, the government knew, the cabinet also knew, and the Security and Foreign Affairs Committee knew. They were all aware that a battle against Hamas or Hezbollah was expected to break out soon, and that the two parties were in a state of coordination between themselves. Defense Minister Yoav Galant declared, several times, that continuing on the legislative path would push Israel into a “clear, immediate and real danger to the state’s security.” Netanyahu did not take any steps to reduce the danger, but rather chose to push the laws despite the warnings. 

The Americans, who knew the intelligence materials that were presented to Netanyahu, found it difficult to believe that he preferred the cohesion of the coalition at the expense of state security. It is true that no one expected a battle in which 1,400 Israelis would be killed. Netanyahu also estimated that the talk would be about an additional round with Hamas at a cost of 100 Israeli deaths and 1,500 Palestinian deaths, at a cost of 2-3 billion shekels. Is this price reasonable? Netanyahu cannot tell the Americans, "I didn't know."

2. Relations with the United States on the eve of war

Relations between the prime minister and the administration in Washington were the worst in history. Netanyahu's extremist government and the breaking of the promises he made to the president, time after time, amounted to recklessness in the eyes of the White House, and Netanyahu was not invited to meet with Biden despite successive demands. Ministers in the Israeli government accused the American President of supporting the protests against the constitutional coup, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs mocked the Vice President, in addition to another minister who recommended that the Americans focus on their issues. 

Relations were so bad that it also affected the entire stock of the Air Force and the Army. The State of Israel went into a military battle with its eyes open, unprepared, and without immediate American assistance, it would be difficult for it to manage the war. There is great importance for relations with the United States in order to preserve the international legitimacy of the work in Gaza. To maintain this support, Netanyahu listens to Biden and Blinken, not to Smotrich and Ben Gvir.

3. Zero equipment

Although everyone knew, there were no preparations for the expected battle against Hamas and Hezbollah. The economy was not prepared for emergency hours, the evacuation of tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes was not prepared, the health system was not prepared, nor was the education system prepared. In addition, transportation was not prepared to operate during emergency hours. What's worse is the fact that there was no economic preparation. The state budget was distributed corruptly, resources were directed to inappropriate purposes, while warnings of war were ringing in the ears of ministers. It is true that Netanyahu hoped that everything would end in a short round against Hamas, Hezbollah, or both, but the government was not prepared for this either. Hezbollah, which is currently waging a suppressed battle under the roof of war, succeeded in evacuating tens of thousands of Israelis from the northern towns, and prompted the mass recruitment of hundreds of thousands of citizens, which paralyzed a large part of the state’s economy, and all of this through local and specific events only. Who expected that in order to curb Hezbollah, we would need the deployment of American aircraft carriers on the shores of Israel, and statements from the President of the United States and his Secretary of State? True, the Americans basically want to curb Iran, but this situation on the northern front has forced Netanyahu to listen to Biden.

4. US interests

Biden's immediate and clear support for Israel makes him pay a political price among his voters in the Democratic Party. It is true that we still have a full year to go until the elections, but Biden is not ignoring this issue. In addition, it must be remembered that he is committed to American interests first. This is a time when the United States is watching, with concern, the axis being forged between Russia, Iran, and Syria, while China supports them, even increasing its intervention in the Middle East. 

The Chinese President made a successful visit to Saudi Arabia, and that China was the mediator in renewing relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. For Biden, it is very important to keep Saudi Arabia in the right position, and he is strengthening an axis that includes Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf states (the Abraham Accords) under the American umbrella. Biden is not interested in a regional confrontation that would prevent a deal with Saudi Arabia, and he expects Netanyahu to help him in consciously managing the war with Hamas, and in efforts to prevent the expansion of the battle in the north.

5. Freeing the kidnapped people

Freeing the kidnapped is a mission of the highest moral importance, which is to intensify the state’s commitment to its citizens. Not arbitrarily, the liberation of the kidnapped was set as one of the goals of the war. The talk is about a complex mission for each government, and there is no doubt that this government lacks the experience, competencies, international relations, and depth required to deal with a complex mission to this extent. 

There are voices in the government that doubt that the mission of liberating the kidnapped is a top priority, and there are those who ask: Is their blood more important than the blood of army soldiers? The assumption that all kidnapped persons can be freed in exchange for all prisoners is incorrect. Even if Israel agreed to release all security prisoners, including those who were arrested on October 7, “after they killed civilians, raped and slaughtered people in their beds,” this would not be enough to free all the kidnapped, and there would be no deal that would leave Israel free. Pursuing Hamas leaders. Simply put, they will not agree to a deal like this. Therefore, solutions must be considered such as those reached in 1982, when Arafat and Fatah were allowed to leave Beirut, or as happened in 2002, when a group of “terrorists” barricaded themselves in the Church of the Nativity and were expelled to Gaza, or abroad. Its members did not return to their homes. Egypt, Qatar and other countries must be included in resolving the issue of the kidnapped people. 

This is bigger than the Netanyahu government. The United States will have a central function in dealing with the kidnapping issue, more than it has now, and it will be strengthened the closer we get to reaching a solution.

6. Government policies

Even before the war, the United States expressed deep concern about the composition of the current government. From an American point of view, a small minority in Israel succeeded in controlling the government through its Messianic representatives, and in imposing provocative policies that increased friction with the Palestinians and inflamed the field. Ben Gvir’s statements and directives regarding the prisoners, in addition to visits to Al-Aqsa Mosque and encouraging the “Hill Youth” to confront the Palestinians, as well as the tent in Huwwara and the return to “Homesh” and talk of returning to Gaza, are all things that put American interests in the region at risk, including the “two-state solution.” ". Much attention has been paid to Smotrich's plan, which wants to transfer a million Israelis to the West Bank to thwart the two-state solution. This is what he plans to do through economic encouragement - that is why he asked to be Minister of Finance. 

This is in addition to orders to expand settlement - therefore, he was appointed Minister of West Bank Affairs in the Ministry of Security. The government's policy contradicts the policy of the United States, and now, Netanyahu must choose between a "Jewish power" or an American power.

It seems that the great hope is born from the bottom of the well: stopping the policy of lying about dismantling Hamas and preserving it as an authority that dwarfs power and prevents progress on a political path. This could be the end of 14 years of the rounds policy that led to thousands of deaths and the waste of billions, in order to return to the situation as it was before the rounds. This must end, which is why the next day is so important.

The United States' choice to stand by the Israeli government without reservation was understood by Egypt and Jordan because of their rejection of the massacre carried out by Hamas, but as the battle progressed, protests broke out against the Israeli aggression on Gaza. Jordan and Egypt have a central role in stabilizing the situation the next day, and therefore, Blinken went to Jordan after meeting with Netanyahu last Friday. 

In Amman, Blinken faced a clear request from Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi to “stop the madness.” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, who was present at the meeting, called for an “immediate ceasefire without preconditions.” Blinken rejected these demands and adhered to “Israel’s right to defend itself,” but he also stressed that the matter must be done by “reducing harm to citizens.” Arab pressures could affect the position of the United States, and it expects Israel to take Egypt and Jordan into account the next day, and maintain the moderate Arab camp.

Therefore, the United States makes clear that the war cannot continue unless Israel allows humanitarian truces and the entry of food and medicine into the Strip, in addition to minimizing harm to civilians, and formulating an acceptable plan for the moment when the guns stop. The United States' standing with Israel, from sending troops to billions in aid, is not guaranteed forever. It would be good if Netanyahu led his government to agree quickly on the next day.

HAARETZ

MICHAEL YOUNG

As Israel speaks openly about the ethnic cleansing of Gaza’s Palestinians, Western countries are nowhere to be seen or heard.

Israel has made great efforts over the decades to redefine its ethnic cleansing of the Arab population of Palestine in 1948 as being a consequence of the Arabs’ voluntary departure from their homes, or a result of their obeying orders from their leaders to leave. In that way, Israelis have sought to undermine the accusation that their state was built on the foundations of what is considered to be a crime against humanity. Yet today, the forcible transfer of the Palestinian population of Gaza to Egypt is being openly discussed by the most senior Israeli leaders and by former officials.

The Financial Times this week reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sought to persuade European leaders to put pressure on Egypt to accept refugees from Gaza. While one Western diplomat did try to qualify this by saying that Netanyahu wanted the Egyptians to take in the Palestinians “at least during the conflict,” the implications of this caveat are absurd. Netanyahu has no interest whatsoever in the wellbeing of a population his military has been massacring for the past three weeks. What he wants is that the door to Egypt be opened so that Israel can permanently close it once the Palestinians are out. That’s what happened in 1948, and only a fool would believe it can’t happen again.

Netanyahu’s lobbying comes amid reports that Israel’s Ministry of Intelligence has released a document in which it lists a series of options open to the Israeli authorities for dealing with the Palestinians in Gaza. Among these is that Israel “evacuate the Gazan population to Sinai” and “create a sterile zone of several kilometers inside Egypt and not allow the population to return to activity or residence near the Israeli border.” The document continues that Israel must strive to mobilize global support for such a project, particularly from the United States. Even admitting to an inaccurate translation from Google translate, the accuracy of the recommendation is incontestable given that Netanyahu is peddling the same idea.

That is precisely why Israel’s claims that the Ministry of Intelligence document is merely a “concept paper,” or a hypothetical exercise, is so implausible. Many unprecedented ideas in government begin below the radar, precisely because that is a sensible, bureaucratic way to ensure that they are not shot down immediately by competing bureaucracies. In fact, it is shocking on its own that Israel has admitted that ethnic cleansing is now part of its conceptual toolkit for the Palestinians.

If there are doubts about this, a repulsive article by Giora Eiland, a former head of Israel’s National Security Council, should put them to rest. Eiland proposed “options” of his own for addressing the problem of Gaza’s Palestinians. One of these is “to create conditions where life in Gaza becomes unsustainable” so that “the entire population of Gaza will either move to Egypt or move to the Gulf.” Ultimately, Gaza must “become a place where no human being can exist, and I say this as a means rather than an end. I say this because there is no other option for ensuring the security of the State of Israel. We are fighting an existential war.”

No doubt Eiland will continue to be invited by think tanks and universities around the world, even though his article endorses war crimes (collective punishment; willfully causing great suffering to body and health; destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity; and unlawful deportation) and crimes against humanity, according to the ethnic cleansing definition adopted by a United Nations Committee of Experts that looked into violations of international humanitarian law in the former Yugoslavia. Therefore, the belief among Israel’s admirers that the country is a moral paragon is not only laughable, it is contradicted by the activities and musings of Israeli officials, present and former.

Eiland’s justification—security—is interesting, because it is one to which scoundrels everywhere resort when rationalizing terrible crimes. So that Israel can be secure, some 2 million Gazans need to be driven into the desert, like a lost tribe. To kill a single Hamas official and enhance Israeli security, an entire neighborhood in the Jabaliya refugee camp has to be obliterated, with heavy loss of life. To protect Israel, gangs of armed religious vigilantes on the West Bank—people who in most countries would be placed on terrorism watchlists—are allowed to force Palestinian villagers from their homes or kill unarmed Palestinians harvesting olives.

What is so surprising is that Western countries have watched all this unfold, but have used Hamas’s vicious actions on October 7 as an excuse for doing nothing about it. Even as Israel slaughters thousands of people in Gaza, with many more under the rubble of downed buildings, the United States and its European allies have either refused to impose a ceasefire or have continued to voice outrage over Israeli deaths, while appearing unmoved by the victims of Israeli retaliation. This comes despite staggering statements by Israeli military officials that for Israel “the emphasis [in Gaza’s bombardment] is on damage and not on accuracy.”

What may emerge is a foundational moment for the West’s domination of global affairs. An early victim of the Gaza war is certainly Ukraine, the defense of which was portrayed in Western countries as the equivalent of rejecting the kind of appeasement that handed parts of Czechoslovakia to Nazi Germany. 

The ethical underpinnings of the Western narrative on Ukraine have collapsed with the apartment buildings of Gaza. Who will buy into U.S. or European rhetoric about Russian evilness again when so many Western countries are indifferent to the mass killings committed by Israel’s armed forces? In this context, the Americans should be careful. They could well find themselves isolated when they make the rounds for global allies to help them prevent an eventual Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

It pains me to mention the most simplistic argument one hears in such situations, namely that the West is racist when it comes to differentiating Arabs from those peoples they regard as more Westernized, such as the Israelis. Not only do I find that line problematic on so many levels, but given the proliferating protests in Western capitals against what Israel is doing in Gaza, I can’t help but acknowledge that many Americans and Europeans, not to mention a surprising number of Jews among them, have come down on the right side in defending all the victims, without exception, since the October 7 attacks began.

However, the elites in the United States and Europe have a different perspective, one that is being challenged by growing segments of their own populations. It is a perspective that regards Israel’s establishment as compensation for what is perhaps the greatest crime in history, the Holocaust; that regards Israel as an extension of the West and a reliable ally throughout the last half-century; and that views Israel as modern, democratic, and liberal in a sea of intolerance and backwardness. Many parts of this version can be questioned, of course, so to hear Olaf Scholz declare that “Israel is a democratic state guided by very humanitarian principles, so we can be certain that the Israeli army will respect the rules that arise from international law in everything it does,” makes you wonder whether the German chancellor actually believes such nonsense, or in fact owns a television.

As the Palestinian-Israeli conflict comes to divide Western societies even more, the mood among elites in Europe and the United States is bound to slowly change. But for now, such a shift is not remotely visible. Proof of this is that the Israelis are now bluntly talking about the ethnic cleansing of over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, while Western countries continue to engage in a shameful conspiracy of silence.

Carnegie Endowment