On Wednesday evening, the Israeli occupation forces targeted a vehicle with several bullets while it was driving on the outskirts of the city of Al-Bireh.

Local sources reported that the occupation forces fired bullets at a vehicle, while it was driving on the outskirts of the Sateh Marhaba neighborhood, near the “Psagot” colony established on citizens’ lands in the city of Al-Bireh, but no injuries were reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that "the calls directed to the Palestinians to leave for Sinai are not something that can lead to peace," stressing that "Gaza is part of the historic land of Palestine."

Putin said in statements reported by the “Russia Today” website, this evening, Wednesday, regarding the calls for forced displacement launched by the Israeli occupation of our people from the Gaza Strip, “This is the land on which the Palestinians live, and this is their land historically. It was also supposed to establish an independent Palestinian state.” "Including Gaza. In my opinion, this is not something that can lead to peace."

President Mahmoud Abbas received today a phone call from the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre, during which they discussed the latest developments in the Palestinian arena.

During the phone conversation, President Abbas stressed the necessity of working with all regional and international parties to stop the Israeli aggression against our people everywhere, especially in the Gaza Strip.

He stressed the importance of providing relief and humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and securing supplies of water, electricity, and basic materials.

President Abbas appreciated Norway's positions in support of peace, recalling the role that Norway played in the peace process, and the continuing role it plays in mobilizing aid to build state institutions, advance the Palestinian economy, and coordinate among donor countries.

The President also highlighted the necessity of working towards a political solution that ends the occupation.

For his part, the Prime Minister of Norway stressed his country’s commitment to the two-state solution and that it will continue to stand by the Palestinian people in their quest for self-determination.

The Ministry of Health announced, this evening, Wednesday, that a teen  was killed by live bullets from the occupation forces in the town of Bani Naim, east of Hebron.

The Ministry said in a brief statement that the teen, Munis Ribhi Musa Ziadat (16 years old), died from a critical injury sustained by live bullets from the occupation forces in the town of Bani Naim.

With the death of the teen Ziadat, the number of martyrs in the West Bank rises to 29 martyrs and about 150 wounded since last Saturday.

The Israeli forces destroyed at least 40 media offices and 970 residential units in the Gaza Strip, documented Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.

Israel is committing widespread crimes against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, Euro-Med Monitor said; amidst five consecutive days of its escalating war, Israel has cut off Gaza’s electricity, water, food, and fuel supplies, creating a threat of imminent humanitarian catastrophe.

Euro-Med Monitor stated that the Israeli attack has resulted in the deaths of more than 1000 Palestinians, with approximately 60% of them being civilians, including 185 children and 120 women. Around 5,000 others have been injured, with hundreds remaining trapped under rubble and along border areas.

Euro-Med Monitor added that Israel’s army is expanding its military operations in Gaza, targeting residential buildings without prior warning and causing the deaths of entire families.

“What is happening in Gaza represents a comprehensive humanitarian disaster, especially with the lack of electricity and water affecting more than 90% of civilian residents, and the disruption of various essential supplies,” the organization said in a statement. The group documented the killing of seven journalists, injury of at least 10 more, and loss of contact with two.

About 40 media and press institutions have been damaged or completely destroyed due to Israel’s targeting of residential and commercial buildings, including the Palestine and Watan towers; 56 schools and roughly 30 kindergartens have been affected.

Euro-Med Monitor has recorded the destruction of at least 70 industrial facilities and 970 residential units, plus significant damage to approximately 7,920 residential units. Fourteen water and sanitation stations have been severely damaged, the statement said, affecting services for nearly half a million people.

Israeli warplanes bombed a house belonging to the Za’anin family in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza, without prior warning, destroying the four-story building where four families lived. The bombing resulted in the deaths of all 20 civilians inside, including 11 children and five women.

In a similar incident, an Israeli aircraft, without prior warning, targeted a house belonging to the Nabahin family, east of the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. Directly hitting residents, the attack led to the deaths of 13 people, including 10 children and two women. Additionally, another four-story house and a neighboring house were completely destroyed.

Euro-Med Monitor’s statement highlighted the events of Monday, 9 October, pointing to the Israeli army’s targeting of a residential building beside one of the main markets in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza and an area near shelters provided for the displaced. The assault resulted in the simultaneous killing of over 40 people, exposing the severity of Israeli retaliatory crimes and collective punishment against Palestinian civilians.

Significantly, teams from the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza have lost much of their ability to retrieve the bodies of victims from under the rubble due to Israeli attacks in various areas of the Strip, given the shortage of necessary logistical supplies for such tasks.

The Israeli bombing has resulted in the deaths of five healthcare workers and the injury of 10 more, stated the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. According to the ministry, Israel’s attacks have targeted seven hospitals and health centers, causing direct damage to large parts of the facilities, and have forced the evacuation of Beit Hanoun Hospital—the only hospital in the city of Beit Hanoun—following repeated targeting of the building’s vicinity, which made it impossible for medical staff to enter or leave safely and damaged various sections within.

Officials from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza informed the Euro-Med Monitor team that Israeli authorities refused a request that was transmitted from the International Committee of the Red Cross to evacuate seriously injured individuals for treatment outside of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli Security Cabinet approved a declaration of war on Gaza on Saturday evening, allowing for extensive military operations in response to an armed attack on Israel which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1200 Israelis and the capture of dozens more. Since then, the Israeli army has carried out thousands of airstrikes targeting residential neighborhoods and multi-story buildings inhabited by civilians in the Gaza Strip. Shocking scenes of extensive destruction have been observed, including the erasure of entire neighborhoods, including many central and densely populated areas.

Due to Israel’s consecutive attacks on neighborhoods, Euro-Med Monitor estimated that nearly 400,000 people, including more than 180,000 in United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) facilities, have been displaced.

Euro-Med Monitor documented damage to about 14 UN facilities as a result of Israeli airstrikes, including the direct targeting of a UNRWA school housing hundreds of displaced individuals. The organization’s statement also documented direct and severe attacks on universities, mosques, markets, banks, telecommunications companies, residential towers, and other civilian infrastructure.

The statement emphasized that Israel’s army is violating the principles of international humanitarian law in its continuous attacks on the Gaza Strip, especially the principles of necessity and proportionality, given the absence of shelters or safe areas for Gazan civilians. It stressed that international humanitarian law requires the protection of civilians in all circumstances and under any conditions, and considers the killing of civilians to be a war crime in both international and non-international armed conflicts, which may rise to the level of a crime against humanity.

“Attacking or bombarding towns, villages, dwellings, or buildings which are undefended” is prohibited under Article 25 of The Hague Regulations concerning the Laws and Customs of War on Land. Moreover, Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states that “Any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons, or to the State, or to other public authorities, or to social or cooperative organizations, is prohibited unless such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.”

According to Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the destruction of property that is not justified by military necessity and is carried out on a large scale constitutes a grave breach that requires prosecution. Such practices are also considered to be war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Euro-Med Monitor further highlighted that, in parallel with systematic killings, Israel has imposed a complete closure on the Gaza Strip, which covers an area of approximately 365 square kilometers and is inhabited by around 2.3 million civilians. This closure has deprived them of water, food, fuel, electricity, and medical supplies.

Israeli Defense Minister Ya’alon has referred to Palestinians as “human animals” and vowed to act accordingly, announcing a “complete siege” on Gaza, which has already been under intensely strict restrictions since 2007.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reiterated its call for the United Nations, countries, and relevant powers to exert pressure on Israel to immediately cease its unjustifiable attacks on civilians, refrain from military operations, and open all closed border crossings to ensure the flow of medical, food, and logistical supplies into the Gaza Strip.

Two young men were injured by live bullets, and dozens of others suffocated with tear gas, this Wednesday evening, during confrontations with the occupation forces, south and east of Nablus.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Nablus reported that a young man (17 years old) was injured by live bullets in the pelvis area and was taken to Nablus Specialized Hospital, during clashes at the Huwwara military checkpoint.

Local and medical sources indicated that confrontations broke out between young men and the occupation forces at the checkpoint, during which the occupation fired live bullets and poisonous tear gas bombs, causing dozens to suffocate.

In the town of Beit Furik to the east, confrontations broke out between the occupation forces and young men at the military checkpoint at the entrance to the town, during which the soldiers fired live bullets and stun grenades and gas bombs, which led to a citizen being injured by live bullets, and a number of others suffocated.

The sources indicated that the occupation forces closed the checkpoint in both directions following a gathering of settlers at the checkpoint.

Local sources reported that confrontations broke out between citizens and the occupation forces at the military checkpoint erected at the northern entrance to the city of Al-Bireh, in addition to other confrontations near the entrance to the Jalazoun camp, north of the city.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported in a brief statement that its crews dealt with two injuries from live bullets during the confrontations that broke out at the northern entrance to Al-Bireh, and they were being transferred to the hospital.

Five young men were also injured by Israeli occupation forces' bullets, during confrontations that broke out in central Hebron, following a mass march in support of Gaza.

Local sources reported that violent confrontations broke out between citizens and the occupation forces in the Bab al-Zawiya area in central Hebron, during which the occupation soldiers fired live bullets at the citizens, wounding five young men with live bullets in the lower extremities and wounding them in the abdomen. All of them were taken to Hebron Governmental Hospital.

The confrontations broke out after a massive march called by the political forces in the city in support of our people in Gaza against the ongoing Israeli aggression against them. The march began with the participation of thousands of city residents in front of the Al-Hussein Mosque on Ain Sarah Street after the sunset prayer towards the city center, during which the participants raised Palestinian flags and chanted slogans. Supporting our people in Gaza and condemning the occupation.

The Belgian capital, Brussels, witnessed, this evening a massive demonstration in front of the headquarters of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in solidarity with the Palestinian people and in condemnation of the ongoing Israeli aggression against them.

Thousands of people, including pro-Palestinians and members of the Arab and Islamic communities, marched in response to calls from the Palestinian community in cooperation with 19 Belgian organizations.

Participants called on the Belgian government to take a position in support of Palestinian rights, denouncing the European position in support of Israel, calling for boycotting Israeli products and supporting the boycott movement.

The participants raised Palestinian flags and anti-occupation banners and chanted slogans calling for the freedom of Palestine and denouncing Israeli crimes.

T.R.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed arm of the Hamas movement, announced on Wednesday that it had bombed the city of Haifa in northern Israel with an R160 missile.

The Brigades said in a statement: “The Al-Qassam Brigades bombed the occupied city of Haifa with an R160 missile,” which is locally made and has a range of 160 km.

She added: “We attacked a parking lot for vehicles and individuals in eastern Gaza with two suicide planes,” without further details.

This is the first time that the Al-Qassam Brigades have bombed the city of Haifa, which is approximately 150 km away from the Gaza Strip, since the start of the current round of fighting.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Russia may contribute to easing tensions between Israel and Palestine.

"We have to maintain an equal distance, only this will give us the right to participate in the settlement process in the future, and Russia can and will play a role in the settlement process," Peskov said at a news conference in Moscow.

Peskov noted that Russian citizens are present on both sides of the conflict, and for Moscow, their safety is the "number one priority."

The spokesman confirmed that a visit by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Russia is being planned, but that no specific dates have been set.

In a dramatic escalation of Mideast tensions, Israeli forces have launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against the Gaza Strip, a response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.

The conflict began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Deluge against Israel, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air, which Hamas said was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.

In response to Hamas' actions, the Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.

Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has reeled under a crippling siege since 2007.

Ialways dread watching US news coverage of wars, and now is no exception. After Hamas’s deadly attacks in Israel and Israel’s hellish bombardment of Gaza, I checked in on MSNBC. Before long, I heard one of their reporters talk about “the violent history between these two nations” – as if Palestine were a country – and had to turn off the TV to get a break. Palestine is not a country. 

That’s the whole point. Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel all live under various regimes of organized discrimination and oppression, much of which makes life nearly unlivable, and if the US media can’t even frame the issue correctly, what use is there in even covering it?

It’s not just laziness either. The reflexive identification with Israel, by both US media professionals and politicians, always obscures the fuller picture of what’s happening between Israel and the Palestinians. On 7 October, the national security council spokesperson Adrienne Watson stated that the US “unequivocally condemns the unprovoked attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians”. Every one of us must stand up and denounce the killing of every civilian, Israeli or Palestinian or otherwise. But Watson’s use of the word “unprovoked” is doing a lot of work here.

What exactly counts as a provocation? Not, apparently, the large number of settlers, more than 800 by one media account, who stormed al-Aqsa mosque on 5 October. Not the 248 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers between 1 January and 4 October of this year. Not the denial of Palestinian human rights and national aspirations for decades. One can, in fact must, see such actions as provocations without endorsing further murderous violence against civilians. But if you watched only US news, you would be likely to presume that Palestinians always act while Israel only reacts. You might even think that Palestinians are the ones colonizing the land of Israel, no less. And you probably believe that Israel, which holds ultimate control over the lives of 5 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza and yet denies them the right to vote in Israeli elections, is a democracy.

To be considered a political being you must at the very least be considered a human being. Who gets to count as human? “I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly,” Israel’s defense minister Yoav Gallant said. Human animals? How can such language and an announced policy of collective punishment against all the residents of Gaza be seen by Israel’s supporters in the United States or elsewhere as defensible? Let’s be clear: Gallant’s language is not the rhetoric of deterrence. It’s the language of genocide.

There’s the nagging hypocrisy of the war in Ukraine. So many around the world support Ukraine’s resistance to foreign occupation (as they should) but blithely deny Palestinians any way to resist their occupation. Even non-violent methods of resistance like the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign is vilified and even criminalized. Why the double standard? Unsurprisingly, such stances go all the way to the top. The Ukraine president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has twice voiced unilateral support for Israel in recent days, saying that “Israel’s right to self-defense is unquestionable”. Would he say the same for Russia on his territory? Of course not. Zelenskiy ought to see how his invaded and occupied land is more akin to the situation of the Palestinians than the Israelis. The obfuscations are everywhere.

So are the double standards. We will certainly hear a great deal in the US about the Israeli Americans killed or abducted by Hamas, as we should, but will those same voices rise to the same volume for Palestinian Americans threatened and killed in Gaza? Did they also demand answers when the Israeli military shot and killed the Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in May 2022?

The double standard may be expected considering how the plight of the Palestinians has been discussed in the past, but that doesn’t eliminate its moral darkness. It’s also particularly dangerous and tone-deaf at this moment, when we’re on the cusp of a government – Israel – using unprecedented violence on a largely defenseless and penned-in population, in part to cover for its own fatal mistakes and embarrassment.

One fundamental way this double standard operates is through a false equivalence, a two-sides-ism that hides the massive asymmetry of power between the state of Israel and the scattered population groupings that make up the Palestinian people. They’re not equal. One dominates while the other is dominated. One colonizes. The other is colonized.

At least since the Oslo accords of 1993, we have been sold various promises that the way out of this injustice was negotiated settlements; after generations of enormous human sacrifice, Palestinians would finally achieve their national aspirations. It was already clear to many of us that this had long ago become a necessary illusion maintained by the powerful. Today, a negotiated peace seems farther away than ever.

This both saddens and frightens me. We are very likely entering another long and painful era where armed struggle and violent domination become increasingly and mutually dependent on each other for survival. Yet neither can win. The Palestinians will remain. They cannot be eliminated. Israel too will continue to exist. The future is full of unnecessary and horrific bloodshed all around. Desperate western attachment to morally bankrupt double standards bears a large portion of the blame.

Egyptian sources familiar with Cairo’s efforts to stop the escalation in the occupied territories and the Gaza Strip revealed extensive communications between officials in Cairo and the American administration in order to reach urgent solutions regarding the humanitarian situation in the Strip, while a statement from the Egyptian presidency stated that “Egypt is making efforts and intensifying communication to contain the situation in Gaza".

A high-ranking Egyptian source said, in exclusive statements to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that the ongoing consultations are taking place within the framework of humanitarian situations only at the present time, revealing that the American administration has discussed with Egyptian officials the possibility of arranging safe passage for foreigners in the Gaza Strip and those holding American citizenship to reach the port. Rafah crossing and from there to Egypt.

On the other hand, the same source explained that Cairo called on officials in Washington to put pressure on Tel Aviv to bring in urgent aid, represented by medicine and fuel.

The source indicated that Cairo conveyed field estimates to officials in Washington indicating an imminent disaster if urgent and necessary aid was not allowed to pass through, noting that there are arrangements between Egypt, Qatar and Turkey to finance urgent aid packages through the Rafah crossing if an agreement is reached with the Israeli side.

The source explained that Egypt received messages from Hamas indicating the movement’s unwillingness or inclination to push citizens toward the border with Egypt, stressing that the movement’s arrangements during the recent operation did not include allowing the evacuation of Gaza under any circumstances.

The movement explained, in its messages to Cairo, according to the source, that what is happening at the humanitarian and living level, in terms of targeting residential buildings, infrastructure, and hospitals, is beyond what citizens in the Strip can bear, which could lead to an unplanned spontaneous explosion.

According to the source, Egypt is seeking, through arranging and coordinating international and Arab efforts, to persuade the American administration to change its positions and put pressure on Israel to allow aid to pass through.

The source indicated that the arrangements at the Rafah crossing are fully prepared for the passage of aid at any moment, as long as an agreement is reached with officials in Washington and Tel Aviv.

On the other hand, another source said that although “Cairo is upset that Hamas and the resistance movement carried out that operation without any indications from Cairo, the Egyptian anger on the other hand against the occupation government can be described as great, especially since yesterday, Tuesday, after Israeli threats.” By targeting Egyptian aid trucks heading to Gaza in an attempt to prevent an explosion that would lead citizens to storm its borders again.”

According to the same source, Egypt considered the recent Israeli position as a violation of Egyptian-Israeli relations.

The source explained that there is Israeli anger towards Cairo, revealing that Cairo was subjected to great pressure during the first day of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood from Tel Aviv and Washington to issue a statement condemning Hamas and the Palestinian resistance movement regarding the operation, which the Egyptian side confirmed was difficult, and even impossible, according to the source.

The source indicated that Cairo justified its position by saying that issuing such a statement would block the way for it to play the role of mediator again, while Tel Aviv saw that in this battle it would not need Egyptian mediation.

The source revealed that Tel Aviv, as part of its reverse messages, refused to respond to an Egyptian request for coordination in order to remove the Egyptian equipment and engineering crews working in Gaza, pointing out that the Israeli side refused to provide a pledge not to target the evacuation process, justifying this with fears that any of Hamas’ leaders might be able to pass through. Those convoys.

The authority is exerting pressure to open the Rafah crossing

Palestinian diplomatic sources said that the Palestinian Authority is exerting pressure on Egypt to reopen the Rafah crossing and ensure the security of the crossing to allow the flow of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

The sources stated that the authority is currently working on arranging medical, food, and fuel aid convoys to the Gaza Strip, and that it wants to bring them in from Egypt after the occupation refused to let them into Gaza through its crossings.

The sources explained that Cairo promised to try to coordinate the entry of aid convoys into the Gaza Strip, but it used the Israeli rejectionist position as an excuse and that it did not want to strain the relationship with Tel Aviv.

At least 22 American citizens have been killed since the start of Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” against Israel on Saturday, a US State Department spokesman said on Wednesday.

The spokesman said, "We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and the families of all those affected."

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden said that the number of dead Americans was 14 citizens, stressing that there were Americans among the “prisoners of Hamas,” and that he directed his team to “coordinate with Israel to release them.”

Today, Wednesday, the US President said that the United States “continues to monitor the situation in Israel,” adding that he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the day. This is the fourth phone call between the two leaders in recent days.

The Bank of Palestine provided an urgent donation of $500,000 to provide food supplies to displaced people in schools of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip, through the United Nations World Food Program (WFP).

The Bank’s initiative comes with the aim of extending a helping hand and support to our people in the Gaza Strip who were displaced from their homes as a result of the war, and providing basic and food supplies to about 200,000 displaced people who are in UNRWA schools in the Gaza Strip, in response to the urgent distress call launched by the World Food Program yesterday, Tuesday, in The number of displaced people to the agency's schools continued to increase.

The Bank continues to monitor the urgent needs of the displaced with the World Food Program and UNRWA, with the aim of studying possible humanitarian and relief interventions in coordination with international humanitarian organizations, in support of relief efforts for the benefit of our affected people, especially in light of the acute shortage of basic materials, food and water in the Gaza Strip.

The Bank of Palestine appreciated the efforts of the World Food Program and UNRWA to continue providing humanitarian and relief support to tens of thousands of families in Gaza who were displaced to shelter centers in UNRWA schools.

The World Food Program had launched an "emergency operation" aimed at providing food to more than 800,000 people in Gaza and the West Bank.

It is worth noting that the Bank of Palestine has always provided humanitarian and relief support in commitment to its pioneering community and development role, which is in line with the sustainable development goals of the United Nations.

The Israeli army announced, on Wednesday, that it suspects the airspace of northern Israel was infiltrated by drones coming from Lebanon.

The army said in a statement published on the “X” platform, “There is suspicion of infiltration by drones from southern Lebanon into Avivim in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel.”

He added: "All citizens in the areas where sirens were heard must enter shelters and remain inside them until further notice."

The Israeli army said in a statement in response to the developments in the north: “You must remain in the protected rooms (shelters) until further notice, and put in place means of communication and other necessary equipment needed for a long period.”

He continued: “The shelter door, the outer steel window, and the inner glass window must be closed tightly, because movement outside in this area threatens life,” according to the Hebrew newspaper “Yedioth Ahronoth.”

In the same context, the private Hebrew Channel 12 reported “suspicion of the infiltration of 15 to 20 drones from southern Lebanon to Avivim,” without further details.

The head of the Supreme Council of Galilee, Giora Zaltz, stated that manned gliders were seen entering from Lebanon, and he asked all residents to barricade themselves in their homes, according to “Yedioth Ahronoth.”

There was no immediate comment from the Lebanese side on the matter.

The Council of the League of Arab States at the ministerial level, held in an extraordinary session under the chairmanship of the Kingdom of Morocco, and at the invitation of it and the State of Palestine, affirmed the necessity of immediately stopping the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.

The meeting, which was held today, Wednesday, at the headquarters of the Arab League in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, with the participation of Arab foreign ministers, for consultation and coordination on ways to stop the dangerous escalation and aggression against the Gaza Strip, stressed the centrality of the Palestinian issue, and the necessity of fulfilling all the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, First and foremost is his right to self-determination and a safe and dignified life in his independent, sovereign state along the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He stressed his adherence to a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, a strategic option to protect the region and all its countries, peoples and future from the danger of violence and wars and their devastating repercussions. He also reaffirmed all his previous decisions on the Palestinian issue.

The Council decided:

1- Emphasizing the immediate cessation of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and the escalation in the Strip and its surroundings, calling on all parties to exercise restraint, warning of the catastrophic humanitarian and security repercussions of the continuation and expansion of the escalation, and working with the international community to launch urgent and effective action to achieve this, in implementation of international law, and to protect To protect the security and stability of the region from the danger of expanding cycles of violence, for which everyone will pay the price.

2- Condemn the killing and targeting of civilians by both sides, and all acts contrary to international law and international humanitarian law, and emphasize the need to protect civilians, in line with common humanitarian values and international law, and the need to release civilians and all prisoners and detainees.

3- Condemn everything that the brotherly Palestinian people have been subjected to and the aggression and violations of their rights they are currently exposed to.

4- Emphasizing the need to lift the siege on the Gaza Strip, and immediately allow the entry of humanitarian aid, lunch and fuel into it, including through United Nations organizations, especially the United Nations Refugee Relief Agency (UNRWA), and cancel Israel’s unjust decisions to stop supplying Gaza with electricity and cut off water. about her.

5- Emphasizing support for the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on their land and warning against any attempts to displace them outside it (transfer), and exacerbating the issue of refugees whose right to return and compensation must be met, within the framework of a comprehensive solution to the conflict that addresses all final status issues, in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions and the peace initiative. Arab countries, and to collectively confront any attempts to transfer the crisis exacerbated by the continued occupation to neighboring countries.

6- Emphasizing the need for Israel to implement its obligations as the occupying power and stop all illegal Israeli measures that perpetuate the occupation and undermine the two-state solution and the chances of achieving a just and comprehensive peace, including the construction and expansion of settlements, the confiscation of lands and the displacement of Palestinians from their homes, and military operations against Palestinian cities and camps, And attacks on Islamic and Christian sanctities.

7- Emphasizing that the way to ensure security and stability in the region is to achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace that fulfills all the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, especially their right to embody their independent and sovereign state along the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, to live in security and peace alongside Israel, In accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative with all its components.

8- Emphasizing the necessity of reviving the peace process and launching serious negotiations between the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and Israel to achieve a just peace, and warning that the continued absence of real political prospects for achieving a just and comprehensive peace will only lead to perpetuating despair, fueling conflict, strengthening extremism, and increasing Tension, violence, and the collapse of confidence in the peace process are a way to resolve the conflict and achieve security and stability for all countries and peoples of the region.

9- Emphasis on supporting the Palestinian National Authority politically, economically and financially.

10- Assigning the missions of the League of Arab States, the Councils of Arab Ambassadors, and the Arab Group at the United Nations to take action at the international level to communicate the content of this resolution and to work with international partners to stop the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and their rights.

11- Keeping the Council in permanent session to follow up on Arab and international action to implement the contents of this resolution.

The Sultan of the Authority of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq, affirmed his country’s solidarity with the Palestinian people, and supported all efforts calling for stopping the escalation and attacks on children and innocent civilians, and releasing prisoners in accordance with the principles of international humanitarian law.

The Sultan also stressed, according to the Omani News Agency, the need for the international community to fulfill its responsibilities to protect civilians, ensure their humanitarian needs, lift the illegal siege on Gaza and the rest of the Palestinian territories, and resume the peace process to enable the Palestinian people to regain all their legitimate rights by establishing their independent state on the 1967 borders with its capital. East Jerusalem in accordance with the principle of the two-state solution, the Arab Peace Initiative, and all relevant UN resolutions.

Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, received a phone call from Dr. Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor to the Iranian leader, in which he expressed his praise and appreciation for the achievement achieved by the Al-Qassam Brigades and the Palestinian resistance in the Battle of Al-Aqsa Flood.

He said: "What you are doing today is a source of pride for us and the entire nation, and what you have done has astonished the enemy who did not expect the Palestinian people's ability to withstand and struggle."

He stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to support the Palestinian people, adding: “We are confident that all the people of the Islamic nation support you in your steps.”

He denounced the horrific Zionist crimes against defenseless civilians, the destruction of infrastructure, and the ongoing destruction due to the Zionist aggression, condemning the cutting off of electricity, water, and the necessities of life.

from his side; The head of the movement expressed his appreciation for this call and said: “What the Qassam fighters did on October 7 achieved a breakthrough and a strategic transformation, starting from the first six hours in the field of conflict with the enemy.”

He added: "The resistance is continuing, and the resistors are steadfast on the ground, and they have the ability to withstand and confront the enemy, who, due to the horror of what befell him, resorted to committing heinous massacres, killing entire families, and wiping out entire residential squares to cover up his failure, in addition to preventing relief supplies and nature, with its humanitarian repercussions." Difficult".

Today (Wednesday) the Lebanese Hezbollah accused the United States of being a full partner in the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, and stressed that sending American aircraft carriers to the region will not intimidate its people and the resistance factions.

This came in a statement issued by the party in which it described “the political positions and field measures taken by the American administration, especially the recent statements of US President Joe Biden in blatantly standing and declaring open support for the killing machine and the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people,” as “the true essence of the entire American policy in its continued support.” to Israeli aggression.

While he considered the United States a full partner in the Israeli aggression, he held it fully responsible for the killing, siege, destruction of homes and homes, and horrific attacks against defenseless civilians, including children, women, and the elderly.

The party stressed that sending aircraft carriers to the region with the aim of raising the morale of Israel and its frustrated soldiers reveals the weakness of the Israeli military machine despite the crimes it commits, and thus its need for continuous external support. Therefore, we affirm that this step will not frighten the peoples of our nation nor the resistance factions ready for confrontation.

The party pointed out "the ugly truth of America and its aggression against the peoples of our nation in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan," calling on the Arab and Islamic masses to "condemn the American interference and its international and regional partners and expose this interference at all political, popular, media and legal levels and in various regional and international forums and gatherings."

The United States had sent an aircraft carrier, ships, and air fighters to the eastern Mediterranean region, stressing that it would provide Israel with more equipment and ammunition.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to head to the eastern Mediterranean in preparation for providing aid to Israel, following the Hamas movement's launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood last Saturday.

Today, Wednesday, the emergency meeting of the Arab League Council at the level of foreign ministers began in an extraordinary session, headed by Morocco, the current president of the League Council.

The meeting will discuss ways to move politically at the Arab and international levels to stop the dangerous Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, hold its perpetrators accountable, provide international protection for the Palestinian people, and achieve peace and security based on international law, international legitimacy resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative.

The extraordinary meeting of Arab foreign ministers will be held at the request of the State of Palestine at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States in Cairo, in the presence of the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and a number of assistant secretaries, to confront the unprecedented Israeli escalation in the Gaza Strip, which aims to kill and terrorize civilians and destroy... Residential towers and Palestinian infrastructure, in addition to the escalation of Israeli incursions into Palestinian cities, villages and camps and the policy of assassinations, with the aim of further killing the Palestinian people, breaking their will, and destroying their capabilities and property.

Three people were injured and ten homes were damaged as a result of the Israeli bombing that targeted villages and border towns today (Wednesday) in the western sector of southern Lebanon, according to the official Lebanese media.

The official Lebanese National News Agency reported that the morning Israeli "attacks" on border villages and towns in the western sector caused significant damage to property and agricultural fields.

She added, "Three people were injured in the town of Marwahin, in addition to about 10 homes being directly hit," noting that "the main tank that supplies water to the southern town of Yarin was targeted."

Israel bombed several Lebanese border towns with artillery today after Hezbollah announced that it had targeted an Israeli site opposite the Lebanese border area of Al-Dahira with guided missiles.

On Tuesday, Hezbollah mourned three of its members who were killed in an Israeli bombing the day before yesterday on border areas in southern Lebanon.

In a related context, the official spokesman for the United Nations Forces operating in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL), Andrea Tenenti, said in a statement, “UNIFIL continues its presence and operational tasks, and our basic work continues, and the UNIFIL leadership is in constant contact with the authorities on both sides of the Blue Line and urges restraint.”

In turn, the Lebanese Army Command announced in a statement that a missile platform had been found in the Qulaila Plain in southern Lebanon carrying a dismantled missile.

The statement said, "After a survey and inspection of the border areas, an army unit in the Qulaila Plain found the platform from which a number of missiles were launched yesterday, and it was carrying a missile that the specialized unit worked to dismantle."

Over the past few days, the situation has escalated on the Lebanese-Israeli border, after Hezbollah on Sunday launched missiles towards military sites in the Shebaa Farms in support of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation launched by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) last Saturday morning, and Israeli forces responded by firing artillery. Heavy weapons targeted several areas in eastern and southern Lebanon.

Tensions were renewed again on Monday after elements of the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement in Palestine, infiltrated from Lebanon into northern Israel and clashed with Israeli forces.

This prompted the Israelis to bomb several areas in southern Lebanon, killing three Hezbollah members, who responded by bombing the Israeli Pranit and Avivim barracks in northern Israel with guided missiles and mortar shells.

Three Palestinian citizens, including a child, were injured by live bullets this Wednesday evening, during renewed confrontations with the Israeli occupation forces in the village of Qasra, south of Nablus.

The Red Crescent Society reported that three citizens were injured by live bullets in the abdomen and foot, including a child in the head, and his condition was described as serious during confrontations with the occupation in Qusra.

Confrontations with the occupation forces were renewed in the village after three citizens, including two children, were killed, and 11 others were injured by live bullets today, during confrontations with the occupation army and settlers in Qusra.

In the town of Al-Khader, south of Bethlehem, a 15-year-old child was injured by occupation bullets during confrontations with the occupation forces.

Ahmed Salah, an activist in the field of resistance to the wall and settlements, reported that the confrontations were concentrated in the “Umm Rukba” area, south of the town, during which the occupation forces fired live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets, and gas and stun grenades, which led to a child being injured by a live bullet in the foot, after which he was transferred to a hospital. Al-Yamamah in Al-Khader to receive treatment.

Local sources reported, in the village of Nabi Saleh, northwest of Ramallah, that confrontations broke out between citizens and the occupation forces at the entrance to the village, as a result of which a citizen was injured by live bullets in the side.

Today (Wednesday) during his meeting with the Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Riyad al-Maliki, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, discussed the efforts made to stop the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian sources told Xinhua News Agency that Al-Maliki reviewed before the Secretary-General of the Arab League the intensive contacts that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is conducting with all international parties to stop this Israeli “aggression” and work to provide humanitarian and medical relief aid in light of the severe shortage that has occurred. Hospitals in the Gaza Strip are urgently running out of medical and health supplies and personnel to save hundreds of injured people from the risk of death.

The Palestinian Foreign Minister stressed the importance of providing humanitarian aid in all its forms, and the necessity of providing it, especially in light of the Israeli occupation authorities’ announcement of cutting off electricity, water, and fuel services, and the threat to bomb ration and medical supply trucks.

He pointed out the necessity of working to continue various international communications, to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, especially in light of the displacement of more than 263,000 from their homes as a result of the attacks, and calling on the international community to intervene to stop this brutal “aggression” and bring in relief aid immediately.

For his part, Aboul Gheit stressed the importance of stopping attacks and avoiding targeting all civilians, stressing the importance of effective Arab action in this regard.

The meeting came on the sidelines of the emergency meeting of the Arab League Council, which is held at the level of foreign ministers, to discuss confronting and stopping the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian death toll as a result of Israel's continuing attacks on the Gaza Strip rose for the fifth day in a row to 1,055, while the number of injured people in government hospitals reached 5,184, including children, women and the elderly, including serious and critical cases, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Today, a Palestinian official announced a power outage in the entire Gaza Strip after the only power plant in the Strip stopped due to the depletion of fuel stocks.

Al-Azhar Al-Sharif called on the Arabs and Muslims to take a unified position in the face of the inhumane Western circumvention that supports the Israeli occupation’s violation of all Palestinian civilian rights.

Al-Azhar called in a press statement on Wednesday for an international investigation into the war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces against children, women and the elderly in the besieged and isolated Gaza Strip.

He urged the Arab and Islamic countries to realize their religious and historical duty and responsibilities, and to rush to provide humanitarian and relief aid quickly, and to ensure its passage to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

Al-Azhar stated that supporting innocent Palestinian civilians through official channels is a religious and legal duty, and a moral and humanitarian obligation, and that history will not be kind to those who neglect this duty.

It stressed that the unlimited and inhuman Western support for the Israeli occupation and its blessing of its crimes, and the fanatical and biased Western media coverage we see against Palestine and its people, are lies that expose the claims of freedoms that the West claims to carry and protect, and confirm the falsification of facts, double standards, misleading global public opinion, and involvement in supporting arrogance. Force on innocent Palestinian civilians, and opens a wide scope for committing the most heinous crimes of occupation terrorism in Palestine.

Three citizens were martyred and 11 others were injured by live bullets during confrontations with the occupation army and its settlers in the town of Qasra, south of Nablus.

Medical and local sources reported that crews transported 11 citizens who were injured by live bullets during confrontations with the occupation army and its settlers south of the town, and the death of three of them was later announced.

Nine citizens were injured by live bullets during confrontations with the occupation army and settlers in the town of Qasra, south of Nablus.

Medical and local sources reported that crews transported nine citizens who were injured by live bullets during confrontations with the occupation army and settlers south of the town.

In Salfit, settlers, protected by the Israeli occupation forces, opened fire on farmers on their lands in the town of Kafr al-Dik, west of Salfit, and the village of Marda, north of Salfit.

Local sources reported that the settlers fired live bullets at the farmers on their lands while they were picking olives, with the aim of intimidating them and expelling them from their lands. No injuries have been reported so far.

In the Bethlehem Governorate, settlers raised the flags of the occupying state over an old building in the town of Al-Khader, south of the governorate.

Ahmed Salah, an activist in the field of resistance to the wall and settlements, reported that a group of settlers raised the flags of the occupying state over an old building called the “Umm Al-Saman” building, located near the apartheid wall, along bypass road No. 60, west of the town.

He added that the old building is only meters away from citizens' homes, noting that the settlers tried to attack the citizens and insulted them with obscene language.

He confirmed that a group of settlers have now gathered at the southern entrance to the town of Al-Khader “Nashash.”

Today, Wednesday, the Israeli occupation forces imposed severe restrictions on the movement of residents of the Old City of Hebron, who have been suffering for about five days from a curfew imposed by those forces on most neighborhoods of the Old City.

A resident of Tal Rumeida, activist Mufid Al-Sharbati, said that five days ago, the Israeli occupation forces imposed a curfew on most of the neighborhoods of the Old City, closed all checkpoints and roads leading to those areas, imposed a curfew on citizens, forced them to remain in their homes and not leave them, and were prevented from entering. It was outside those areas of entry and access to their homes.

He added that the people are suffering from a shortage of medicine, food supplies, and basic needs, and that there are a number of elderly patients and children who need to visit medical centers for treatment. The occupation prevents them from leaving the area.

He pointed out that the occupation forces imposed impossible restrictions today that do not serve the people, but rather deepen their suffering, as they limited only half an hour for the residents of each neighborhood to leave and exit through specific military checkpoints, and allowed their return between six and seven o’clock in the evening, and will not allow them to enter those areas after that. Regions.

A Palestinian official announced today (Wednesday) a power outage in the entire Gaza Strip after the only power plant in the Strip stopped due to the depletion of fuel stocks.

The head of the Palestinian Energy Authority in the Gaza Strip, Engineer Imad Al-Baz, said in a press statement that the power plant stopped working at 2:00 local time because its fuel stock ran out.

Al-Baz added that the stoppage led to a power outage throughout the Gaza Strip.
The shutdown of the power plant threatens to plunge the sector into complete darkness and make it impossible to provide basic life services to citizens.

Israel cut off electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip two days ago, as part of what it described as a comprehensive blockade in response to a surprise attack launched by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on southern Israel last Saturday morning.

The spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf Al-Qudra, announced the start of measures to legalize health and support services in the Gaza Strip, in order to confront the continued Israeli “aggression” on the Strip, the cutting of electricity, and the lack of fuel for hospitals.

Al-Qudra said during a press conference at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza that the decision includes directing the limited power of electrical generators to continue emergency and sensitive services that save the wounded and sick to the extent possible.

He stressed that the Ministry is keen to continue providing basic health services to patients in all hospitals and health centers in the sector, despite the difficult circumstances.

Confrontations broke out with Israeli occupation forces, on Wednesday afternoon, around the northern entrance to the city of Al-Bireh.

The confrontations took place after the occupation soldiers suppressed a march denouncing the ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip for the fifth day in a row. It left the city of Ramallah towards the occupation army checkpoint set up at the northern entrance to Al-Bireh.

According to local sources, the occupation forces fired rubber-coated metal bullets and poison gas bombs at the young men, who responded by setting fire to rubber tires and throwing stones at occupation vehicles, without any casualties being reported, until the moment the news was prepared.

Prisoners' institutions (the Prisoners' Authority, the Prisoners' Club, and the Addameer Prisoner Care Foundation) said that the legal teams in the institutions specialized in prisoners' affairs face great difficulties in following up on detainees. Since 10/7/2023, the occupation courts have imposed a number of restrictions on the work of lawyers in Follow-up of detainees, some of which was through the activation of military orders used in a state of emergency, in addition to difficulties in the process of obtaining information regarding new detainees.

The prisoner institutions stated in a statement today, Wednesday: “Among the procedures that the institutions monitored through their lawyers: Palestinian lawyers who represent Palestinian detainees before the military courts were informed of the activation of Article (33) of Military Order No. (1651), which stipulates the arrest procedures” in A military campaign to confront terrorism, which allows a person to be detained for 8 days before being brought to court instead of 96 hours, and he is automatically prevented from meeting his lawyer for two days.

The statement added that there are difficulties in knowing where the detainee is being held, as the lawyer needs 48 hours to know where the detainee is being held, in addition to the military courts (Ofer and Salem) postponing all pleading sessions.

In addition, all extension sessions are conducted via video conference, which has contributed, in the past and today, to creating difficulties in communication between the detainee and his lawyer, and an imbalance in the data related to his case.

Lawyers face restrictions and obstacles within the courts, regarding procedural matters and dealing with them.

As for following up on the issue of administrative detainees, the occupation continues, as before, to escalate in issuing more administrative detention orders, in addition to postponing all appeal sessions scheduled for administrative detainees.

Visits by lawyers to prisoners inside prisons were stopped, and prisoners were placed in a double isolation process, as well as visits to detainees in detention and investigation centers.

A march was launched in the city of Ramallah, this Wednesday afternoon, denouncing the occupation’s aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, which continues for the fifth day in a row.

Hundreds of citizens participated in the march called for by the Student Council at Birzeit University, and they roamed the streets of the city and chanted slogans denouncing the crimes of the occupation and its ongoing massacres, calling for national unity, and activating resistance to confront these crimes.