By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
SvennoJ 9 hours ago
Edit Thread

Israel ‘delusional’ if it thinks military operations will work, Hamas says

Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan has told Al Jazeera that Israel is “delusional” if it thinks it can change the ceasefire agreement by escalating its military operations.

“They were surprised that we were committed to [the ceasefire] and that every step that was taken by the resistance was in line with what we agreed upon, while everything that Israel did was after consultations with the Americans,” he said.

“So if they think that such operations will change the agreement, they are delusional.”

He said that Netanyahu is suffering from “megalomania” and is trying to escape the corruption cases against him by resuming the fighting.

“The agreement we agreed in 2024 was violated and rejected by the Israelis but then they had to commit to it again in 2025. Now, as they are trying to reject or destroy this agreement, but it will not lead to the results the Americans and Israelis hope for,” he said.

“That’s why it’s better for the Americans to go back to their senses and understand that what is happening will only create more instability in the region.”

UN report warns of ‘significant expansion’ of illegal West Bank settlements

A report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says Israel has ratcheted up the building of settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem while increasing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians has gone almost entirely unpunished.

Here are some key findings:

  • From November 1, 2023, to October 31 last year, 612 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and settlers while 24 Israelis were killed in attacks and clashes with Palestinians.
  • A “significant expansion” of Israeli settlement construction occurred with steps taken to build 20,000 new settlement housing units in occupied East Jerusalem. An additional 10,300 units are “in the pipeline” in the occupied West Bank and 49 new Israeli “outposts” have also been established.
  • During the same period, dispossession of Palestinians increased with 214 Palestinian properties demolished in East Jerusalem and 1,779 in the West Bank due to failure to obtain building permits, which Israel categorically denies to Palestinians.
  • Those demolitions resulted in the forced displacement of 4,527 people in the West Bank, a 200 percent increase from the previous reporting period.
  • There was an average of 118 acts of settler violence per month, up from 108 in 2023, which was itself a record-breaking year.

‘I am outraged by the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza’

That’s what UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said in a post on X.

“I strongly appeal for the ceasefire to be respected, for unimpeded humanitarian assistance to be reestablished and for the remaining hostages to be released unconditionally,” Guterres added.

Israel’s renewed bombardment has drawn condemnation from many governments and humanitarian organisations.

You can see some of those statements here.


Last edited by SvennoJ - 3 hours ago