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Forums - Politics - Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

SvennoJ on 21 October 2025

Trump threatens to ‘straighten out’ Hamas if it violates ceasefire

The US president has reissued a threat against Hamas and said unnamed “allies” in the Middle East would “explicitly and strongly” participate in a mission to use “heavy force” in Gaza if the Palestinian armed group violates the ceasefire deal.

“Numerous of our now great allies in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into Gaza with a heavy force and ‘straighten Hamas’ if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

“I told these countries, and Israel, ‘not yet’!’ There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right. If they do not an end to Hamas will be fast, furious, & brutal!”


Trump blames Hamas for violence, overlooks Israeli truce violations

This statement by Trump is the third or fourth time, by my count, that the US president has come down heavily and blamed Hamas for any spate of violence, not acknowledging in any way the ceasefire violations that have occurred on the part of the Israelis.

The bottom line is there is always going to be this one-sided approach when it comes to the White House, US media coverage, and choosing sides. It is always going to be Hamas’s fault if there is a violation of the ceasefire.

And that is also notable in the schedule of the vice president who is in Israel, but isn’t meeting Palestinian leaders.


A new order is being imposed on the Palestinians. How do we confront it?

There are two conversations unfolding in the wake of the latest ceasefire – one quiet, pragmatic and regional; the other loud, moral and global.

The first takes place behind closed doors, among diplomats, intelligence services and political veterans of the Middle East. The second fills our timelines, animated by outrage and solidarity – the only decent human response to horror.

The first is sketching a new map of power, as the second speaks of betrayal and mistrust.

If one listens carefully, a striking conclusion emerges from regional capitals: the war in Gaza is over – not only militarily, but as a political paradigm. In the eyes of those who manage statecraft, the agreement marks a point of no return.

What is unfolding is not a truce; it is a reordering. Gaza’s catastrophe has triggered a recalibration that will ripple far beyond its borders, reaching deep into Israel, reshaping Palestinian politics, and redefining what regional stability will mean for years to come.


Yeah the 'peace' plan is nothing but locking Gaza up tighter than it was before Oct 7. Shrinking the open air prison by 18% (if the IDF ever retreats further) while cutting off access to Egypt and retaining the total blockade of land, air and water. Meanwhile starvation continues.

The 'peace' plan is basically accept living in a concentration camp or die.

Last edited by SvennoJ - on 21 October 2025

Around the Network
SvennoJ on 21 October 2025

US envoy Steve Witkoff says Gaza ceasefire ‘exceeding’ expectations

US special envoy Steve Witkoff says the ceasefire is moving forward “and we’re really proud what’s happened here”.

“Signing this deal off was a challenge in and of itself, but implementation is where it’s really going to be the most important, and I think that’s exceeding where we thought we’d be at this time,” Witkoff told a news conference with other senior US officials in Israel.

He said the US-run centre in Israel set up to oversee the ceasefire could be a model for ending future conflicts. “We’re learning a lot … as we figure out all the intricacies of how to modulate the peace deal and go from war to peace.”


Kushner says progress made on Israeli captives’ remains retrieval from Gaza

Jared Kushner, the US president’s son-in-law and adviser, has also been speaking at the press conference and played a key role in brokering the Gaza ceasefire.

Kushner said the White House was always aware “the deal we were working on was going to have a few phases to it”, and progress is being made on retrieving the remains of Israeli captives in Gaza.

He added that there has been surprisingly good coordination between the United Nations and Israel on aid – despite many international organisations saying that not enough has gotten through.

Kushner finished with an optimistic message, similar to US Vice President JD Vance, saying “it is possible” to create another future in Gaza, and it’s important for all parties to work together to make it happen.

Vance says Gaza’s long-term governance remains uncertain: ‘I don’t know’

Vance was asked about the long-term future of how Gaza would be governed and he responded bluntly: “I don’t know the answer to that question.”

He said security and reconstruction should be prioritised first.

“We are creating a governance structure that is very flexible to what happens on the ground in the future,” Vance said. “We need to make sure the Palestinians living in Gaza, but also the Israelis are able to live in some measure of security and stability.

“Once we’ve got to the point where the Gazans and our Israeli friends can have some measure of security, then we will worry about what the long-term governance of Gaza is.”


Selling occupation and displacement as 'peace'... While not having any plans to restore basic life services in Gaza in the 48% of the strip where the people are.



SvennoJ on 21 October 2025

Vance repeats Trump’s Hamas threat; concedes return of dead ‘difficult’

The US vice president has conceded that the retrieval of Israeli captives’ bodies from Gaza will not “happen overnight”.

“Some of these hostages are buried under thousands of pounds of rubble. Some of the hostages, nobody even knows where they are. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work to get ’em, and that doesn’t mean we don’t have confidence that we will – it’s just a reason to counsel in favour of a little bit of patience. This is going to take a little bit of time,” Vance told reporters.

He said the United States is still demanding that Hamas disarm, but that, too, will take time.

“But right now where I stand,” Vance said, “I feel confident that we’re going to be in a place where this peace lasts, where it’s durable, and if Hamas doesn’t cooperate, then as the president of the United States has said, Hamas is going to be obliterated.”

Vance added that, like Trump, he would not put a specific deadline on Hamas disarming.


US VP dismisses possibility of American ground troops in Gaza

US Vice President JD Vance says there will be no United States “boots on the ground” in Gaza.

“I think it important for Americans to know a couple of things: there are not going to be American troops on the ground in Gaza. All of our military leadership has made that clear.”

He said the US’s role would be to help coordinate between American allies and mediate the terms of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

“I think that everybody should be proud of where we are today. It’s going to require constant effort. It’s going to require constant monitoring and supervision,” Vance said of the truce.

Kushner: Reconstruction funds excluded areas still under Hamas control

US envoy Jared Kushner says reconstruction funds won’t be going to parts of Gaza still under Hamas control.

Considerations for rebuilding have started for areas of Gaza under Israeli military control, which is about two-thirds of the Palestinian territory.


So basically building Settlements in the occupied part of Gaza without any input from Palestinians.



SvennoJ on 21 October 2025

US officials offering ‘contradictory messages’ to Israelis, Palestinians

Palestinians were omitted from the news conference in Israel with senior American officials. Their humanity was not even recognised.

The thousands of Palestinians under the rubble, waiting to be buried by their loved-ones, also not recognised.

The focus was on Israel: the 15 remaining bodies of Israeli captives, Israeli security, Israeli demands, Israeli objections to who can and cannot participate in the temporary stabilisation force in Gaza.

We know Israel has objected to the participation of Turkiye and the US vice president signaled the United States is listening, the United States will not force Israel to do anything.

So really that press conference will have very different effects on Palestinians versus Israelis. There were almost contradictory messages: one of friendship – the other of diktats and omission.

US won’t allow Netanyahu ‘to sabotage’ Gaza truce agreement.

Criticism is increasing on Israel to reopen the vital Rafah border crossing to allow humanitarian aid at scale into the starving Gaza Strip, as it agreed to do 11 days ago in the ceasefire.

The World Food Programme said supplies entering Gaza fall far short of the 2,000 tonnes daily because only two crossings have been opened by Israel. Only 900 trucks have entered Gaza since October 10, when the truce began, but 600 trucks are needed daily for malnourished Palestinians.

Gideon Levy, a columnist with Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, told Al Jazeera that Prime Minister Netanyahu will only fully open all the entry points for aid if the US makes him.

“Much depends on the Americans. Netanyahu right now doesn’t have much freedom to do what he wants,” he told Al Jazeera, noting the high-level US delegation now in Israel to apply pressure.

“They are going to sit on Netanyahu and not let him sabotage the agreement. No doubt Netanyahu is unhappy with the outcome to end the war, and he will do whatever he can in order to prolong these tensions so Israel can retaliate [against Hamas].”

Levy said the ceasefire is “very fragile, but as long as the Americans are devoted, I’m not worried.”


Senior EU official urges unfettered aid access into starving Gaza

The European Union’s crisis management commissioner has joined growing calls for the “safe and unimpeded” access for desperately needed humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Hadja Lahbib said 1,300 trucks containing crucial supplies that were partly funded by the EU are ready to enter Gaza. Israel, however, continues to severely restrict entry despite agreeing to in the truce with Hamas.

The Gaza media office said 986 trucks have entered Gaza since the ceasefire came into effect 11 days ago, significantly short of the 6,600 trucks intended to have entered by Monday.



SvennoJ on 21 October 2025

2 Israeli troops injured IED blast in southern Gaza: Report

Two Israeli soldiers have been slightly wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) struck their tank in Khan Younis, Israeli media report, citing the military.

The troops have been taken to hospital.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported no Hamas fighters were detected in the area, and the military is investigating when the IED was planted.

Looks like Trump has an effect, no immediate bombing or blaming Hamas.

Footage captures widespread devastation caused by war in southern Gaza

Footage posted on Instagram shows the extent of the devastation by Israel’s attacks in southern Gaza during the war.

The video, taken in the east of the southern city of Khan Younis and verified by Al Jazeera, shows a ruined, rubble-strewn landscape where virtually every structure has been destroyed or severely damaged.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQEcUsDjJ0t

Rescuers search for bodies under Gaza rubble


The UN estimates at least 80 percent of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s bombardment



Around the Network
SvennoJ on 21 October 2025

‘Wicked merchants’ accused of price gauging as Israel starves Gaza

Gaza residents say prices for essential goods have soared since Israel killed more than 40 Palestinians on Sunday and threatened to halt the trickle of humanitarian aid.

Mohamed al-Faqawi, a Khan Younis resident, accused merchants of taking advantage of the perilous security situation. “Our concern stems from the wicked merchants. They are exploiting us.”

The World Food Programme (WFP) said it sent more than 530 trucks into Gaza in the past 10 days. That’s still well under the 500 to 600 that entered daily before the war.

The WFP also said it reinstated 26 food distribution points and hopes to scale up to its previous 145 points across Gaza as soon as possible. However, Israel continues to impose severe restrictions on entry.


Remains of 2 more Israeli captives in Gaza received by Israel’s military

Israel’s army in occupied Gaza has received the bodies of two captives from the Red Cross. “The bodies will be transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for examination and identification,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.

After that, an official announcement will be made to their families. “The effort to return our abductees continues continuously and will not stop until the last abductee is returned,” it said.


UNRWA says 660,000 children in Gaza out of school during war

The UN’s Palestinian refugee agency says 660,000 children in Gaza have been forced out of school because of Israel’s war.

“Returning to learning is not only about education, it’s about starting to heal from deep trauma,” the agency said.

“UNRWA, with its partners, has plans and ample capacity to support a phased return to formal education in Gaza. We must be allowed to do so unimpeded.”



SvennoJ on 21 October 2025

Spain says ‘what is terrible becoming normal’ in famine-hit Gaza

Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has warned against complacency over the fragile Gaza ceasefire telling a forum in Barcelona the international community must do more.

“We cannot settle for the silence of the weapons, for a simple truce. We must act,” Albares said, adding there’s a risk of “what is terrible becoming normal, of becoming accustomed to images of pain and suffering”.

He called for massive humanitarian aid “to end the famine” and said the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas, should manage Gaza’s reconstruction.

 
EU officials criticised for reversing sanctions threat on Israel

Two former senior European Union officials who worked on the bloc’s foreign policy have criticised a decision by current ministers to ditch sanctions against Israel.

On Monday, Kaja Kallas, the EU’s most senior diplomat, said a call to impose trade restrictions on Israel is being walked back because the Gaza “ceasefire has changed the context”.

Kallas added, however, that the option remains on the table if no progress is made on consolidating the truce.

Nathalie Tocci, who advised two EU foreign policy chiefs, said not pursuing sanctions is the “last thing” the EU should be doing, as this is the moment “you need to keep the pressure on” Israel.

Tocci said she’s concerned that EU institutions may return to business as usual with Israel.

Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff, who previously served as the EU representative to the Palestinian territories, told the Guardian newspaper that sanctions must be used to respond to breaches of international and humanitarian law, as is the case in Gaza.

That was the intent of the 'peace' plan all along, nothing to see here, war is over, back to business as usual.


UK to send soldiers for Gaza ceasefire monitoring mission

Britain will send soldiers to help monitor ceasefire efforts in Gaza at a US-led Civil Military Coordination Centre that will oversee the mission.

The US has sent about 200 troops to the Israel-based centre. They will be involved in the logistics of getting aid into Gaza and the territory’s reconstruction.

John Healey, the UK defence secretary, has said: “We have also, in response to the American request, put a first-rate two-star officer into a civilian-military command as the deputy commander. So Britain will play an anchor role, contribute the specialist experience and skills where we can.”

Germany also said it’s sending a few members of its armed forces.

Only Zionist controlled countries so far allowed to send (a few) troops...



SvennoJ on 21 October 2025

Palestinian prisoners should be considered ‘hostages’

Ubai Al-Aboudi, executive director of the Bisan Center for Research and Development, says one of the biggest misconceptions about Palestinian detainees held in Israeli jails is that they are granted due process.

“There is no legal recourse, no legal system, that grants Palestinians equal rights or even the right to a fair trial or to due process … Many of the Palestinians are convicted by secret evidence,” he explained.

Al-Aboudi noted that about 20 percent of the Palestinian population has been arrested or detained by Israel over the decades. But the situation in Israeli prisons has deteriorated dramatically since the war on Gaza began in October 2023.

“Released Palestinian prisoners are reporting that they have been beaten up” while incidents of rape and sexual assault have been widely documented, he told Al Jazeera from Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.

“This entire system dehumanises Palestinians,” he said, adding, “when we talk about Palestinian prisoners, we are actually talking about hostages”.

“Most of them are held without any due process, without being charged, and just based on military orders by a foreign military occupation.”


Palestinian-American boy describes dire conditions in Israeli prison

Mohammed Ibrahim, a Palestinian-American teen detained by Israel since March, spoke to a lawyer from Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCIP) about his imprisonment.

In a statement, the group said Ibrahim reported that eight Palestinian children share bunkbeds in each of 19 rooms at Ofer military prison in the occupied West Bank.

“The mattresses, whether on the beds or on the floor, are extremely light and inadequate. Each prisoner receives two blankets, yet we still feel cold at night. There is no heating or cooling system in the rooms,” the 16-year old said.

Ibrahim also said breakfast consists of “three tiny pieces of bread” while detainees are allowed to go outside to the yard once a day for a total of 40 minutes.

“Not even an American passport can protect Palestinian children,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. “Despite his family’s advocacy in Congress and involvement of the US embassy, Mohammad remains in Israeli prison. Israel is the only country in the world that systematically prosecutes children in military court.”

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/27/calls-grow-to-release-us-teen-mohammed-ibrahim-detained-by-israel



SvennoJ on 21 October 2025

Palestine condemns Israeli settler ‘crimes’ as attacks surge

Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin has slammed the continuing settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank as a “systematic campaign of displacement and extermination”.

Shahin called for global action amid a surge in Israeli attacks.

According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, a Palestinian Authority-linked body that tracks violence against Palestinians, 158 attacks on olive farmers have been recorded since the harvest season began in early October, of which 17 were by Israeli forces.



Israeli settlers uproot 60 olive trees in occupied West Bank

Israelis from illegal settlements have destroyed dozens of olive trees near Hebron in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.

Local activist Osama Makhamreh told Wafa news agency the settlers attacked vital farmland in the village of Susya that belonged to two brothers and also damaged the fence.

The incident is part of a broader surge of attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, many of which take place during the olive harvest season in October.


Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemns arrest of 32 activists in West Bank

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has condemned the arrest of 32 activists by Israeli authorities in the occupied West Bank. The activists were taking part in a campaign to support farmers and document attacks as the olive harvest started.

“These atrocities represent a continued attempt to conceal the scale of these assaults and the violations of international law, as part of a comprehensive policy designed to erase all aspects of Palestinian life in the occupied Palestinian territory,” the ministry said on X.

The activists were arrested last week in a village near Nablus after Israeli authorities said they had violated orders given by security forces.

According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, a Palestinian Authority-linked body which tracks violence against Palestinians, 158 attacks on olive pickers have been recorded since the harvest season began in early October, of which 17 were by Israeli forces.



SvennoJ on 21 October 2025

Israeli troops remove families from their homes in West Bank raid

Israeli forces have forced out two families from their houses in the village of Burin near the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank. Israeli troops set up a checkpoint at one of the entrances to the village, Wafa news agency reported.

Settlers and soldiers continue to terrorise Palestinian communities as they prepare to annex the majority of the West Bank. Almost 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army and settler gangs – including 212 children – and more than 10,000 people have been displaced in the occupied territory since October 2023.


Israel shuts down orphan care association in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army has closed a Palestinian charity that provides care for thousands of orphans in the city of Hebron.

The Islamic Charitable Society was raided and staff detained for several hours, said Abdel Karim Farah, the association’s legal adviser. Office equipment and computers were seized.

Israeli forces provided no explanation for the raid. Nor did they say how long the charity’s closure would last.

The Islamic Charitable Society is one of the most prominent nongovernmental organisations in the occupied West Bank, supporting more than 6,000 orphans.

Israeli attacks have escalated across the occupied West Bank since October 2023, killing more than 1,056 Palestinians and injuring 10,300, with more than 20,000 others detained, according to Palestinian figures.