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Forums - Politics Discussion - Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

SvennoJ 22 hours ago

PA forces kill Palestinian fighter in Jenin: Sources

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic report, citing sources, that Palestinian Authority security forces have shot and killed a fighter involved in armed resistance against Israel in the occupied West Bank.

The report identified the slain fighter as Abdul-Rahman Abu Muna.


PA confirms killing Jenin fighter, says he shot at security forces first

The Palestinian Authority says it was pursuing Abdul-Rahman Abu Muna, whom it described as an “outlaw” in Jenin for shooting towards security forces in the area.

The PA security forces claimed in a statement that Abu Muna “opened fire at the force who shot back at the source of the fire in accordance with the rules of engagement”.

The statement confirmed that Abu Muna was injured and later died in the hospital. The PA vowed to “continue to perform its duties of protecting security and order and pursuing all outlaws”.


What to know about Palestinian Authority’s operation in Jenin

The Palestinian Authority’s ongoing operation in the Jenin camp coincides with Israel’s widespread offensive in the West Bank, particularly targeting the northern part of the occupied territory.

After a ceasefire deal was reached in Gaza in January, the Israeli army started a massive offensive in the Jenin, Tulkarem, Nur Shams and Tubas refugee camps, claiming that it is targeting armed groups.

The Palestinian Authority operation in the Jenin refugee camp started in December with the aim of dislodging fighters engaged in armed resistance against Israel from the area.

Some residents have accused PA forces of using Israeli tactics in Jenin, including laying siege to the camp. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) have condemned the PA’s campaign, accusing it of committing crimes against Palestinians on behalf of Israel.

For its part, the PA has argued that it is pursuing “outlaws” and ensuring public safety, accusing the fighters of working on behalf of Iran.


PIJ slams PA for killing fighter in Jenin

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) has denounced “in the strongest terms” the killing of a fighter by Palestinian Authority (PA) forces in the northern occupied West Bank.

A PIJ statement on Telegram called the killing “a heinous crime committed by the security services” of the PA. The incident “added a new bloody chapter to the shameful record of security coordination”, the PIJ said, referring to cooperation between the PA and Israel.

Israel would like nothing more than a civil war breaking out in the West Bank. No one left to govern is their goal. The PA is playing a dangerous game which will only lose them more support from the people.

It's like Israel is coercing the PA into 'unpopular' moves to weaken their support, just so they can point to the popularity of Hamas and keep on about Hamas needing to be destroyed, ergo no end of the war genocide.



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SvennoJ 22 hours ago

What is Israel allowing into Gaza? ‘Nothing’, UN says

UN spokesperson ​​Dujarric says humanitarian aid has not entered Gaza for nine consecutive days as a result of the Israeli siege.

Israel is also blocking fuel, heavy equipment and mobile homes from entering the territory.

Asked what Israel is allowing into Gaza, ​​Dujarric said: “Nothing. I mean there’s been no goods coming in, no trucks coming in.”


UN warns of ‘dire consequences’ as Israel cuts power to Gaza

Seif Magango, spokesman for the UN human rights office, has told the AFP news agency that Israel’s decision to cut off electricity to Gaza is “very concerning”.

“With no electricity and with fuel being blocked, Gaza’s remaining water desalination plants, healthcare facilities, and bakeries are at risk of eventually shutting down, with dire consequences for civilians,” Magango said.

He said that as the occupying power, Israel had a legal obligation to ensure the provision of the necessities of life for Palestinians living under its control.

“In addition, blocking access to the necessities of life for civilians intended to pressure a party to an armed conflict through hardship imposed on the civilian population as a whole raises serious concerns of collective punishment,” the spokesman added.


Desalination plant generators ‘could stop working at any time’

Ahmed Alrobai, the head manager of the South Gaza Desalination Plant, has warned of the dangers following Israel’s cut in the electricity supply to the vital facility, which could deprive hundreds of thousands of people of clean water.

“Now we depend on generators that are not in the best condition because they have been operating since the war broke out,” he said.

“They haven’t been maintained properly due to a lack of necessary spare parts and therefore these generators could stop working at any time.”


Half a million people without access to drinking water.

A very difficult situation is emerging across the central area of Gaza with about half a million people without proper access to drinking water after Israel’s decision to cut off power to the vital desalination plant.

The only alternative that they have here is to resort to the seawater, which is very salty and not appropriate for human consumption.

Since the beginning of the war on Gaza, the Israeli military cut off the entire supply over the Gaza Strip.

It was not until June 2024 when international organisations raised concerns about the stagnation of sewage and water in the streets, which threatened the safety of many people, that the Israeli military rewired and connected this power line from the border line into the central area.


Blocking aid and power ‘further evidence of Israel’s genocide’: Amnesty

Amnesty International has condemned Israel’s decision to cut off electricity to a plant that provides drinking water to Palestinians.

“Israel’s decision to cut off electricity to Gaza’s main operational desalination plant, a week after it halted the entry of all humanitarian aid and commercial supplies, including fuel and food, violates international humanitarian law and is further evidence of Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip,” the group said in a social media post.

The UN’s Genocide Convention defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group”, including killings and measures to prevent births.



SvennoJ 22 hours ago

Israel imposing ‘policy of starvation’ on Palestinians: Jordan

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry condemns “in the strongest terms” Israel’s decision to cut off electrical power to Gaza, calling the move a “scandalous violation” of international law.

The ministry added in a statement that the Israeli decision represents a doubling-down on “the policy of starvation and siege that Israel is imposing on Palestinians, especially with the continuation of the blockade on humanitarian aid to the strip”.


Hunger crisis could return to Gaza due to aid blockade: UNRWA chief

People in Gaza may soon face another hunger crisis if Israel continues to block aid from entering, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warns.

“I think the more we go ahead, the more we will see the impact increasing on the population,” Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini told reporters in Geneva. The risk, he added, “is that we go back to the situation we experienced months ago about deepening hunger”.

Lazzarini also described UNRWA’s financial situation as “critical and precarious”.


Bernie Sanders calls cutting off aid to Gaza ‘war crime’

The progressive US senator hits out at the Israeli government over its blockade on Gaza.

“Cutting off humanitarian aid to millions of civilians is a war crime. That is exactly what the extremist Netanyahu government is doing now to Palestinians in Gaza,” Sanders wrote in a social media post.

“I’ve introduced resolutions to block billions in offensive arms sales to Israel & will demand votes on these bills.”

US law allows lawmakers to introduce “resolutions of disapproval” to block arms sales approved by the State Department.


Dutch FM says blocking aid is ‘against international law’

Caspar Veldkamp says Israel’s decision to cut off electricity to Gaza is concerning.

“Blocking humanitarian aid and basic services such as electricity is against international law,” the Dutch foreign minister wrote in a social media post.

“It is important that the ceasefire negotiations lead to a swift result. For the release of all hostages, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, and an end to the violence.”


‘Palestinians must be allowed basic necessities’: US congresswoman

Democrat Madeleine Dean calls on the warring parties in Gaza to “faithfully” participate in talks to reach the second stage of the ceasefire.

“Humanitarian conditions in Gaza are dire. Innocent Palestinians must be allowed basic necessities — food, water, fuel, medical attention,” Dean wrote in a social media post.

“Gazans have been living without steady access for more than a year.”


Qatar says Gaza blockade aims to ‘impose starvation’ on Palestinians

The Qatari Foreign Ministry has condemned Israel’s decision to cut off electricity to Gaza as a “blatant violation” of international humanitarian law, saying that the Israeli blockade aims to “impose starvation” on Palestinians in the territory.

“In this context, the ministry stresses the need for the international community to move urgently to provide the necessary protection for the Palestinian people,” it said in a statement.


US senator says Israel’s actions ‘will only result in more suffering’

Democratic Senator Peter Welch slams Israel for cutting off electricity and humanitarian aid to Gaza.

“First, Prime Minister Netanyahu blocked all humanitarian aid from reaching civilians in Gaza,” Welch wrote in a social media post.

“Now, his government is cutting off electricity to the more than 2 million people there. These actions won’t make Israel safer. They will only result in more suffering and death.”



SvennoJ 22 hours ago

Main events on March 10th

  • Hamas accused Israel of reneging on its commitments under the ceasefire deal, saying it is yet to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor, the border area between Gaza and Egypt.
  • Several countries and rights groups condemned Israel for shutting off electricity to Gaza, accusing it of violating international law and committing war crimes.
  • The Israeli military’s new chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, has told army commanders to “be prepared for 2025 to be a year of war”, according to the Haaretz newspaper.
  • Representatives from Israel and Hamas – along with mediators from the US, Egypt and Qatar – have convened in Doha as they attempt to extend the fragile Gaza ceasefire.
  • Palestinian Authority forces killed a Palestinian fighter in Jenin in the occupied West Bank. Both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad strongly condemned the killing, calling it a dangerous escalation.
  • Yemen’s Houthis said they stand by the looming deadline they gave Israel, pledging to resume naval attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden if the Gaza blockade is not lifted.



UN aid official says Israel’s blockade of Gaza threatens survival of over 2 million Palestinians

Muhannad Hadi, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, has said that “international humanitarian law is clear” and Israel must allow “unimpeded entry” of aid supplies to Gaza.

As Israel’s latest total blockade of Gaza marked a ninth day on Monday, Hadi said the “sustained supply of aid is indispensable” for the survival of more than 2 million Palestinians who have suffered “unimaginable conditions” in the war-battered territory.

“The entry of lifesaving aid must resume immediately. Any further delays will further reverse any progress we have managed to achieve during the ceasefire,” Hadi said in a statement.

A ‘dangerous’ moment: Advocates denounce arrest of activist Mahmoud Khalil

Civil liberties organisations and academics have raised alarm at the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian student activist at Columbia University, calling it a serious breach of free-speech rights under the administration of President Donald Trump.

Free speech groups point out that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused Khalil of leading “activities aligned with Hamas, a designated terrorist organization”.

But analysts note that the department’s allegation falls short of more tangible claims. US law, for instance, prohibits anyone in the country’s jurisdiction from providing “material support” to terrorist organisations.

The rationale provided for Khalil’s arrest, experts argue, was overly broad and could be wielded against any voices critical of Israel and US foreign policy.

“It’s a loophole so big that you could drive a truck through it,” Will Creeley, the legal director of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a free speech group, told Al Jazeera.


Demonstrators hold placards during a protest, after ICE agents arrested Palestinian student protester Mahmoud Khalil, at Foley Square in New York City, on Monday



SvennoJ 6 hours ago

Drone targets car in southern Lebanon

The attack took place on a road near Lebanon’s Deir al-Zahrani, the National News Agency reports. Lebanon’s an-Nahar newspaper reported one casualty from the attack.

Footage shared by Lebanese media shows a car in flames on the side of a road.



PM office says Israel agrees to discuss Lebanon border, release 5 Lebanese

A statement by Netanyahu’s office says Israel has agreed to hold talks to demarcate its border with Lebanon. It added it would release five Lebanese detainees held by the Israeli military in what it called a “gesture to the Lebanese president”.

Israel had agreed with Lebanon, the US and France to establish working groups to discuss the demarcation line between the two countries.

Despite a ceasefire agreement reached with Hezbollah last year, Israel has refused to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon while its forces have been regularly carrying out attacks in different parts of Lebanon.



Lebanon says four prisoners have been released by Israel

The Lebanese presidency says the country has received four prisoners formerly held by Israel after the recent talks between the sides in southern Lebanon. A fifth prisoner is to be handed over tomorrow.

They had been detained by Israeli forces during the war between Lebanon’s Hezbollah group and Israel, which paused after a November ceasefire deal. The country’s official National News Agency said earlier that five prisoners were handed over to Lebanon, citing the Lebanese Red Cross.



Delegation monitoring Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire meets in south Lebanon

For the sixth time, a joint statement from the US and French embassies in Beirut reads, the “Cessation of Hostilities Implementation ‘Mechanism'” met today in Naquoara, near Israel’s border with Lebanon.

The meeting was hosted by the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, a special taskforce of peacekeepers.

“The attendees discussed advancing the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, the full implementation of the November 26, 2024, Cessation of Hostilities arrangement, and next steps for addressing outstanding issues between Israel and Lebanon”, the statement reads.

Israel has, as recently as today, continued to bomb locations in Lebanon despite the ceasefire, drawing condemnation from countries such as France. It also let more than one deadline to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon lapse, and responded vaguely about when its soldiers would be pulled back.

“After the meeting and at the request of the United States, Israel returned five Lebanese citizens being held in Israeli custody to Lebanon”, the joint statement added.

Moments ago, the Lebanese presidency said that four of the five had been returned to Lebanon, and that the fifth is expected tomorrow.




Israeli captives are also ‘hostages of Netanyahu’: Golan

Yair Golan, the leader of the Democrats Party in Israel, says the resumption of talks with Lebanon “is the right diplomatic move, but the fact that [Prime Minister] Netanyahu is promoting it while refusing to move forward with a deal to release the hostages reveals his opaqueness and cynicism”.

He said on X: “The kidnapped are not just in the hands of Hamas – they are hostages of Netanyahu, who continues to delay their release.”

“It is inconceivable that Netanyahu is willing to return territories to Lebanon before he returns the kidnapped to Israel,” the politician said.

Israel said on Tuesday it had agreed to hold talks to demarcate its border with Lebanon, adding it would release five Lebanese held by the Israeli military in what it called a “gesture to the Lebanese president”.



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SvennoJ 6 hours ago

Israeli army targets village in northern Gaza with ‘heavy gunfire’

Our colleagues on the ground are reporting that Israeli army vehicles are targeting the Bedouin village of Umm al-Nasr in northern Gaza with heavy gunfire.


Israeli drone kills Palestinian woman near Rafah

A Palestinian woman has been killed by an Israeli drone in the town of ash-Shawka, east of Rafah city.


Gaza’s death toll rises

The Health Ministry in Gaza has just released its latest report on the number of people killed and wounded by Israel’s war on the territory.

In a statement, it said a total of 36 killed – four newly killed, 32 bodies recovered – were recorded and 14 wounded people arrived in hospitals during the past 24 hours.

This brought the confirmed number of people killed in Israeli attacks since October 7 to at least 48,503, with 111,927 others wounded, the ministry added.

Many victims remain under the rubble, while the Government Media Office in Gaza has put the death toll at more than 61,000, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are now presumed dead.


Five killed near Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor

An Israeli air attack has killed five people near the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, according to medical sources cited by our colleagues on the ground.

The attack comes after an earlier drone strike killed a woman near Rafah city.

Northern Gaza field hospital overwhelmed

With no aid entering Gaza, Palestinians in the north of the enclave are lining up for hours at one of the few functioning field hospitals set up on the ruins of Kamal Adwan Hospital.

“We stood waiting in a very long queue,” said Fathi Alhelu, who went to the facility to get his child treated. “We can’t even find transportation to bring us here from Beit Lahiya. Our suffering is massive. We want to live and we deserve to stay alive.”



PA’s prime minister calls on EU to pressure Israel to end ‘aggression’

Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA) Mohammad Mustafa has called on the international community, particularly the EU, to place pressure on Israel to open Gaza borders, which have been sealed shut for nine days.

Israel must reopen Gaza’s borders and “allow the unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid, temporary shelter supplies and reconstruction materials”, Mustafa said during a meeting with Luxembourg’s deputy premier and foreign minister, Xavier Bettel.

Israel must also end its “aggression against Palestinian people”, Mustafa said, including the Israeli military’s incursions into the north of the occupied West Bank, where troops have destroyed civilian infrastructure, including homes, and forced the displacement of thousands of local people.


Having recovered the bodies of 11 relatives killed in Israeli attacks, Sohail Al Majdalavi, centre, hopes to find the remains of six other family members who are still missing under the rubble of his destroyed home, in Jabalia, Gaza, on March 9, 2025. Israeli attacks killed 17 members of the Al Majdalavi family.



SvennoJ 6 hours ago

Bakeries, community kitchens shutting down amid shortage

It has now been 10 days with no food, fuel or medical supplies entering Gaza. Israeli authorities also switched off electricity to a desalination plant in Gaza that many relied on for drinking water.

Bakeries that rely on cooking gas are shutting down. Community kitchens that distribute iftar meals are also struggling to keep up their services. Hospitals are at risk of collapsing because they are running out of fuel.

Meanwhile, we see Palestinians walk through the streets collecting wood so they can cook. In the markets, many food products are not available and those that are, are very, very expensive.


Hamas condemn use of aid ‘as political blackmail card’, says Palestinians’ will ‘won’t break’

In a new statement, Hamas has said that Israel continues to prevent the entry of humanitarian aid and basic materials into the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian group called the closure of the crossings into Gaza a violation of the ceasefire agreement and of international law that threatened the lives of innocent civilians.

“We call on the mediators to pressure the occupation to abide by its commitments and open the crossings immediately, to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid and end the policy of collective punishment pursued by the occupation authorities against our people,” Hamas said.

“While we condemn the use of aid as a political blackmail card, we affirm that these aggressive policies will not break the will of our people, and will not succeed in achieving the occupation’s goals. Our people will continue their steadfastness and struggle until they wrest their legitimate rights.”



Water shortages in Gaza reach critical levels: UNICEF

Only one in 10 people in Gaza are currently able to access safe drinking water, UNICEF warns. The situation has worsened since the Israeli decision on Sunday to cut power to the territory, disrupting vital desalination operations.

Rosalia Bollen, a UNICEF official in Gaza, said 600,000 people who had regained access to drinking water in November are once again cut off. “It’s really vital for thousands of families and children to restore this connection,” she said.

UN agencies estimated that 1.8 million people – more than half of them children – urgently need water, sanitation and hygiene assistance.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini described the situation as “similar to the one which prevailed” at the start of Israel’s war in October 2023.



Hundreds of thousands of Gaza families now below the poverty line: Red Cross

A spokesperson for the humanitarian organisation gave this news in an interview with our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic.

Here are some other key points the spokesperson made:

  • The humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has not changed as desired after the ceasefire went into effect.
  • Israel must allow as much aid as possible to enter without hindrance.
  • The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip must continue.
  • The Red Cross needs to get food and cooking gas into the Strip. People shouldn’t lose their lives because of a lack of food.
  • The Red Cross wants to see a stable humanitarian response.



EU officials visit Rafah crossing despite aid freeze

Europe’s Palestine office says that EU representative Alexandre Stutzmann, along with officials from France, Italy and Spain, visited the Gaza Strip’s southern border crossing with Egypt today.

“The EU remains committed to the role of [the EU Rafah assistance mission] in supporting Palestinians to keep the crossing open. Continued cooperation is essential to sustaining the mission’s critical role,” a post on X from the office reads.

No mention was made of Israel’s ongoing blockage of aid to the Strip, which is now in its 10th day.



SvennoJ 6 hours ago

Israeli forces fire grenades at building in Jenin

Israeli forces are shooting at a residential building in an eastern neighbourhood of the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, according to our Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues.

The Quds News Network also reports that Israeli troops have fired Energa antitank rifle grenades at the building, located in Jenin’s Khallet al-Sawha neighbourhood.

The target of the assault is not immediately clear. No casualties have been reported so far.

Israeli troops have also surrounded a house during a raid on the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, according to the Palestinian Information Center.


Fifty days of Israeli operations – what’s happening in Jenin?

The Israeli army has been waging an intensive military operation in Jenin for 50 days now, with daily raids and arrests targeting Palestinian civilians and fighters. Palestinian Authority (PA) forces have also carried out concurrent raids.

In its operations, the army has:

  • Killed at least 30 Palestinians and wounded dozens.
  • Arrested about 300 Palestinians.
  • Displaced 90 percent of residents in Jenin refugee camp.
  • Destroyed more than 500 facilities, including homes, schools, health facilities and businesses.


Smoke rises during an Israeli army operation in Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on February 2, 2025


Israeli settlers attack West Bank’s Masafer Yatta

Israeli settlers have stormed the village of Haribat al-Nabi in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, attacking residents and their property, Wafa news agency reported.

Settlers armed with clubs and batons attacked the village under the protection of the Israeli army. Mutab Rashid, a resident, was beaten up, while Ali Sabah Rashid and his wife were sprayed with pepper gas.

Israeli soldiers also forcefully arrested another resident identified by Wafa as Ahmad Abdul Mohsen Rashid.

The plight of residents in Masafer Yatta was the subject of No Other Land, a film that won best documentary at the Oscars.


Elderly woman among 3 killed in Jenin today

We’ve been reporting on the Israeli military’s ongoing raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, now in its 50th day. Today, at least three Palestinians, including an elderly woman, have been killed in the operation, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The deaths bring the total number of Palestinians killed in the 50-day campaign to 34, according to a ministry toll.


One more Palestinian killed by Israeli forces in Jenin

The Civil Affairs Authority is reporting that one more Palestinian has been killed by Israeli forces in Jenin, bringing the total number of people killed to four since dawn today. Israeli forces are holding the bodies of three people.

It was earlier reported that an elderly woman was among those killed this morning.


Israeli army says three killed, 35 arrested in occupied West Bank

Troops operated throughout the occupied territory overnight, according to a military statement. Hamas members were among the people detained, the statement said, adding that weapons were confiscated during the operations.

The army claimed that one detained suspect led troops to an area where he planted an explosive device, without specifying the location. It also said that the device was neutralised.

In the morning, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that at least three Palestinians, including an elderly woman, were killed by the Israeli forces in the northern governorate of Jenin.


Two children wounded by Israeli forces in Hebron, medics say

Two children have been injured by Israeli gunfire in the evening during a raid into Fawwar refugee camp in the south of Hebron, the occupied West Bank, according to medics.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that its crews treated a 17-year-old child who was shot with live ammunition in the abdomen, and a 16-year-old child who was shot in the pelvis. They were transferred to the hospital.



SvennoJ 6 hours ago

Israel’s blockade amounts to ‘continuation of war’

Israel’s blockade of goods entering a territory with more than two million people comes amid attempts to pressure Hamas into accepting the extension of the first phase of the ceasefire deal.

“It is essentially continuation of war by other means,” Abdullah Al-Arian, associate professor at Georgetown University in Qatar, told Al Jazeera.

Extending the first phase “would accomplish most of Israel’s goal, which is the retrieval of its captives from Gaza, while at the same time not having to fulfil its commitments, which is the delivery of aid and, more crucially, the withdrawal of all of its troops from Gaza”, he added.

On its part, Hamas has “entered discussions with the purpose of finding at least a medium-term solution.”

Hamas repeatedly called for an immediate start to negotiations on the ceasefire’s second phase and accused Israel of “cheap and unacceptable blackmail” over its decision to halt the electricity supply.

Researchers say Egypt’s Gaza plan maintains Israeli ‘buffer zones’

Forensic Architecture, a research group based at Goldsmiths, University of London, says that maps of Egypt’s proposal for rebuilding Gaza indicate a plan to maintain Israeli “buffer zones” and “security corridors” on Palestinian land.

“Our analysis indicates that this initiative — which has gained support from the European Council — includes an architectural master plan that carries forward key elements of Israel’s designed destruction of Gaza,” Goldsmiths wrote in a post on X.

This includes “buffer zones” around Gaza’s perimeter and “security corridors”, such as the Philadelphi Corridor separating Gaza from Egypt, which the Egyptian plan would turn into agricultural land, according to maps shared by Forensic Architecture.

The maps also appear to propose extending “raid routes” which run “from Israeli bases east of the Gaza perimeter fence into the Gaza strip … all the way to the sea, allowing the Israeli military the means to invade and bisect the Gaza Strip,” Forensic Architecture wrote.



SvennoJ 6 hours ago

Ceasefire talks to kick off with arrival of Steve Witkoff

The Gaza ceasefire talks are expected to start at some point today and carry on into the week.

The US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is due to arrive by all accounts later today and once he does, we expect these talks to carry forward.

At the moment, we are stuck in a bit of a feedback loop of the same questions, the same challenges and the same issues. But what is going to be key once Witkoff arrives is likely to be US priorities.

This round of talks is being fronted by the current president of the US, Donald Trump’s White House, and he will, no doubt, be pushing Donald Trump’s demands.

And to sort of understand what his priorities might be we can just look at what happened four weeks ago, when US teacher Marc Fogel, who was imprisoned in Russia for three years, was released and had gushing praise for Trump after being freed.

That is what is most likely motivating Trump – to secure some kind of release of Israeli Americans to be able to push this idea that he is the president that gets captives released, that gets Americans around the world freed.



Israeli delegation arrives in Doha for ceasefire negotiations: Report

Israel’s public broadcaster Channel 12 reports that an Israeli team has arrived in the Qatari capital to continue talks with mediators over the fate of the Gaza ceasefire, which has been in limbo since its first phase expired at the beginning of this month.

This follows comments from a senior Hamas official saying that talks in Doha had restarted.

Channel 12’s report says that mediators will attempt to extract a concession from Hamas in the form of a release of Israeli captives in exchange for a temporary extension of the ceasefire, which aims to buy talks more time.

Hamas has repeatedly stated that it is not interested in such a proposal, however.


Israel says troops will remain in Syria

Israel’s defence minister says that the country’s troops are ready to stay in Syria for an “unlimited period”.

After the fall of the regime of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad late last year, Israeli troops quickly moved into Syrian territory, occupying, among other areas, the peak of Mount Hermon, which sits on the border between the two countries.

“We will stay on Mount Hermon and ensure that the security zone in southern Syria is demilitarised”, Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a video message posted on X.

“Every morning [interim Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa] in Damascus will see that the Israeli army is watching him from the peaks of Mount Hermon.”