As the threat made by Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah to the Cypriot government on Wednesday has been influencing the political circles, media outlets, and social websites, several questions must be raised and discussed in this regard.
Since the start of the ongoing Zionist war on Gaza and the flare up of the supportive fronts in South Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen, Hezbollah concentrated its political and military efforts against the Israeli enemy.
Hezbollah even ignored all the local criticism made by certain parties which have never backed the Resistance against the occupation, avoiding responding to all the anti-resistance stances.
In any armed conflict, all sides study the battlefield and all the factors which influence it positively and negatively.
Hezbollah has engaged since October 8, 2023, in a border battle against the Israeli enemy in support of Gaza. Since, this battle may escalate into an all-out war, the Resistance group finds it necessary to determine all the aspects of the field in order to achieve better outcomes.
The Resistance Leader warned the Cypriot government against involvement in any Israeli war on Lebanon, affirming that Cyprus has been hosting Zionist military drills which simulate such hostile schemes.
“Opening Cypriot airports and bases to the Israeli enemy to target Lebanon would mean that the Cypriot government is part of the war, and the resistance will deal with it as part of the war,” the Hezbollah chief said.
Nikos Christodoulides, the island’s president, responded on Wednesday evening: “Cyprus remains uninvolved in any military conflicts and positions itself as part of the solution rather the problem.”
Despite this denial, facts prove that the small island hosted Israeli military drills which simulate a war on Lebanon. Among numerous proofs, what follows is a clear Zionist source which highlight the issue.
On June 2, 2022, The Times of Israel posted an article titled, “In Cyprus, IDF runs drills for potential war with Hezbollah, Lebanon ground assault”.
“The Mediterranean island was chosen both for its Lebanon-like terrain — mountainous along a coastal plain — and its proximity to Israel,” the report mentioned.
The following video was posted by the Israeli website i24News on Youtube shows drills with the title, “Israel Defense Forces carries out drills on Cyprus simulating war on Lebanon,”
The denial of the Cypriot president may be diplomatically necessary; however, it cannot refute the veracity of Hezbollah Secretary General’s remarks. Thus, Cyprus is invited to reflect this denial in a real dissociation from any Zionist war on Lebanon.
Workers prepare art for an exhibition called, “From all the rivers to all the seas. Images in solidarity with Palestine” at the National Archives in Santiago, Chile, Wednesday, June 19, 2024. (AP)
In a surprise announcement, the Republic of Armenia declares joining the UNGA’s resolution in calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and recognizing the state of Palestine.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said, “The catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and the ongoing military conflict is one of the primary issues on the international political agenda that requires resolution. The Republic of Armenia categorically rejects the targeting of civilian infrastructures, violence against the civilian population and the hostage-taking and capture of civilians during the armed conflict and joins the demands of the international community for their release without preconditions”.
It further declared joining the resolutions of the UN General Assembly for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
“Moreover, the Republic of Armenia is sincerely interested in the establishment of peace and stability in the Middle East, the establishment of lasting reconciliation between the Jewish and Palestinian peoples.”
It stressed advocating “for a peaceful and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue and support the “two-state” principle of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict solution. We are convinced that this is the only way to ensure that Palestinians and Israelis can realize their legitimate aspirations.”
It concluded by saying that “based on the above and reaffirming its commitment to international law and the principles of equality, sovereignty and peaceful coexistence of peoples, the Republic of Armenia recognizes the State of Palestine.”
This comes a month after Spain, Ireland, and Norway officially recognized Palestine, a move that sparked anger from “Israel”, which is increasingly isolated due to its ongoing genocide in Gaza.
These three European governments stated that their recognition was aimed at supporting a “two-state solution” and promoting peace in the Middle East. They expressed hope that their decision would encourage other EU states to follow their lead.
Following in their footsteps, Slovenia’s government, led by Prime Minister Robert Golob, announced on May 30 its decision to recognize the sovereignty of an independent Palestinian state.
The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon continues to bombard Israeli sites alongside the occupied northern border area.
The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon – Hezbollah, announced Wednesday that it targeted Israeli military positions within the occupied Lebanese territories. The attacks, which took place on Wednesday, severely damaged the Israeli occupation’s positions in the north.
Eastern Sector
In the eastern sector, resistance fighters carried out an aerial attack with a squadron of strike drones targeting the positions of Israeli occupation soldiers and their deployment within the Metulla settlement, achieving confirmed hits. This was in response to repeated assaults by the occupation on the southern town of Barghliyya.
Additionally, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon targeted the headquarters of the Eastern Brigade 769 (part of the 91st Division) in the Kiryat Shmona settlement with dozens of Katyusha rockets and artillery shells, in retaliation for the Israeli occupation’s attacks on the towns of Yaroun and Khiam.
Hezbollah also conducted a series of operations targeting surveillance equipment in Metula using appropriate weapons and the positions of occupation soldiers within the al-Baghdadi site with attack drones.
Furthermore, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon announced targeting the Ramtha and al-Samaka sites in the occupied Lebanese hills of Kfar Shuba with rocket weapons, and the Zebdine site in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms with rocket weapons.
Western Sector
In the western sector, Resistance fighters targeted the Jal Al-Alam site, as well as a gathering of occupation soldiers at the al-Raheb site. Both operations utilized artillery shells.
The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon confirmed achieving direct hits in all operations it carried out.
Hoopoe Mission
Wednesday’s operations come just a day after the massive intelligence feat achieved by Hezbollah, wherein the Military Media of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon released Tuesday footage showing its reconnaissance drones flying over swathes of occupied Palestinian land, including Kiryat Shmona, Nahariya, Safad, Karmiel, Afula, all the way to Haifa and its port.
In detail, the video first shows Hezbollah’s drones flying over a military-industrial complex belonging to Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, which includes numerous factories, warehouses, and testing fields in which components of air defense systems are manufactured and assembled, especially the Iron Dome and David’s Sling.
Iron Dome and David’s Sling platforms, rocket engine test tunnel and storage, air defense missile storage, missile component manufacturing facilities, control and guidance systems factories, company administrative buildings, and missile testing radars, all appeared in the video.
In solidarity with the people of occupied Palestine and the resistance in the Gaza Strip, and amidst Zionist aggression on several villages in South Lebanon, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon persistently targeted on Tuesday Israeli occupation soldiers and sites near the Lebanese-Palestinian borders.
Hezbollah’s military media released a series of statements outlining the attacks and their outcomes:
First Operation
The initial report stated that at 12:12 PM on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, Hezbollah’s fighters targeted a Merkava tank located within the Hadab Yarin Israeli occupation site using an explosive-laden drone, achieving a direct hit.
Second Operation
In response to the Israeli assassination carried out in the Lebanese southern town of Shehabiya, Hezbollah conducted an aerial attack using a squadron of explosive-laden drones on an artillery site of the 411th Battalion (affiliated with the 288th Fire Brigade) in ‘Neve Ziv’. The attack specifically targeted the assembly areas of IOF officers and soldiers, resulting in accurate hits and confirmed casualties, as well as causing fires to break out at the site.
Third Operation
The third statement disclosed that at 5:20 PM on Tuesday, Hezbollah’s fighters launched missile strikes directly hitting the Ramtha site in the occupied Lebanese Kfar Shuba hills.
Fourth Operation
Simultaneously, at 5:20 p.m., the group’s valiant fighters launched direct missile strikes on Israeli occupation barracks in Zibdin, located in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms.
Fifth Operation
In response to the Israeli enemy’s attack on the southern town of Borgholiyeh, and after closely monitoring their forces at the Al-Manara Israeli occupation site, Hezbollah’s fighters spotted a group of Zionist soldiers at the shooting range. They targeted them with missile weapons and artillery shells, resulting in confirmed casualties.
Sixth Operation
The Islamic Resistance’s fighters successfully bombed the Sahel Battalion headquarters in the Beit Hillel barracks with a barrage of Katyusha rockets, as per the sixth statement.
Seventh Operation
The last statement, issued on Tuesday, declared that the group’s fighters targeted the Plasan military industry factory in the Hoopoe with Falaq missiles. This factory specializes in shielding and protecting machinery and vehicles for the Israeli occupation army. The attack was in retaliation for the repeated brutal Israeli assaults on Borgholiyeh.
Hezbollah’s ‘Hoopoe’ Flies Over Occupied Palestine
Both Hezbollah’s foes and allies were glued to their screens and social media platforms as soon as the group’s military media teased the release of “what the hoopoe has brought back.” An hour later, a 9-minute video emerged, showing Hezbollah reconnaissance drones recording aerial imagery of critical sites in occupied Palestine’s northern territories.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah said it clear on Wednesday: No place across the Zionist entity will be safe from the Lebanese resistance group’s weapons in case of a full-blown war.
In a televised speech, described by the Israeli media as the strongest one since the start of the war last October, Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that in case a war was imposed on Lebanon, Hezbollah will fight with “no rules and no red lines.”
His eminence was addressing a memorial service of a senior commander who was martyred in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon last week, Talib Abdallah (Abu Talib).
“The enemy knows well that we have prepared ourselves for the worst… and that no place across the Zionist entity will be spared by our missiles and drones.”
Sayyed Nasrallah warned that the Israeli enemy will have to wait for the Lebanese resistance in the land, sea and air.
He also threatened Cyprus for the first time, stating that Hezbollah will consider it “a part of the war” if it opens its airports and bases for the Israeli enemy to attack Lebanon.
His eminence affirmed that Hezbollah will continue to support Gaza, voicing full readiness for any scenario.
“We are not afraid. Our demand is clear: A complete and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.”
The Hezbollah S.G. emphasized that this battle is the greatest one the Ummah (nation) has fought since 1948, noting that it will change the face of the region.
“This front is moving steadily towards victory and the enemy is foolishly heading towards demise.”
About the Occasion
Sayyed Nasrallah started his speech by offering condolences and congratulations over martyrdom of commander ‘Abu Talib’, as he saluted families of martyrs over their patience and sticking to resistance path.
In this context, he noted that martyrdom in its Islamic connotations is not defeat, nor is it death.
“Martyrdom is a point of strength to the resistance fronts. The most dangerous thing the enemy faces is the spirit of its combatants who believe in martyrdom as a culture of life. The resistance environment is not weakened by virtue of this culture.”
He paid tribute to martyred commander Abu Talib, saying that the senior commander “joined the ranks of resistance as an ordinary fighter, like everyone else, and quickly advanced because of his spirit and dedication.”
“Martyr Abu Talib was among Hezbollah group that defended the people of Bosnia in the nineties of the 20th century.”
Talib Abdallah (Abu Talib), Hezbollah commander who was martyred in an Israeli strike on June 11, 2024.
“Martyr Abu Talib was known for his religiosity, faith, morals, and humbleness. He was highly qualified and had high morale even in times of distress.”
“Our loss by the martyrdom of Abu Talib is great. However, it’s sufficient for us that our Mujahideen have embraced martyrdom and left behind commanders and fighters who will continue this path.”
“Martyr Abu Talib was the first field commander to open up the southern front in support of Gaza.”
Invading Galilee Still on Table
Sayyed Nasrallah shifted then to talk about the supporting front in south Lebanon, which he said “keeps up operations and has been inflicting losses upon the Israeli enemy.”
“Of the prominent indications that the Lebanese front is fruitful are the screams and threats made by the enemy’s leaders.”
The Hezbollah leader then pointed to a massive media campaign, which has been since the start of Op. Al-Aqsa Flood, adding that this campaign is aimed at dismissing and underestimating the achievements secured by the fronts in support of Gaza in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Sayyed Nasrallah then cited Israeli figures that 100,000 Israeli soldiers have been deployed to the Israeli northern front, as he quoted a senior Israeli official as saying that “without this front, sufficient forces would have been available to defeat Gaza.”
“Lebanon front prevented some Israeli divisions from joining the battle in Gaza, and some of these forces are elite ones, as the Israeli enemy fears that Hezbollah could invade Galilee. Hereby I say that this option is still on the table.”
Sayyed Nasrallah said, meanwhile, that the Israeli enemy has been hiding and imposing a blackout on its losses in the northern front with Lebanon, noting that the aim of this blackout is to avoid exerting on the occupation government.
“In addition to the war of attrition, Hezbollah has forced tens of thousands of Israeli settlers to be displaced from settlements in northern occupied Palestine,” Sayyed Nasrallah stated.
In this context, his eminence pointed to another achievement secured by Hezbollah on the Lebanese front, noting that the Lebanese resistance group manage to create, for the first time in the history of the occupation (since 1948), a security belt (zone) within the Zionist entity.
Israeli Failure
Sayyed Nasrallah went ahead with talking about achievements secured by the resistance groups against the Zionist entity, noting that “the image of the enemy on levels of security, military and deterrence is collapsing,” and that “the Israeli army appears to be defeated and exhausted.”
He then talked about the front opened by the resistance in Yemen.
“Eight months on the war, Israeli circles point to US-UK failure to protect ‘Israel’-bound ships and this is considered a strategic failure to two largest fleets in the world.”
“Because of the Zionist enemy’s inability to engage in multiple fronts, the US and the UK have engaged in the Yemeni front, which demonstrated the failure of Washington and London to stop the Yemeni operations.”
His eminence hailed the Palestinian resistance and people over their epic confrontations and steadfastness against the Israeli enemy.
“The enemy has failed in front of the resistance in Gaza which has engaged in epic clashes with the Israeli enemy.”
He highlighted the Israeli losses, stressing that the Israeli enemy “can’t hide its losses anymore.”
“There are 8636 disabled Israelis according to official figures, then what is the number of dead and wounded?” Sayyed Nasrallah wondered.
“The enemy claims to have eliminated 20 Hamas battalions, and that there are more 4 battalions in Rafah where the occupation is allegedly working to eliminate. This is a mere lie that shows the fragility of the Israeli enemy, which is hardly trying to show a delusive victory to the Israeli settlers.”
About “Hoopoe Mission”
Sayyed Nasrallah stated that due to Hezbollah attacks the Israeli enemy was forced to evacuate its bases and went to establish new posts behind the mountains.
He noted that throughout four months, the Lebanese resistance managed to destroy thousands of surveillance pieces and spy equipment, causing the Zionist entity to be blinded in the north.
“We won’t spare any of areas that we can reach, and we have a very, very large amount of data. Yesterday’s “Hoopoe” footage is just short and selected excerpts from long hours of recorded videos captured above Haifa,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, referring to the 9-minute video published by Hezbollah’s Military Media that shows the group’s reconnaissance drones recording aerial imagery of critical sites in occupied Palestine’s northern territories, especially the port city of Haifa.
“We have video recordings for long hours of Haifa and nearby areas as well as areas beyond Haifa and beyond beyond Haifa. Or resistance fight based on information.”
100,000 Fighters
Sayyed Nasrallah touched upon Hezbollah capacities, noting that the Lebanese resistance movement has more than enough manpower and arms.
“We’ve used a little of our weapons so far and we’ve obtained new weapons that will be employed in the battlefield. In this battle we’ve developed our weapons and used new ones, we have plenty of drones since we manufacture UAVs.”
“We have sufficient and motivated human capacity, many of our operatives are asking to join the ranks of fighters at the battlefield. The number of our operatives who are ready to join the war has exceeded 100,000.”
“Wait for Us in the Land, Sea and Air”
Sayyed Nasrallah then hit back at Israeli threats of an inclusive war with the Zionist entity.
“We are no afraid by threats of a full-blown war. There have been estimations that such scenario is serious and as a resistance we are fully prepared for the worst. The enemy knows what awaits it.”
“The enemy knows very well that no place will be safe from our missiles and drones. We have a real and large bank of goals and we are capable to reach these goals discriminately and in a way that destabilizes the entity.”
“The enemy knows that what awaits it in the Mediterranean is terrific, the Israeli coasts and ships will be targeted,” his eminence said, calling on the Zionist entity to await the Lebanese resistance group “in the land, sea and air.”
In this context, Sayyed Nasrallah threatened that in case an inclusive war is imposed on Lebanon, Hezbollah will fight “with no rules and with no red lines.”
Sayyed Nasrallah Warns Cyprus
On the other hand, the Lebanese resistance leader warned Cyprus against being part in any future war between ‘Israel’ and Lebanon.
“I draw the attention of the Cypriot government that we have information that the Israeli enemy is conducting maneuvers in preparation for a war with Lebanon, and that airports Cyprus could be opened to Israeli fighter jets.”
“Hereby, and in one word, I call upon the Cypriot government to be aware that if it opens its airports to the Israeli enemy during a potential war, we will treat Cyprus as a part of the war.”
“For those who terrorize us with war, I believe that the US is worried about the Zionist entity, which on its turn must be worried. As for us, we will keep up our strikes in support of Gaza and we will be ready and fully prepared for all options and nothing will stop us from performing our duty. The solution is simple: stop the war on Gaza and against our people in Gaza.”
Sayyed Nasrallah concluded his speech by addressing the families of martyrs and citizens who were displaced from the border towns in south Lebanon as well as pro-resistance people in Lebanon.
“This battle is the greatest one the Ummah (nation) has fought since 1948. It will change the face of the region. This front is moving steadily towards victory and the enemy is foolishly heading towards demise.”
A screen grab from the nine-minute video published by the Military Media of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, showing one of its reconnaissance drones flying over the Haifa Bay area in occupied Palestine (Islamic Resistance in Lebanon Military Media)
Hezbollah publishes a nine-minute video showing its drones flying in occupied Palestinian airspace over sensitive Israeli infrastructure.
The Military Media of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon – Hezbollah released Tuesday footage showing its reconnaissance drones flying over swathes of occupied Palestinian land, including Kiryat Shmona, Nahariya, Safad, Karmiel, Afula, all the way to Haifa and its port.
Titled “This is what the Hoopoe came back with,” the nine-minute-and-a-half video captured footage and exposed sensitive Israeli sites. Hezbollah indicated that the video was only the first episode of more yet to come, highlighting that the drones bypassed Israeli air defenses and returned to Lebanese airspace undetected.
The published footage included intelligence about Israeli sites inside occupied Palestine and clearly showed that the drone arrived at the port of Haifa intact. Hezbollah’s drones brought back footage and information about sensitive sites they captured over Haifa starting with the port itself to oil refineries and military factories, not to mention the locations of military battleships and important economic hubs in the port.
Rafael military-industrial complex
In detail, the video first shows Hezbollah’s drones flying over a military-industrial complex belonging to Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, which includes numerous factories, warehouses, and testing fields in which components of air defense systems are manufactured and assembled, especially the Iron Dome and David’s Sling.
Iron Dome and David’s Sling platforms, rocket engine test tunnel and storage, air defense missile storage, missile component manufacturing facilities, control and guidance systems factories, company administrative buildings, and missile testing radars all appeared in the video.
The Military Media for the Islamic Resistance in #Lebanon published a lengthy video of a reconnaissance drone surveilling vital and sensitive regions in northern occupied #Palestine to Haifa.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 18, 2024
According to Hezbollah, the area is highly vital and sensitive, occupies an area of around 6.5 km2, and is 24 km away from the Lebanese-Palestinian border.
Krayot
The video also included an overview of Krayot, an Israeli suburb north of occupied Haifa, which includes six occupied cities with a population of 260,000 Israeli settlers. Hezbollah published a complete high-definition view of the urban conglomeration there, with a real-time tour detailing Krayot districts and neighborhoods, including residences of Israeli official residences and commercial complexes.
The scenes also filmed the Yitzhak Ben-Tzvi Street, Karti Square, Savyonei Yam complex, and Abraham Gardens towers.
Haifa Port Area
In addition, the Islamic Resistance’s drones reached occupied Haifa’s port — the largest in the occupied territories — and captured footage of the Haifa port Bay area, a highly valuable economic and trade area that hosts massive military installations, industrial infrastructure, and commercial areas.
The area includes the Haifa military base, which is the main naval base for the Israeli occupation forces, which is responsible for the northern naval front, as well as Iron Dome storage and platforms, petrochemical facilities, oil silos, the Haifa power station, and Haifa airport.
The Haifa Port area includes ship maintenance hangars, the building of Unit 3800 at Haifa Naval Base, the main warehouse and supply section at the Haifa Base dockyard, the Yaltam Unit building, submarine unit buildings, submarine dock and mooring, and the Sheyetet 7 submarine unit command building.
In addition, Hezbollah’s video filmed the Karmiel and Mizrahi piers, as well as container ships and port operations.
Warships filmed comprised military vessels, including the Bat Yam logistical support ship, Sa’ar 4.5, 5, and 6 boats, and the Dvora-class fast patrol boat.
Hezbollah’s video unveiled dozens of “super vital” targets
Major General Wasif Arikat described what Hezbollah revealed in the latest video as the “most valuable bank of targets.”
He told Al Mayadeen that the message behind the video has been received, adding that what is happening now is not a field war but a war of awareness that proved that the Israeli occupation army, once described as the “invincible army”, has been defeated and retreated.
On his part, Brigadier General Mohammad Abbas said that Hezbollah’s drones surpassed all air defense systems and returned without being detected by Israeli systems.
He highlighted to Al Mayadeen that the video unveiled dozens of “super vital” targets, demonstrating that the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon possesses highly advanced capabilities.
Brigadier General Abbas further explained that the name “Hoopoe”, which is a type of bird, reflects the long distance that Hezbollah’s drones traveled in occupied Palestinian lands before returning with such valuable scenes.
Israeli media described what Hezbollah’s drones documented as “disturbing” and “very dangerous”.
17 people were killed and dozens injured in the central Gaza Strip, after residential homes were bombed at dawn on Tuesday in the Nuseirat and Bureij refugee camps.
The Gaza government media office announced that the Strip is rapidly heading toward famine, accusing Israel and the Biden administration of preventing aid.
Benny Gantz called on Netanyahu to remove the Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Nissim Vaturi, after the latter said Israeli demonstrators are a branch of Hamas.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 37,372 Palestinians have been killed, and 85,452 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
USAID: The humanitarian situation in Gaza is very difficult
YEDIOTH AHRONOTH: Former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon told Netanyahu during a protest: You are the main responsible for the most dangerous security failure in the history of Israel.”
WASHINGTON POST (citing Israeli military official): The fighting against Hamas in Rafah is more intense than other areas.
HEZBOLLAH: We bombed the Balasan factory for Israeli military industries in the Sa`sa settlement with Falaq missiles.
KAN: Netanyahu clearly chose to open another front of confrontation with the Biden administration. Fears in Israel that Washington may restrict additional arms shipments to prevent any Israeli attack in Lebanon.
AL-JAZEERA: Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, met today with senior Hamas officials in Doha.
Tuesday, June 18, 9:30 pm (GMT +2)
KAN: Mutual accusations between Israeli intelligence and the Gaza Division regarding the October 7 document.
YEDIOTH AHRONOTH: Ten missiles were monitored from Lebanon towards Kiryat Shmona and its environs in the Galilee Finger.
GALLANT: The difficult war we are waging came suddenly and we paid a heavy price.
KAN: US President Joe Biden’s envoy to Lebanon returned to Israel after his talks in Beirut, and will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
ISRAELI ARMY: The Israeli army says it carried out a series of precise strikes targeting a group belonging to Hezbollah’s air unit.
AXIOS: Restrictions on shipments of two thousand-pound bombs to Israel will be lifted after the end of the Rafah operation
LAPID: There are no limits to Netanyahu’s corruption and negligence, and he must get out of our lives.
Tuesday, June 18, 7:30 pm (GMT +2)
ISRAELI FM: In an all-out war, Hezbollah will be destroyed and Lebanon will be subjected to a devastating blow.
LEBANESE SOURCE (to Al-Jazeera): The American envoy confirmed that his country is working to avoid the opportunity for a comprehensive war to break out.
AL-JAZEERA: Blinken once again holds Hamas responsible for not reaching an agreement on Gaza.
Tuesday, June 18, 6:00 pm (GMT +2)
AL-JAZEERA: The Lebanese group Hezbollah has shared a video through its Telegram channel showing one of its reconnaissance drones flying over northern Israel, including the Haifa port.
FRANCE: The Paris Commercial Court ordered the organizer of the Eurosatory exhibition for arms companies to “suspend” the ban on the participation of Israeli companies in it.
AL-JAZEERA: An Israeli drone targeted a car in the vicinity of the town of Barghaliya, south of Lebanon.
AL-JAZEERA: The Lebanese group Hezbollah has shared a video through its Telegram channel showing one of its reconnaissance drones flying over northern Israel, including the Haifa port.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) June 18, 2024
ISRAELI MEDIA: A fire broke out in an agricultural area south of Metulla in the Upper Galilee after a rocket fell from Lebanon.
GIDEON SA’AR: Netanyahu’s government is unable to achieve the goals of the war.
ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTRY: The number of disabled IDF soldiers treated at the Ministry of Defense’s Rehabilitation Division has surpassed 70,000 for the first time. The increase came after the addition of 8,663 wounded men and women since October 7.
Tuesday, June 18, 1:00 pm (GMT +2)
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Two people were injured as a result of shelling from an Israeli march in the Al-Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City.
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: Two people were injured as a result of shelling from an Israeli march in the Al-Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) June 18, 2024
AL-JAZEERA: Sirens sounded in areas in the Upper Galilee after a suspected infiltration from Lebanon.
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: There were casualties as a result of an Israeli bombing that targeted the town of Abasan, east of the city of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
Tuesday, June 18, 12:00 pm (GMT +2)
AMOS HOCHSTEIN: Stopping the war in Gaza may end the escalation between Lebanon and Israel.
GAZA GOVERNMENT MEDIA OFFICE: The Strip is rapidly heading toward famine, and the occupation and the American administration are preventing aid.
Tuesday, June 18, 11:00 am (GMT +2)
AVIGDOR LIEBERMAN: Netanyahu’s government is neither right-wing nor left-wing, but rather a disastrous government and we need an alternative.
AL-JAZEERA: One person was killed and one injured in a bombing by an Israeli march on Al-Sahaba Street in Gaza City.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Benny Gantz called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remove Nissim Vaturi, Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, from his position and condemn his statements. Vaturi said that Hamas has two branches, the murderous terrorists and the Israeli demonstrators.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Benny Gantz called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remove Nissim Vaturi, Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, from his position and condemn his statements.
Vaturi said that Hamas has two branches, the murderous terrorists and the Israeli demonstrators.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) June 18, 2024
AL-JAZEERA: Two people were martyred in an Israeli bombing that targeted the town of Al-Qarara, east of Khan Yunis.
Tuesday, June 18, 09:00 am (GMT +2)
GANTZ: We are committed to eliminating the Hezbollah threat.
LAPID: The government of Benjamin Netanyahu must be overthrown, and I believe it is possible to do so.
Tuesday, June 18, 07:00 am (GMT +2)
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: 17 people were killed and dozens injured in the central Gaza Strip, after two homes belonging to the Al-Rai and Al-Madhoun families in the Nuseirat Camp, and a house belonging to the Harb family in the Bureij Camp were bombed at dawn on Tuesday.
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: 17 people were killed and dozens injured in the central Gaza Strip, after two homes belonging to the Al-Rai and Al-Madhoun families in the Nuseirat Camp, and a house belonging to the Harb family in the Bureij Camp were bombed at dawn on Tuesday.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) June 18, 2024
Tuesday, June 18, 06:00 am (GMT +2)
IZZAT AL-RISHQ (Member of Hamas’ political bureau): The Palestinian resistance, led by the al-Qassam Brigades, dismantled the Israeli War Council, which was formed eight months ago to dismantle the resistance.
Between October 7 and December 24, AP geolocated and evaluated ten Israeli attacks, including some of the bloodiest, resulting in the death of almost 500 Palestinians.
The Israeli war on Gaza is murdering entire Palestinian families in unprecedented numbers.
Entire lineages, often four generations of the same family, have been killed in single or many attacks on members of the same family who were sheltering from the bombs.
An Associated Press investigation identified at least 60 Palestinian households in which 25 or more individuals were murdered in bombings between October and December in what was called the bloodiest and most damaging chapter of the war, which is currently in its ninth month.
Key findings from the analysis indicate that several families have nearly no one left to register the toll, and thousands are unable to account for all of their relatives due to the huge numbers still under the debris.
The AP‘s probe included records published by Gaza’s Health Ministry until March, online death notices, family and neighborhood social media sites and spreadsheets, witness and survivor narratives, and statistics from Airwars, a London-based conflict monitor.
Between October 7 and December 24, AP geolocated and analyzed ten Israeli attacks, among the bloodiest in the ongoing genocide, resulting in the death of almost 500 Palestinians.
The Mughrabi family was among the families mostly affected, with around 70 people slain in a single Israeli airstrike in December. Meanwhile, more than 50 of the Abu Najas family were murdered in attacks in October, including at least 2 pregnant mothers.
The vast Doghmush tribe lost at least 44 members in a mosque attack, and the figure increased to over 100 weeks later; by spring, more than 80 members of the Abu al-Qumssan family had been slain.
The ten strikes investigated by AP mainly hit residential buildings, homes, and shelters where parents, children, and grandparents sought refuge and safety. There was no evident military target or a clear warning to the people inside. The Salem family lost at least 270 members in all.
At one point, they flew a white flag above their building, refusing to evacuate since no place was safe.
More than 170 family members were slain in two explosions eight days apart. Three attacks over four weeks killed 30 al-Agha members, while a series of strikes in a refugee camp in December killed 106 individuals from at least four families.
In one raid on the crowded Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, Israeli bombs destroyed an entire block of structures, killing almost 40 members of the Abu al-Qumssan family.
Craig Jones, a Newcastle University lecturer who researched the function of “Israel’s” military attorneys, stated that the occupation has reduced its standards for civilian casualties, fuelled by fury.
The law of war permits a “sort of rushed form of warfare” with increased civilian losses in which a force must respond rapidly and under changing conditions, yet “Israel is just so clearly violating the law because it’s pushing the rules so far,” he stated.
Everyone in my family was either killed or injured: Nuseirat massacre
The shock and grief have suffocated the streets of the Nuseirat refugee camp after 274 Palestinians of all ages, yet mainly children, were massacred in cold blood last week, as per Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The harrowing images emerging from the recent massacre have reverberated across the globe, igniting a wave of widespread protests and demonstrations. From bustling city streets in Chicago to remote villages in Pakistan, people everywhere are united in their condemnation of the Israeli atrocities witnessed in Gaza.
Two eyewitnesses, Asia al-Nemer, searching for a pharmacy with remaining stock of her sister’s medication, and Ansam Haroun, aiming to purchase new clothes for her daughters to lift their spirits ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday, recounted the horrors of the Israeli massacre, The Guardian reported.
Earlier in the year, this area of central Gaza had become deserted when Israeli troops passed through, demolishing Haroun’s home in an airstrike. However, the area experienced since May a surge in population as over a million people were forcibly displaced northward to escape another Israeli aggression on the Nuseirat refugee camp.
“The Nuseirat market is always crowded, but now more than usual because of the many displaced people,” said Haroun, 29, who is currently residing with an uncle.
She recounted, as cited by The Guardian, that she was browsing outfits for her daughters when the initial Israeli airstrikes commenced. Almost instinctively, she dashed out of the door to reach them.
Outside, she encountered a scene reminiscent of “the horrors of judgment day” with panicked crowds attempting to flee the impending onslaught. Soon, helicopters and quadcopter drones would join the assault, resulting in hundreds of casualties and bodies strewn across the streets, as depicted in images from the area.
“Everyone was screaming, terrified,” she said, as quoted by The Guardian.
“The street I was on was only 50 meters long, but it was packed with hundreds of people, all running. A woman next to me fainted from terror, and I saw vendors abandoning their goods on the roadside to flee,” she stressed.
El-Nemer, a 37-year-old software engineer originally from the northern part of Gaza, was also among the crowd of people witnessing the Israeli carnage.
“I was jogging along the street with other women. We were terrified,” she said.
They hurried past health clinics and schools, places where they might have sought refuge in the past but now avoided due to deliberate Israeli attacks on such facilities.
Fighters of the Al-Qassam and Al-Quds Brigades, the military wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad Palestinian Resistance movements (photo from archive / Gaza city).
A high-ranking Hamas official has stated that Israel’s recent attempt to weaken the Palestinian resistance movement in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah has failed. In a deadly ambush that resulted in the deaths of eight Israeli soldiers, Hamas fighters sent a strong message to the regime.
🟢 Martyr Izz El-Din Al-Qassam Brigades – Tulkarem Brigade: — The Martyr Izz El-Din Al-Qassam Brigades extends to our struggling people everywhere, their congratulations on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha 💚💚. pic.twitter.com/i6YTl2aqRU
Sami Abu Zuhri, a member of the Hamas political bureau, declared that the operation in Rafah proved that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s belief that he could weaken the group is nothing more than an illusion. Despite the heavy casualties suffered by the Israeli military, Zuhri emphasized that the resistance remains strong.
🚨 In addition to one killed soldier, at least three other soldiers were wounded as a result of the security event in #Gaza, according to zi0ni5t sources.
Helicopters transported several wounded soldiers, with reports of soldiers stuck under a collapsed building after the… pic.twitter.com/r022ELlia1
Netanyahu expressed his sorrow over the incident, but maintained that the goals of the war must still be pursued. However, Zuhri adamantly stated that Israel’s efforts to eliminate the resistance in Gaza will continue to fail, as demonstrated by the ongoing resilience of the Palestinian people.
⚫️ Saraya Al-Quds: — Message from the fighters of Saraya Al-Quds from within the combat posts and ambushes, on the blessed day of Eid al-Adha. Al-Aqsa Flood. — Notes: 0:17 – "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful."
The deadly ambush in Rafah comes after Israel’s brutal Gaza onslaught, which began in October. Despite killing thousands of Palestinians, the regime has not been able to achieve its objectives of destroying Hamas or retrieving Israeli captives. The Hamas official’s comments serve as a reminder that the resistance movement remains steadfast in the face of Israeli aggression.
Member of “Loyalty to Resistance” parliamentary bloc, Sayyed Hasan Fadlallah, maintained on Saturday that the US administration has to press ‘Israel’ to stop its war on Gaza.
After performing Eid Al-Adha prayers in Bint Jbeil town, South Lebanon, MP Fadlallah stressed that all frontlines will stop fire when the Zionist war on Gaza stops.
The US presidential envoy Amos Hochstein met on Monday with the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv in the context of an alleged US endeavor to restore calm on the northern borders of occupied Palestine.
Hochstein is expected to visit Beirut on Tuesday to meet Lebanon’s senior officials, including House Speaker Nabih Berri, the caretaker PM Najib Mikati and the caretaker foreign minister Abdullah Abou Habib.
Hezbollah lawmaker maintained that the Israeli enemy will not given through politics what it has lost in the battlefield, underscoring that establishing a buffer zone on the Lebanese side of the borders is completely rejected.
MP Fadlallah affirmed that the Zionist enemy is suffering major losses in the battlefield and unable to impose its terms on the resistance groups.
He emphasized that the Resistance may never surrender to any pressures and will continue its border battle against the Israeli enemy in support of Gaza.
MP Fadlallah indicated that the southerners are now honorably supporting Gaza as they have been always ready to make sacrifices in order to protect their land and dignity.
In a major blow to the Zionist scheme of pushing the residents away from the Lebanese border towns, a large number of those steadfast locals performed Eid Al-Adha prayers at the mosques of their villages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference at the Sheba Tel HaShomer Hospital in Ramat Gan, occupied Palestine on June 8, 2024. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolves the six-member war cabinet, Israeli media reported on Monday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the disbanding of the war cabinet on Sunday, according to reports released on Monday, in a move widely anticipated following the departure of Benny Gantz from the government.
“The cabinet was in the coalition agreement with [National Unity MK Benny] Gantz at his request. As soon as Gantz left – there is no need for a cabinet anymore,” Netanyahu was reported to have said during the Sunday war cabinet meeting.
According to Netanyahu, there will not be a new cabinet formed consisting of the coalition party members, as previously suggested by far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Netanyahu said on Sunday that “to reach the goal of eliminating the capabilities of Hamas, [he] made decisions that were not always acceptable to the military echelon” during the weekly cabinet meeting. “We have a country with an army and not an army with a country.”
“Leaving the government is a complex and painful decision,” he said. He underlined that the Israeli regime was dealing hesitantly with existential issues based on the political interests of a few.
Gantz also acknowledged the failure to secure the release of Israeli captives from Gaza, emphasizing that “true victory prioritizes the return of hostages over political considerations.”
Highlighting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s role in obstructing a genuine victory, Gantz admitted that “there will be no quick and easy victory,” and warned that “the war will continue for years.”
Haniyeh: Hezbollah forced hundreds of thousands of settlers to flee, and the Houthis made the Red Sea forbidden to occupation.
In his Eid al-Adha speech, Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh underscored the necessity of negotiations for a comprehensive agreement to end the Israeli assault on Gaza and secure the release of prisoners, saluting all regional comrades in Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq for their efforts in resisting the occupation and aiding the people of Gaza in their war.
Despite Israeli evasion and obstruction, Haniyeh emphasized the steadfast commitment of Hamas and resistance factions to achieving a permanent ceasefire, comprehensive withdrawal from Gaza, reconstruction efforts, and a prisoner exchange deal.
“The solution to the Israeli war of annihilation on the Gaza Strip and the release of prisoners will be achieved through negotiations leading to a comprehensive agreement, no matter how much the enemy evades or obstructs the process,” Haniyeh affirmed.
Haniyeh emphasized the continuation of efforts on all fronts to end the war of genocide against the Palestinian people. He stated that Hamas and the resistance factions are committed to achieving an agreement that includes four main items: a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from Gaza, reconstruction, and a prisoner exchange deal.
He noted that Hamas and the resistance factions have shown significant seriousness and flexibility to reach an agreement that would prevent further bloodshed and halt the aggression. Haniyeh highlighted that the response to the ceasefire proposal aligns with the principles outlined in President Biden’s speech and the Security Council resolution.
“The occupation and its allies did not respond to Hamas’s flexibility and continued their maneuvers and attempts to circumvent and deceive through proposals and ideas aimed at obtaining prisoners and resuming the war of extermination,” Haniyeh stressed.
He emphasized the need for “the entire agreement to be clear and unambiguous, not subject to interpretations, postponement, bargaining, or maneuvering.”
Haniyeh expressed his commitment to the role of mediators, recognizing the importance of their efforts, and his willingness to give them sufficient time and space to accomplish their mission.
Amid media and incitement campaigns pressuring Hamas and the resistance factions to agree to the plans of the occupation and its supporters, Haniyeh said, “We remain steadfast in our positions that prioritize the interests, security, and protection of our people above all else.”
Haniyeh emphasized that the Palestinian people, who revolted on October 7 against oppression, will not retreat until they achieve their goal of freedom, independence, and return, which he described as the gateway to security and stability in the region.
“The cover provided by some countries for the occupation, especially the American administration, has been exposed politically, legally, and humanitarianly.” He added, “These forces must realize that not only did the military war against our people fail, but also the political and media war failed, underscoring the legendary steadfastness of our people in Gaza.”
The leader of Hamas conveyed several messages, with the first directed to the people of Gaza, praising their resilience and sacrifices in the face of aggression.
“The criminal enemy that committed and continues to commit genocide and brutality has failed to achieve any of its declared goals,” Haniyeh said.
He pointed out the signs of disintegration within the Israeli government, indicating its defeat and collapse.
Haniyeh’s second message was to the Al-Qassam Brigades and all resistance factions inside and outside Palestine. He saluted the Mujahideen for their heroism and steadfastness in confronting the enemy, despite the ferocity of the battle.
He highlighted the ongoing heroic operations by the resistance, even in areas destroyed by the occupation, with the latest examples occurring in Rafah, Gaza, and the northern Gaza Strip.
“We assure our Mujahideen brigades that God will not waste your efforts and victory will be achieved soon,” Haniyeh continued.
Haniyeh also saluted the support fronts, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Ansarullah in Yemen, and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, for their roles in targeting the Zionist entity and supporting Gaza.
“Greetings to our brothers in Hezbollah in Lebanon, who stood with Gaza from the outset and expanded their strikes in support of our resistance, forcing hundreds of thousands of settlers to flee from our occupied northern regions,” he said.
He stressed that the sacrifices on the support fronts confirm the unity of the enemy and the nation, highlighting the importance of resistance and jihad for the sake of God.
In his message to the Arab and Islamic nations, Haniyeh called for increased support and confrontation with the Zionist entity to support Gaza and Jerusalem.
In a final message to the international community, Haniyeh emphasized the need to end the injustice faced by the Palestinian people for over a century and called for the fulfillment of their inherent and legitimate rights.
He stressed that the horrific images of famine striking the Gaza Strip and claiming innocent lives are the responsibility of the international community, particularly the countries supporting the occupation.
Haniyeh called for action to force the enemy to open all crossings.
The Yemeni Armed Forces carried out numerous operations against ships violating the ban prohibiting the entry of ships into occupied Palestinian ports.
The Yemeni Armed Forces declared Sunday the successful execution of three military operations targeting US and allied ships in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea.
Houthi military spokesman: We targeted two ships and an American destroyer with ballistic missiles and drones.
“Today, we targeted an American destroyer with several ballistic missiles in the Red Sea,” announced Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson . “We conducted three operations in the Red and Arabian Seas, attacking an American destroyer and two ships that violated the decision to prohibit entry into the ports of occupied Palestine.”
The first operation targeted the American destroyer in the Red Sea with multiple ballistic missiles. The second operation struck the ship CAPTAIN Paris in the Red Sea using appropriate naval missiles. The third operation involved the drone unit of the Yemeni Air Force, which attacked the ship Happy Condor in the Arabian Sea with several drones.
Saree emphasized the success of these operations, stating, “The three military operations in the Red and Arabian Seas achieved their objectives successfully.”
He further reiterated the ongoing commitment of the Yemeni Armed Forces to support the Palestinian people and respond to what he described as American and British aggression. “Our forces continue to champion the Palestinian people and respond to American and British aggression until the aggression stops and the blockade on Gaza is lifted,” Saree asserted.
Yemen’s support front
The Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) targeted three ships in the Red and Arabian Seas as part of the operations in support of Gaza, and in retaliation to the US-UK aggression on Yemen, Saree stated on Thursday, as the ongoing Israeli genocide in the Strip has now surpassed 250 consecutive days.
The first operation was carried out by the YAF’s missile force against the Verbena cargo ship in the Arabian Sea, Saree said, confirming that it was hit, leading to a fire erupting on board.
In the second and third operations, the SeaGuardian and Athina vessels came under attack in the Red Sea by Yemeni ballistic missiles and drones, and were directly hit, the spokesperson added.
Saree emphasized that the operations came after the ships’ owning companies violated the YAF’s ban on entry into the ports of occupied Palestine.
TUTOR targeted on Wednesday
This comes just one day after the Yemeni armed forces announced their first successful strike on a vessel using sea drones.
In a statement, Saree said that the YAF targeted the TUTOR vessel in the Red Sea using several ballistic missiles, in addition to sea and air drones, leading to severe damage to the ship, putting it at risk of sinking.
Shortly before the announcement, maritime security firms and shipping sources said that a Greek-owned cargo ship was struck by a small craft off Yemen’s Red Sea port of Hodeidah and was not under the command of the crew after sustaining damage in its engine room.
On Wednesday, the United States and Britain launched a joint aggression on Yemen, targeting a governmental facility in the al-Gabin district and a Radio Station in the Ramyah governorate.
It resulted in the injury of five civilians, including one who was critically injured, Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent in Sanaa reported.
Heavy material damages were also recorded in the targeted buildings.
The Israeli occupation forces admit that 11 soldiers were killed in Gaza and Rafah in a “catastrophic” day for the invading forces.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) announced today that 11 soldiers from the 601st Engineering Brigade and the 179th Brigade were killed, with two others wounded during confrontations with the Palestinian Resistance in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli media reported a severe incident in central Gaza, where the IOF acknowledged the deaths of two additional soldiers from the 179th Brigade due to an improvised explosive device (IED), which also injured two more soldiers.
The IOF also confirmed the death of a soldier from the Givati Brigade. He succumbed to critical injuries sustained during fights in Rafah a few days prior.
Earlier, the IOF had reported the deaths of eight soldiers and officers caused by an explosive device that hit a Namer armored personnel carrier in the Tel Sultan refugee camp in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. Among the dead was the deputy commander of a company in the 601st Engineering Brigade.
Additionally, a company commander with the rank of major, along with three other soldiers, was killed in southern Gaza a few days ago.
With these latest casualties, the death toll of Israeli soldiers since the start of the war on Gaza on October 7 has risen to 661. This includes 311 soldiers killed since the beginning of the ground offensive in Gaza. Furthermore, 3,617 soldiers have been wounded, according to the army’s published figures.
Israeli media described Saturday’s incident at 5 am in Rafah as a “disaster,” noting that an armored vehicle in the Tel Sultan neighborhood was engaged while on the move.
It took the military two hours to reach the vehicle, which was then towed to a secure location. Drones were deployed to locate the resistance fighters in the area, but these efforts were unsuccessful.
The media highlighted that Saturday’s incident in Rafah was the most severe since the Khan Yunis incident on January 23, which resulted in the deaths of 21 soldiers.
Namer up in flames
The Palestinian Resistance killed eight Israeli occupation soldiers who were reportedly asleep in an Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) in the southern Gaza Strip, Israeli media outlets reported on Saturday.
The news has emerged as Israeli occupation forces are launching an invasion into the western neighborhood of al-Sultan in Rafah.
Relating a slightly different course of events but with the same end result, the al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement in which it announced that on the morning of the day of Arafat Day, its freedom fighters carried out a complex ambush against Israeli vehicles penetrating the area of the Saudi neighborhood in Tal al-Sultan, west of the city of Rafah.
The cab of a D9 military bulldozer, according to the Resistance group, was targeted by an al-Yassin 105 shell, causing it to catch fire and resulting in casualties among its crew.
Immediately upon the arrival of the rescue force, a Namer APC was targeted with an al-Yassin 105 shell, which led to its destruction and the killing of all its crew members.
However, according to Israeli media reports, the eight Israeli troops were burnt to death in the attack, which targeted a Namer-type APC in Rafah. Prior to al-Qassam’s statement, it was reported that an unspecified anti-tank shell was fired at the APC, which led to an explosion and a fire in the vehicle, killing eight soldiers sleeping inside it.
The corpses of the soldiers were completely burnt, and the APC was destroyed, it was claimed. Among those killed was a combat officer in the Israeli occupation forces, Israeli media outlets reported later on Saturday.
It is worth noting that the Namer APC is one of the most advanced and heavily armored vehicles when compared to same-class vehicles internationally.
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Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker currently based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the occupied Palestinian territories and hosts the show ‘Palestine Files’. Director of ‘Steal of the Century: Trump’s Palestine-Israel Catastrophe’. Follow him on Twitter @falasteen47
UN-mandated Independent International Commission of Inquiry has uncovered evidence of egregious sexual violence committed against Palestinian men and women in the Gaza Strip. This adds to a mounting series of reports indicating the issue is widespread and systematic.
The United Nations report, released on June 12 under a Human Rights Council resolution, revealed that Israeli forces “systematically targeted and subjected Palestinians to SGBV [Sexual and Gender-Based Violence] online and in person since October 7, including through forced public nudity, forced public stripping, sexualized torture and abuse, and sexual humiliation and harassment.”
The report noted specific types of sexual violence perpetrated by Israeli soldiers targeting men and boys during ground operations and arrests. Soldiers took videos and photos of Palestinians after stripping them partially or fully naked. The captives were also “coerced to do physical movements while naked.”
Families of men and boys taken captive were made to watch as they were paraded in the street, either fully naked or in their underwear while being subjected to sexual harassment.
The commission concluded that the gender-based violence “directed at Palestinian women was intended to humiliate and degrade the Palestinian population as a whole.” The report asserted that “forced public stripping and nudity and other types of abuse by Israeli military personnel were either ordered or condoned.”
“Sexual violence has been perpetrated throughout the OPT [Occupied Palestinian Territories] during evacuation processes, before or during arrest, at civilian homes and at a shelter for women and girls,” the report stated.
“Sexual acts were carried out by force, including under threats, intimidation and other forms of duress, in inherently coercive circumstances due to the armed conflict and the presence of armed Israeli soldiers.”
In February, a UN panel of experts stated there was “credible evidence” of sexual violence against Palestinian women in both Gaza and the West Bank. This followed a UN report noting two cases of rape and various other cases of sexual abuse against Palestinian women.
“We might not know for a long time what the actual number of victims are,” said Reem Alsalem, the UN’s special rapporteur on violence against women and girls.
A recently released UNRWA report included testimony from a 34-year-old Palestinian woman detained in the Sde Teiman detention center, a makeshift interrogation facility for detainees seized from Gaza:
“They asked the soldiers to spit on me, saying ‘she is a b****, she is from Gaza.’ They were beating us as we moved and saying they would put pepper on our sensitive parts [genitals]. They pulled us, beat us, they took us in the bus to the Damon prison after five days. A male soldier took off our hijabs and they pinched us and touched our bodies, including our breasts. We were blindfolded and we were feeling them touching us, pushing our heads to the bus. We started to squeeze together to try to protect ourselves from the touching. They said ‘b****, b****.’ They told the soldiers to take off their shoes and slap our faces with them.”
The testimonies in the UNRWA report correlate with those collected by The New York Times in their recent expose on the Sde Teiman facility, which included allegations of rape, including with metal rods, and one male detainee dying after experiencing anal rape as a form of sexual torture.
Various other accusations of rape have been recorded, including those from Canadian physicians working in Gaza, with one claiming a woman was “raped for two days until she lost her ability to speak.” There has been no extensive investigation into the mountains of evidence and allegations of rape of Palestinians. In contrast, unsubstantiated Israeli government claims of a mass rape campaign on October 7 have received significant international attention.
The newly issued UN report allocated roughly 3,400 words to its section on the singular day of October 7 and approximately the same amount to its segment on crimes committed by Israeli Security Forces until December 31, 2023, in their Advanced Unedited version of the report. The section on crimes committed since October 7 is roughly the same in length but contains 65 footnotes, while the section on crimes committed on October 7 has only 24. The report drew strong conclusions about both Hamas and Israel.
Speaking from aboard the USS Laboon, one of the guided-missile destroyers taking part in the campaign, AP reporter Jon Gambrell confirmed that Yemenis are launching near-daily attacks.
The US’ naval campaign against Yemen has turned into the most intense combat the Navy has faced since World War II, according to US officials and experts speaking to the Associated Press, whose reporters recently visited US ships stationed off Yemen.
Speaking from aboard the USS Laboon, one of the guided-missile destroyers taking part in the campaign, AP reporter Jon Gambrell confirmed that Yemenis are launching near-daily attacks.
Gambrell noted that the American destroyer has been present here for a month, accompanying US ships and others through the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, and the Gulf of Aden.
The Americans “have seen the Yemenis launch ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones,” Gambrell said, claiming, “this typically bustling Red Sea corridor is devoid of commercial ships, and traffic has dropped dramatically through the Suez Canal, which has taken a lot of revenue from Egypt.”
This comes as a report from the US Defense Intelligence Agency revealed that the number of maritime operations carried out by the Yemeni Armed Forces since November 19, 2023, until now, in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, amounts to no less than 175 attacks.
The report indicated that Yemeni operations have prompted 29 major energy and shipping companies to change their shipping routes to avoid being targeted. As a result, container shipping in the Red Sea has plummeted by 90% since December 2023.
In response to the disruption in traditional shipping routes, alternative shipping routes around Africa have been utilized. However, these routes add an additional 11,000 nautical miles to the journey, resulting in 1-2 weeks of extended transit time and an increase of one million dollars in fuel costs per trip.
Yemen, among the most impoverished and food-insecure countries in the world due to years of sanctions and Western-backed aggression, has been actively engaged in blockading the Israeli economy by preventing ships from reaching the occupied territories. The purpose of doing so is to pressure the Israeli regime to halt its genocidal campaign against the people of Gaza.
Following Yemeni actions, allies of “Israel”, namely the US and the UK, formed a naval coalition to counter Yemeni operations and reopen sea routes to the occupied territories. UN experts have previously acknowledged that acts of genocide are being committed in Gaza.
The ICC has filed applications for warrants of arrest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Security Minister Yoav Gallant.
Last month, the Yemeni Armed Forces announced the “fourth phase of escalation” targeting Israeli and Israeli-linked ships in international waters. The range of operations has now come to include ships transiting the Mediterranean Sea.
Earlier this month, the YAF fired seven cruise missiles and four attack drones at the USS Eisenhower.
On January 17, the US announced it officially designated the Ansar Allah Movement as a global terrorist group, citing attacks on naval vessels as a driver of the decision.
In response to the decision, the head of the movement’s Negotiating Envoy and top official, Eisenhower said that the classification “is ironically amusing, coming from the global state of terrorism.”
The committee said that its decision is “an honorary badge,” highlighting the group’s “supportive stance toward the Palestinian people.”
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An Israeli armored personnel carrier is seen up in flames after al-Qassam Brigades elite forces in al-Shujaiya in a video published by the Resistance on December 6, 2023. (Al-Qassam Brigades/Military Media)
Israeli media outlets are reporting a “difficult” event in Rafah, explaining that eight soldiers were burned to death in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Resistance killed eight Israeli occupation soldiers who were reportedly asleep in an Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) in the southern Gaza Strip, Israeli media outlets reported on Saturday.
The news has emerged as Israeli occupation forces are launching an invasion into the western neighborhood of al-Sultan in Rafah.
Relating a slightly different course of events but with the same end result, the al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement in which it announced that on the morning of the day of Arafat Day, its freedom fighters carried out a complex ambush against Israeli vehicles penetrating the area of the Saudi neighborhood in Tal al-Sultan, west of the city of Rafah.
The cab of a D9 military bulldozer, according to the Resistance group, was targeted by an al-Yassin 105 shell, causing it to catch fire and resulting in casualties among its crew.
Immediately upon the arrival of the rescue force, a Namer APC was targeted with an al-Yassin 105 shell, which led to its destruction and the killing of all its crew members.
However, according to Israeli media reports, the eight Israeli troops were burnt to death in the attack, which targeted a Namer-type APC in Rafah. Prior to al-Qassam’s statement, it was reported that an unspecified anti-tank shell was fired at the APC, which led to an explosion and a fire in the vehicle, killing eight soldiers sleeping inside it.
The corpses of the soldiers were completely burnt, and the APC was destroyed, it was claimed. Among those killed was a combat officer in the Israeli occupation forces, Israeli media outlets reported later on Saturday.
It is worth noting that the Namer APC is one of the most advanced and heavily armored vehicles when compared to same-class vehicles internationally.
It is based on the chassis of the Merkava 4 main battle tank, replacing far-inferior American M113 vehicles that were involved in several IOF catastrophes due to their weak armor.
Nonetheless, the Palestinian Resistance marks yet another military achievement as it defends the Gaza Strip from the Israeli onslaught.
Israeli losses mount during war on Gaza
An expert in military and political affairs, Ahmad Abdul-Rahman, told Al Mayadeen that the operation casts a shadow over “the occupation’s operations in Rafah and the entire Gaza Strip.”
Abdul-Rahman explained that the Israeli military will now extensively contemplate any advances into the strategic al-Sultan neighborhood.
The Israeli occupation’s military command is yet to admit to the deaths of the eight soldiers, however, it has admitted to 650 killed officers and soldiers killed across all fronts since October 7, 2023.
On the other hand, the Palestinian Resistance continues to resist occupation forces across the Gaza Strip, as factions announced successful operations on Saturday.
Amid the advance into western Rafah, Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent in the Gaza Strip reported that intense confrontations have been ongoing since Friday night in the area.
Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades has so far announced two operations, including a rocket attack on the Kissufim military site.
The Brigades also fired a locally-produced al-Yassin tandem rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at an Israeli military-grade D9 bulldozer in al-Sultan.
The gravity around the newly-enlarged BRICS constellation is drawing in Arab, Muslim, and Global South adherents to the influential group’s message on international law, Palestine, and halting forever wars.
MOSCOW – Something of extraordinary magnitude happened in Moscow on 23 May. Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa personally asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to help organize a peace conference on Palestine, at which Russia would be the first non-Arab nation invited.
Al-Khalifa and Putin had two rounds of discussions – one of them closed – during which the main focus was always Palestine. The Bahraini monarch noted that in a rare show of unity, the Arab world had finally come together in agreement to end the war in Gaza. It was implied that Russia was subsequently chosen as the most reliable mediator to end the brutal conflict.
Bahrain – and the Arab League – recognize that the Russian position centers around what Putin had previously defined as the “UN formula”: an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem.
That happens to be the position of the BRICS-10 nations and virtually the whole Global Majority. Crucially, it is also the common position of China and the Arab world, reaffirmed in Beijing only one week after the Russia-Bahrain meeting.
The problem is how to implement the “formula” when the US hegemon, Israel’s unconditional ally, has a virtual stranglehold on the United Nations.
By 2020, as Tel Aviv was openly announcing the inevitable annexation of the West Bank, the Abraham Accords were smashing a major Arab taboo on openly supporting Israel, via the normalization agreements signed in Washington DC by Bahrain, the UAE, Morocco, and Sudan.
Nine months ago, Palestine was virtually isolated, and destined to extinction via quiet Israeli policies to incrementally force expulsion. But never underestimate the power of a genocide committed in broad daylight, on video. Today, the Russia-China strategic partnership, BRICS, and the Global Majority have been mobilized to enshrine Palestine as a sovereign state – faithful to the recent super-majority UN General Assembly vote to accept Palestine as a UN member.
It will be a long, winding, and thorny road that has the potential to split the world in two.
Lavrov lays it all out
The St. Petersburg forum last week offered three crucial messages to the Global Majority, focused around BRICS. The crux of the sessions may have been geoeconomics, but a now-unavoidable message of support to Palestine crept into the sidelines.
After a panel ostensibly debating the supply and demand of oil and gas, and which touched upon the principled role of Yemen in the Red Sea directed against the Gaza genocide, support for Palestine, amidst friendly smiles (but off the record), was emphatic from everyone – from OPEC secretary-general Haitham al-Ghais to the UAE’s Minister of Energy Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei.
Same on a Russia-Oman panel, coming from Minister of Commerce Qais bin Mohammed bin Moosa al-Yousef.
Earlier this week, the Palestine tragedy was addressed in detail – on points 34 and 35 – in the joint statement of the BRICS 10 Ministers of Foreign Affairs, who sat at the same table for the first time in Nizhny Novgorod, preparing for the extremely important annual BRICS summit next October in Kazan, under the Russian presidency. Three very important points were made there:
First, the Ministers “reaffirmed their rejection of any attempt aiming at forcefully displacing, expelling or transferring the Palestinian people from their land.” Second, they collectively “expressed serious concern at Israel’s continued blatant disregard of international law, the UN Charter, UN resolutions and Court orders.” And third, the ten foreign ministers:
“Reaffirmed their support for Palestine’s full membership in the United Nations and reiterated their unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution based on international law including relevant UNSC and UNGA resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative that includes the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine in line with internationally recognized borders of June 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital living side by side in peace and security with Israel.”
This is BRICS speaking with one voice – including, crucially, representatives of major Muslim-majority states: Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE. and Egypt.
Then Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, at an expanded BRICS session defined as BRICS+/BRICS Outreach, offered extra, important, context.
“We held an intra-Palestinian meeting in Moscow. We did this repeatedly. The last time it was held in late February and early March of this year, all Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Fatah, were present. For the first time, an event of this kind ended with the adoption of a joint statement in which everyone, including Hamas, expressed their readiness to unite the Palestinian ranks on the basis of the platform of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Previously, it was not possible to achieve this.”
Lavrov explained why, for Russia, it is essential to restore Palestinian unity:
“Only a united Palestine can be a partner in negotiations aimed at achieving the maximum desired outcome. As long as the Palestinians are divided, this is unlikely to work. Now, without any Palestinians, they are beginning to think about what to do with the Gaza Strip next: either to establish some kind of protectorate of Arab countries, or to introduce some kind of peacekeeping force, or to artificially declare that these will be territories governed by the Palestinian National Authority. These are all initiatives that are imposed by external players.”
And that brings us to the kernel of the Russian position: “The most important component of our long-term policy in this area will be to support the movement for the creation of a Palestinian state in full compliance with UN resolutions.”
How to respond “symmetrically”
All of the above sums up the carefully calibrated, official Russian position. Moscow abhors Israel’s non-stop, irrational escalation while ceasefire proposals are on hand galore. At the same time, it won’t take sides – either with Hamas or with Yemen’s Ansarallah. It is a consensus diplomats and Russia analysts routinely express: Russia will not get into a war thousands of kilometers away when it is fighting a US/NATO existential threat right at its western border.
After Putin’s answers in the Q&A following his address to the plenary session in St. Petersburg, debate raged on what sort of “symmetrical” responses Russia’s ministry of defense would come up with to counterpunch NATO’s green light for strikes with long-range missiles inside the Russian Federation.
West Asia, predictably, features in the favorite scenario: advanced strike weapons deployed in Syria, described as “Syrian weapons” to mirror the west’s “Ukrainian weapons” subterfuge. These would supplement arms already deployed at Russia’s Khmeimim and Tartus bases – covering the Eastern Mediterranean, Lebanon, Israel, and US bases in Jordan, occupied Syria and occupied Iraq – and would be operated by Russian personnel, much as US/NATO personnel operate “Ukrainian” weapons.
A BRICS thorn
Now we come to the thorn in the BRICS flower arrangement – Saudi Arabia.
A discombobulated White House and US Deep State seem to have found a formula to wean Riyadh away from its new role as strong BRICS player: a landmark defense treaty, dubbed the Strategic Alliance Agreement, in the wings awaiting Riyadh’s formalization of relations with Tel Aviv.
The Strategic Alliance Agreement would need to get a two-thirds majority vote in the US Senate. Yet insistence on “normalization with Israel” may well kill the deal, as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MbS) now has options to carefully consider, not only regarding the Gaza tragedy, but over his new BRICS alliances.
Riyadh’s official position on Palestine is tied up with BRICS; end of the war/genocide in Gaza, and the establishment of a Palestinian state. And every grain of sand in the lands of Islam is fully aware that a Tel Aviv ruled by an ethnocentric mob of extremists won’t accept a two-state solution.
Moreover, a Saudi-US military alliance is totally incompatible with Riyadh becoming an influential member of BRICS. Chessboard moves are instead pointing to sooner or later a possible Global Majority military alliance to counterpunch the escalating US/NATO war – Hybrid and otherwise – against the dawning of a multinodal, polycentric, and in Putin’s terminology in St. Peterburg, “harmonic” multipolar world.
Add to it the expiration earlier this week of the US-Saudi agreement signed 50 years ago to establish the petrodollar, essentially in exchange for US military protection.
Already last year Riyadh made it clear the agreement would not be renewed when it clinched a deal with China based on energy trade using the petroyuan.
So in theory we are advancing further on down the road towards the demise of the petrodollar, coupled with the expansion of the digital yuan. The Central Bank of Saudi Arabia is now a “full participant” of Project mBridge, which unites the BIS Innovation Hub, the Central Bank of Thailand, the Central Bank of the UAE, the People’s Bank of China, and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority.
Essentially, mBridge is a multi-Central Bank digital currency (CBDC) platform shared among Central Banks and commercial banks, and enabling instant cross-border payments and settlement. Thailand, for instance, is buying oil from the UAE using mBridge.
There are no less than 26 mBridge observers – quite a mixed bag, including the China-led Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the European Central Bank, the IMF, and the World Bank.
As Saudi Arabia joins mBridge, Saudi Aramco – after opening itself to foreign investors with a huge IPO – has just ceded an extra 0.64 percent of its capital, with 60 percent of the buyers American. Aramco is a humongous fountain of dividends for shareholders: this year, that will amount to a whopping $141 billion.
Guess who are the top new investors? The Big Three – Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street – now all wallowing in Saudi oil.
Arabs, CENTCOM, and Israel: in bed together?
And now for the ultimate complicating factor.
On Monday, military officers from Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Jordan – which includes three BRICS members and Russia-friendly Bahrain – met with Herzi Halevi, the IDF’s Chief of General Staff to discuss…defense cooperation.
The meeting was facilitated by none other than the US CENTCOM. Although as low-profile as it gets, the meeting still leaked, given the juxtaposition of the Gaza genocide alongside a meeting of top Arab leaders sitting with the Arab world’s worst enemies.
A post-modern epigone of the cynics dwelling in the Agora in Ancient Greece would remark that with CENTCOM Arab “friends” like these – three of them BRICS members – Palestine does not need enemies.
Meanwhile, the tragedy persists on so many levels. As Chinese high school students all across the civilization-state show their support for Palestine after taking their university entrance exams, the US-Israel axis homogenizes terrorism, linked to the debacle of Project Ukraine, coupled with the non-stop killing of Palestinians.
Everything is being sucked into the black hole of terrorism – complete with NATO now openly re-arming the neonazi Azov Battalion, and Kiev targeting civilians in Belgorod with drones and scattering mines in parks where kids play.
All the components of the Hegemon-fed Terror Foreign Legion are coming together, in lockstep with Israel, which is essentially ISIS with nuclear weapons. But for all their lofty ideals and sacred belief in the UN, the BRICS still have not come up with a solid, practical strategy to fight the horror.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.
Head of the Hamas Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh (right) and PIJ Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah (left) discuss a ceasefire deal in Doha, Qatar on June 12, 2024. (Palestinian Media)
Al Mayadeen obtains a document outlining the fundamental principles of the Palestinian Resistance’s response to the Israeli proposal, as presented by US President Joe Biden, regarding the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
Here are the foundational principles for an agreement between the Israeli and Palestinian sides in Gaza concerning the exchange of detainees and prisoners, as well as achieving sustainable calm.
The framework aims to release all Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip, including civilians and soldiers, regardless of their status (alive or deceased) or the duration of their detention. In exchange, there would be a reciprocal release of an agreed-upon number of prisoners held in Israeli prisons, to achieve a state of calm.
To achieve a permanent ceasefire, the following steps are proposed: the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, the reconstruction of Gaza, and the lifting of the blockade. This includes opening all border crossings to facilitate the movement of residents and unrestricted transport of goods.
The framework agreement consists of three related and interconnected stages as follows:
The first phase (42 days)
1. Both parties agree to temporarily cease military operations, with Israeli forces withdrawing eastward and away from densely populated areas to position themselves along the border throughout the Gaza Strip. This includes the Philadelphi Axis and the Gaza Valley (Netzarim Axis and the Kuwait roundabout), as outlined below.
2. Temporary cessation of flights (both military and reconnaissance) over the Gaza Strip daily, to be restricted to 10 hours, extended to 12 hours on days designated for the exchange of captives and prisoners.
3. The agreement includes provisions for returning displaced individuals to their respective areas of residence, along with the withdrawal of forces from the Philadelphi axis and Gaza Valley (specifically the Netzarim axis and the Kuwait roundabout).
On the third day (following the release of three detainees), Israeli forces will fully withdraw from the Rafah crossing, the entire Philadelphi Axis, and eastward from al-Rashid Street to Salah al-Din Street. All military sites and installations in the area will be dismantled by no later than the seventh day. From the first day, displaced individuals will begin returning to their residences (without carrying weapons), and residents will enjoy unrestricted movement throughout the Gaza Strip. Additionally, humanitarian aid will enter via al-Rashid Street from the outset without restrictions.
By the 22nd day, Israeli forces will withdraw from the central areas of the Gaza Strip, specifically the Netzarim Axis and the Kuwait Roundabout axis, to a nearby border area. All military sites and installations in this zone will be dismantled. Displaced individuals will continue returning to their residences throughout the Gaza Strip, without carrying weapons, with a focus on facilitating their return from the South to the North. The agreement ensures unrestricted freedom of movement for the population across all areas of the Gaza Strip.
From the first day onwards, a substantial amount of humanitarian aid, relief materials, and fuel will be delivered, totaling 600 trucks daily. This includes 50 fuel trucks, with 300 allocated for the northern regions. The aid will support the operation of power stations and trade activities, and provide equipment for rubble removal, hospital rehabilitation, and operational needs across Gaza’s health services and bakeries. This humanitarian assistance will be sustained throughout all phases of the agreement.
4. Prisoner-captive exchange between both sides:
During this initial phase, Hamas will release 32 Israeli captives, including both living individuals and the remains of the deceased. This group includes women (both civilians and female soldiers), children (under 19 years who are not conscripts), elderly individuals (over 50 years old), and civilians who are sick or wounded. In exchange, an agreed number of prisoners held in Israeli prisons and detention centers will be released.
Hamas would release all living Israeli captives, which includes civilian women and children (under 19 years old who are not conscripts). In return, “Israel” agrees to release 30 women and children for each Israeli captive released, based on lists provided by Hamas, according to their date of capture.
Hamas would release all living Israeli detainees, including elderly individuals (over 50 years old) and sick or wounded civilians. In exchange, “Israel” agrees to release 30 elderly individuals (over 50 years old) and any sick or wounded civilian detainees for every Israeli captive, based on lists provided by Hamas sorted by the oldest arrests.
Hamas would release all living Israeli female captives and recruits, in exchange for “Israel” releasing 50 detainees from its prisons for every Israeli female captive released (30 sentenced to life, 20 to other sentences) based on lists provided by Hamas.
5. Mechanism for exchanging detainees and prisoners between the two parties during the first phase:
By the third day, Hamas will release three Israeli captives, prioritizing civilians. By the seventh day, Hamas will release three Israeli captives, prioritizing civilians.
Afterward, Hamas will release three Israeli detainees every seven days, beginning with women (both civilians and soldiers, if possible), and prioritizing all living detainees for release before addressing the transfer of body parts and remains of the deceased.
In return, “Israel” will release the agreed-upon number of detainees in Israeli prisons for every Israeli captive who is released, provided that this happens simultaneously and on the same day according to the lists that Hamas will provide.
During the sixth week, Hamas will release the remaining detainees included in this stage. In exchange, the agreed-upon number of detainees will be released from Israeli prisons simultaneously and on the same day, based on lists provided by Hamas.
By the seventh day, Hamas will disclose the available information regarding the number of Israeli detainees to be released in this phase, contingent upon “Israel” providing adequate information to Hamas and relevant international authorities regarding Palestinian prisoners and detainees from the Gaza Strip, particularly those arrested after October 7, 2023.
On the 22nd day, “Israel” will release all detainees who were re-detained following the Gilad Shalit deal.
If the number of Israeli detainees to be released in this stage does not reach 32, Hamas will supplement the release with body parts or remains of the deceased from the same categories outlined for this stage. In exchange, “Israel” will release all women, children (under 19 years old), patients, and elderly individuals (over 50 years old) who were arrested from the Gaza Strip after October 7, 2023.
This exchange is expected to occur during the fifth week of this phase.
The standards and criteria for a prisoner-captive exchange in this stage will apply to the two individuals, Hisham al-Sayyed and Avera Mengistu if they are confirmed to be alive.
The exchange process is contingent upon adherence to the terms of the agreement, which include halting military operations by both parties, withdrawing Israeli forces along the border including the Philadelphi Axis and Rafah crossing, facilitating the return of displaced persons to their homes, and ensuring the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid.
6. The Palestinian detainees who are liberated will not be re-detained on the same charges for which they were initially detained. “Israel” will not reincarcerate these prisoners to serve the remainder of their sentences, nor will they require them to sign any documents as a condition for their release. These measures will be accompanied by necessary legal procedures to ensure compliance with these terms.
Restoring the conditions of prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons and detention camps to what they were before October 7, 2023, including those who were arrested after this date.
7. The principles and criteria for exchanging detainees and prisoners in the first phase mentioned above do not serve as the basis for negotiating the exchange criteria in the second phase.
8. By the 16th day at the latest, indirect discussions will commence between the two parties to finalize the criteria for exchanging detainees, including conscripts and remaining individuals, for the second phase. This process must be completed and agreed upon before the end of the fifth week of this phase.
9. The United Nations, its agencies (including UNRWA), and other organizations will actively engage in providing humanitarian services across all areas of the Gaza Strip, a commitment that will be sustained throughout all stages of the agreement.
10. Infrastructure rehabilitation (including electricity, water, sewage, communications, and roads) across all areas of the Gaza Strip will commence immediately from day one. Necessary equipment for civil defense, public works, and municipal services will be deployed for debris removal and reconstruction, a process that will persist throughout all phases of the agreement.
11. The necessary supplies and resources will be provided to accommodate displaced persons who lost their homes during the war, ensuring a minimum of 60,000 temporary homes and 200,000 tents.
12. An agreed-upon number of wounded soldiers will be permitted to travel (at least 50 per day) through the Rafah crossing. Restrictions on travel will be lifted, and the movement of goods and trade will resume from the first day of this phase.
13. Arrangements and plans are underway for the reconstruction of homes, civilian facilities, and infrastructure destroyed during the war. Those affected will receive support and compensation under the supervision of several countries and organizations, including Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations.
14. All procedures from this stage will carry over into the second stage, encompassing temporary cessation of military operations by both parties, relief efforts, shelter provisions, withdrawal of Israeli forces, cessation of flights, and more, until a sustainable calm is declared, marking a permanent cessation of military and hostile operations that comes into effect.
Negotiations will persist under the guarantee of mediators until both parties agree on the criteria for exchanging captives and detainees during the second phase.
The second phase (42 days):
15. Announcing the restoration of sustainable calm, which signifies a permanent cessation of military and hostile operations, will take effect before the captive-prisoner exchange between the two parties.
This exchange will involve all remaining Israeli male captives who are alive (both civilians and soldiers), in exchange for an agreed-upon number of detainees from Israeli prisons and detainees from Israeli detention centers. Additionally, it includes the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
The third phase (42 days):
16. Both parties will exchange all body parts or remains of the deceased after their arrival and identification.
17. Initiate the Gaza Strip reconstruction plan, scheduled to span three to five years, encompassing the rebuilding of homes, civilian facilities, and infrastructure to support and compensate all affected groups. This effort will be overseen by several countries and organizations, including Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations.
18. Ending the complete siege of the Gaza Strip entails opening all border crossings, notably the Rafah crossing, to facilitate the movement of residents and goods. Additionally, ensuring uninterrupted electricity supply throughout all areas of the Gaza Strip is paramount.
Guarantors of this agreement:
Qatar, Egypt, the United States, the United Nations, Turkey, Russia, and China
A Yemeni drone being launched by the Armed Forces toward the Israeli occupation entity from an undisclosed location in Yemen with Palestinian and Yemeni flags on site in October 2023 (Yemeni military media)
The spokesperson of the YAF says that the Verbena vessel in the Arabian Sea was targeted and hit leading to a fire erupting onboard.
The Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) targeted three ships in the Red and Arabian Seas as part of the operations in support of Gaza and retaliation to the US-UK aggression on Yemen, spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree stated on Thursday as the ongoing Israeli genocide in the Strip now surpassed 250 consecutive days.
The first operation was carried out by the missile forces against the Verbena vessel in the Arabian Sea, Saree said, confirming that it was hit, leading to a fire erupting on board.
US Central Command CENTCOM released a statement saying that Verbena was struck by two missiles, which caused a fire on the ship.
In the second and third operations, SeaGuardian and Athina came under attack in the Red Sea by Yemeni ballistic missiles and drones, and were directly hit, the spokesperson added.
Saree emphasized that the operations came after the ships’ owning companies violated the YAF’s ban on entry into the ports of occupied Palestine.
This comes just one day after the Yemeni armed forces announced their first successful strike on a vessel using sea drones.
In a statement, Saree said that the YAF targeted the TUTOR vessel in the Red Sea using several ballistic missiles, in addition to sea and air drones, leading to severe damage to the ship, putting it at risk of sinking.
Shortly before the announcement, maritime security firms and shipping sources said that a Greek-owned cargo ship was struck by a small craft off Yemen’s Red Sea port of Hodeidah and was not under the command of the crew after sustaining damage in its engine room.
On Wednesday, the United States and British launched a joint aggression on Yemen, targeting a governmental facility in the al-Gabin district and a Radio Station in the Ramyah governorate.
It resulted in the injury of five civilians, including one who was critically injured, Al Mayadeen correspondent in Sanaa reported.
Heavy material damages were also recorded in the targeted buildings.
UPROOTED PALESTINIANS: SALAM ALQUDS ALAYKUM 