The battlefield has the final say in Gaza as the Palestinian resistance fighters engage in heroic confrontations against Israeli occupation forces in the eastern region of the southern city of Rafah.
Friday battles were resounding as fighters of the Palestinian resistance movements valiantly defended Rafah against Israeli attempts to encircle the area to the east of Rafah.
Photo circulated by Israeli media showing Zionist tanks near the eastern region in Rafah (May 2024).
Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, announced its fighters engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli occupation soldiers in eastern Rafah.
The group announced an operation in which resistance fighters targeted a structure where an Israeli force was stationed in with TBG shell and hit an Israeli troop carrier with an RPG east of Rafah. Al-Qassam confirmed that casualties were reported among members of the Israeli force.
The resistance group declared another operation in which Al-Qassam fighters detonated a minefield at Saad Sayel Barracks, east of Rafah.
“Confirmed casualties were reported among Israeli soldiers following the deadly ambush at Saad Sayel Barracks,” Al-Qassam announced.
The area near Saad Sayel Barracks was also a scene for a third operation carried by Al-Qassam fighters who targeted two Israeli Merkava tanks with Yassine-105 shells, according to the resistance group.
Meanwhile, Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad resistance movement, issued a video showing mortar shells being fired at an Israeli troops and vehicles in eastern Rafah.
Israeli media, for its part, reported that sirens sounded twice at Karem Abu Salem, south of the Gaza Strip.
Shortly after Al-Qassam announced the operation in which a minefield was detonated at Saad Sayel Barracks, media outlets and social media circulated reports that Israeli helicopters evacuated a number of Israeli soldiers from Rafah to Soroka Medical Center.
A Zionist helicopter has now landed in Soroka to transport dead and wounded from Rafah🔥 pic.twitter.com/gnznhHr22j
Later on Friday, Israeli occupation military announced that 11 soldiers were evacuated from southern Gaza for treatment, claiming that they were stung by wasps in the southern Gaza Strip.
Palestinian Resistance factions announce a series of operations against Israeli occupation forces across the Gaza Strip.
A screen grab from a video showing Israeli occupation soldiers being monitored by al-Qassam fighters. (Military Media of al-Qassam Brigades)
A field leader in the Palestinian Resistance from al-Zaytoun neighborhood told Al Mayadeen that Resistance fighters are engaged in fierce confrontations with the Israeli occupation forces southwest of the neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City.
The leader mentioned that the confrontations are concentrated around the vicinity of Badr Mosque and the UNRWA clinic, where Resistance fighters managed to destroy several Israeli military vehicles since Thursday, in addition to showering Israeli occupation troops with 60mm mortar shells.
The source confirmed that the Resistance fighters were able to successfully carry out their operations despite the attacking Israeli forces being twice the number of forces who attempted to advance in the neighborhood about two months ago, noting that the Israeli occupation forces were now supported by dozens of tanks, armored personnel carriers, and bulldozers.
According to the leader, the Israeli occupation army is also intensifying the use of helicopters, drones, and fighter jets in its attacks.
The field leader said that the Israeli occupation forces demolished dozens of homes while bombing others with warplanes in al-Zaytoun neighborhood late Thursday.
This comes as the Palestinian Resistance intensified Thursday its operations against Israeli occupation forces raiding the al-Zaytoun neighborhood.
To the south of the neighborhood, al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, engaged Israeli forces’ gatherings with mortar shells and attacked two Israeli vehicles with an al-Yassin 105 shell and an explosive device.
Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement, attacked Israeli occupation troops and vehicles with mortar shells near Ali Mosque, southwest of the al-Zaytoun neighborhood.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades also engaged an Israeli military vehicle with an RPG shell, as well as Israeli troops, with several mortar shells south of the neighborhood.
On Friday, al-Qassam confirmed that its Resistance fighters are engaged in fierce confrontations with Israeli occupation forces penetrating south of the al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City, destroying an Israeli Merkava 4 with an al-Yassin 105 shell.
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades said its fighters are engaged in fierce confrontations with Israeli occupation forces using appropriate weapons. The Brigades confirmed that its Resistance fighters bombed a gathering of Israeli soldiers with mortar shells around Ali Mosque southwest of the neighborhood and engaged a Merkva tank with RPG shells near Badr Mosque.
In addition, al-Quds Brigades said it engaged an Israeli military vehicle with an RPG shell in the vicinity of the al-Zaytoun clinic.
East of Rafah
In a related context, al-Qassam Brigades confirmed Friday that its fighters carried out a complex and simultaneous military operation against the Israeli occupation forces near al-Dawa Mosque east of Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
In detail, the Brigades mentioned that its fighters struck a building housing Israeli occupation forces with a TBG shell, while also engaging an Israeli military Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) stationed beneath the building with an al-Yassin 105 shell.
Al-Qassam Brigades also attacked Israeli occupation soldiers who were near the APC with an anti-personnel shell, inflicting casualties and injuries among their ranks.
The Brigades announced that its Resistance fighters ambushed an Israeli force, detonating a pre-prepared minefield inside the Saad Sayel barracks site, east of Rafah, and causing casualties among its ranks.
The Resistance group also said it engaged two Israeli tanks with al-Yassin 105 shells in the vicinity of the Saad Sayel barracks.
Al-Qassam mentioned that its fighters destroyed an Israeli Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) with an Al-Yassin 105 shell and set it ablaze near the barracks.
The Brigades also struck an Israeli Merkava tank with an al-Yassin 105 shell in the Abu Halawa area, east of the city of Rafah. In the same area, al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades attacked gatherings of Israeli occupation soldiers and vehicles with a barrage of heavy-caliber mortar shells.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades mentioned that it engaged an Israeli military vehicle with an RPG shell on the combat axis in the vicinity of Saad Sayel barracks.
Al-Qassam Brigades also bombarded the Kerem Shalom military site east of Rafah with heavy-caliber mortar shells.
Israeli media outlets reported two severe incidents in Rafah, where a Namer-typed APC was hit by an explosive device, and another vehicle was engaged with an anti-tank rocket.
The media indicated that four Israeli soldiers were killed in these incidents, with a fifth soldier critically injured, stating that his condition was hopeless.
During a meeting of “Israel’s” Conflict Zone Forum, the leaders of the Israeli northern settlements decided to announce the establishment of the State of Galilee and fully separate from “Israel”.
According to Israeli news website Walla!, the step is set to be announced on “Independence Day”. The media website explained that their decision was reached after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s dismissive response to Benny Gantz’s inquiry about settlers returning home for the school year, saying, “What would happen if they return a few months after September 1?”
This latest action follows the forum members’ publication of protest advertisements in early April, where they publicly solicited bids to “locate the Israeli government.”
As cited by Israeli media, the ads read, “A public tender to locate a government in Israel!” and “The Conflict Zone Forum hereby invites proposals to be submitted to an alternative government in Israel as detailed in the tender documents.”
Most significant was the ad which depicted the extent of the despair of Israeli settlers on the border with Lebanon that reads:
“The full details of the tender can be found in the evacuated hotels and the accommodation apartments of the displaced throughout the country, with the business owners who collapsed in the north, in the dead tourism areas in the north, and in the offices of the authorities in the north.”
In parallel with these claims, settlers from abandoned settlements in northern occupied Palestine are planning demonstrations on May 16 in al-Quds and Haifa, advocating against a political agreement with Hezbollah and calling for security to be brought back to their region through military means.
Nasrallah’s terror balance that ‘Israel’ can’t confront: Israeli media
A new balance of terror has emerged in the North, one that “Israel” cannot live with even for a “single hour,” an op-ed published by Israeli newspaper Maariv on Tuesday said.
Avi Ashkenazi, the military correspondent of the newspaper, recalled in his piece the course of confrontation, the balance of combat, and the rules of engagement between Hezbollah and the occupation since before the withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000.
“Any solution in the North requires decision-makers in Israel to work on dismantling this balance of terror,” the author began by warning.
According to the Ashkenazi, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was able, before the Israeli withdrawal, and over the years, to create engagement rules in his favor in the “security belt in Lebanon,” where “he decided that every Israeli attack on a civilian target would lead to rocket fire on Kiryat Shmona and settlements in the Galilee,” and that the targets of the rocket launches varied between “open areas and inhibited ones.”
Later, this led to the debate within the occupation entity about the withdrawal to intensify, he said.
At least 35 Palestinians were killed and 129 wounded as Israeli forces carried out new massacres in the eastern and southern areas of Rafah.
The United States reportedly suspended sending arms shipments to Israel, due to its failure to address our concerns regarding its plans to invade Rafah.
Al-Qassam Brigades and Al-Quds Brigades announced in a statement that they are engaged in fierce clashes with invading Israeli forces east of Rafah.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 34,844 Palestinians have been killed, and 78,404 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
HAARETZ: Clashes took place between families of captives in Gaza and Israeli police officers at a Tel Aviv demonstration demanding an exchange deal.
UNICEF: 600,000 Palestinian children are seeking shelter in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, some of whom have been displaced several times, exhausted, traumatized, sick and hungry.
FORMER ISRAELI CHIEF OF STAFF: Former Israeli Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi said that stopping the war on the Gaza Strip is the only way to return Israeli prisoners held by the Resistance.
ISRAELI ARMY: An Israeli soldier was injured as a result of a shell fired by the resistance in the Kerem Shalom area in the southern Gaza Strip.
FREE UNIVERSITY OF BRUSSELS: The Free University of Brussels decided to stop a technological research project with Israeli partners, and to review all other projects with Israeli participation.
HEZBOLLAH: We targeted “with artillery shells a force of Israeli enemy soldiers in the vicinity of the Ramia site, and we achieved a direct hit.”
ISRAELI ARMY: An Israeli soldier was injured as a result of a shell fired by the resistance in the Kerem Shalom area in the southern Gaza Strip.
FORMER ISRAELI CHIEF OF STAFF: Former Israeli Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi said that stopping the war on the Gaza Strip is the only way… pic.twitter.com/MuJT6dqIui
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) May 8, 2024
Tuesday, May 7, 10:00 pm (GMT +2)
KAN: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office is working on a draft law proposal with the ultra-Orthodox parties, bypassing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Defense Council Minister Benny Gantz.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Netanyahu backed down from showing flexibility in exchange negotiations.
UNRWA: The crossings must be opened, and humanitarian aid must flow.
HAMAS: The probability of the occupation remaining in the Gaza Strip is zero.
CHANNEL 14: Israeli occupation army evacuated a temporary military site on the Gaza envelope, fearing that resistance elements would infiltrate it.
WALLA (quoting Israeli sources): The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hid medical markings on an ambulance that had been accompanying Netanyahu’s convoy since he suffered a heart attack last month, in order to make it look like a regular civilian car.
WALLA (quoting Israeli sources): The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hid medical markings on an ambulance that had been accompanying Netanyahu’s convoy since he suffered a heart attack last month, in order to make it look like a regular civilian car.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) May 8, 2024
UNRWA: Protest by Israeli extremists in front of our headquarters in Jerusalem is “intimidation and sabotage”.
NETANYAHU’S SPOKESMAN: The seizure of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing in the southern Gaza Strip by the Israeli army does not violate the peace treaty between Tel Aviv and Cairo.
UNRWA: The agency’s buildings in Gaza were subjected to 368 Israeli attacks.
ISRAELI ARMY RADIO: Iron Dome was unable to intercept rockets launched by the Resistance from Gaza towards Shlomi.
ISRAELI ARMY RADIO: Iron Dome was unable to intercept rockets launched by the Resistance from Gaza towards Shlomi.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) May 8, 2024
AUSTIN: We are absolutely committed to Israel’s right to defend itself.
FORMER MOSSAD CHIEF: There is no meaning to fighting in Rafah after all these days since the start of the war.
CHANNEL 13: Eight rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip towards Shlomi in the Eshkol Regional Council in the Gaza Strip.
HEZBOLLAH: We carried out an attack with assault marches on the headquarters of the newly created Western Brigade in Ya’ra, and a direct hit was achieved.
RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN: Carrying out an Israeli ground military operation in Rafah destabilizes the entire region. There are no prospects yet for resolving the situation in the Gaza Strip, and the conflict in the region is escalating daily.
US OFFICIAL (to Al-Jazeera): Washington’s position on Rafah has not changed, and a broad operation must not be launched.
UNRWA: We did not receive aid or fuel through the Rafah crossing.
NBC (citing Israeli official). There is deep frustration in the Israeli government with the American decision to halt the arms shipment.
Tuesday, May 7, 4:15 pm (GMT +2)
GAZA STRIP CROSSINGS AUTHORITY: The Gaza Strip Crossings Authority denied Israel’s claims that it had reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing, south of the Strip, for the entry of aid.
AL-JAZEERA: About 200 European Union employees demonstrated in the Belgian capital, Brussels, against the Union’s policies towards the Gaza Strip.
AL-QASSAM BRIGADES: The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades announced the bombing of Israeli occupation forces’ concentrations at the “Kerem Shalom Military Site” with a 114 mm short-range “Rajoum” missile system.
Tuesday, May 7, 2:45 pm (GMT +2)
GAZA GOVERNMENT MEDIA OFFICE: A third mass grave was found inside the Shifa Medical Complex and 49 bodies were recovered.
AL-JAZEERA: Six workers were injured by occupation fire at the Kerem Shalom crossing.
AL-QUDS BRIGADES: We bombed with heavy-caliber mortar shells Israeli occupation soldiers and vehicles penetrating the vicinity of the airport, east of the city of Rafah.
GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: 34,844 Palestinians have been killed, and 78,404 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) May 8, 2024
ISRAELI ARMY: 3,361 Israeli soldiers have been injured since the start of the war on Gaza.
GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: 34,844 Palestinians have been killed, and 78,404 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
US MEDIA: Metropolitan Police began evacuating a pro-Palestinian camp at George Washington University at dawn today.
Tuesday, May 7, 1:30 pm (GMT +2)
AL-JAZEERA: Rockets were launched from southern Lebanon towards the Israeli monk site in the Upper Galilee.
ISRAELI MEDIA: The Israeli army is investigating the downing of its drone in Kfar Saba, between Jaffa and Tulkarm.
HEZBOLLAH: We targeted two buildings used by Israeli army soldiers in the Hanita settlement.
In this video, Al-Quds Brigades fighters are seen bombarding Israeli soldiers and vehicles with mortar shells in the axes of advance east of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) May 8, 2024
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: The death toll from the Israeli bombing on the Al-Qara family’s home in the Khuza’a area, east of Khan Yunis, has risen to three.
Tuesday, May 7, 12:30 pm (GMT +2)
HEZBOLLAH: We targeted a building used by Israeli soldiers in the Metulla settlement, and two other buildings in the Shlomi settlement in the Upper Galilee.
YEDIOTH AHRONOTH: The Israeli army downplayed the US administration’s suspension of an arms shipment following an Israeli military operation in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip this week, saying that the two allied parties resolve any disputes “behind closed doors.”
Tuesday, May 7, 11:30 am (GMT +2)
PALESTINIAN FACTIONS: We will not accept the imposition of any guardianship over the Rafah crossing or any other party, and we consider this an occupation.
CHANNEL 13: An anti-tank missile hit a house in the town of Metulla.
PALESTINIAN MEDICAL SOURCES: The bodies of 35 Palestinians and 129 wounded arrived at Kuwait Hospital in Rafah within 24 hours.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) May 8, 2024
KEREM SHALOM: Kerem Shalom crossing reopened for the entry of humanitarian aid after it was closed.
QATARI FM: Qatar strongly condemns the bombing of Rafah and calls for preventing its invasion.
AL-QUDS BRIGADES: We are engaged in fierce clashes east of Rafah.
MAARIV: Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich submitted a petition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop delaying legislation on the use of Palestinian Authority funds held by Israel .
ISRAELI MEDIA: Instructions were issued to farmers in the Gaza Strip not to go out to work in the areas adjacent to the border fence.
Tuesday, May 7, 09:00 am (GMT +2)
BEN-GVIR: The demolition of dozens of homes in the Negev is an important step towards restoring governance.
AL-JAZEERA: Occupation forces begin demolishing dozens of Palestinian homes in the Naqab (Negev).
AL-JAZEERA: Occupation forces begin demolishing dozens of Palestinian homes in the Naqab (Negev).
AL-QASSAM BRIGADES: Our fighters are engaged in fierce clashes with the Israeli enemy forces penetrating east of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) May 8, 2024
AL-QASSAM BRIGADES: Our fighters are engaged in fierce clashes with the Israeli enemy forces penetrating east of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
UNRWA: UNRWA called for the reopening of Gaza crossings without any delay, noting that vital supplies and fuel are entered through them.
ISRAELI MEDIA: Dozens of prisoners’ families are closing the main Ayalon axis in Tel Aviv, demanding a deal to return their children.
Tuesday, May 7, 08:00 am (GMT +2)
AL-JAZEERA: An Israeli air strike targeted the vicinity of the destroyed Gaza Airport, east of the city of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: A woman was killed and a number of injured in an Israeli artillery shelling that targeted the town of Khuza’a, east of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
AL-JAZEERA: An Israeli air strike targeted the vicinity of the destroyed Gaza Airport, east of the city of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: A woman was killed and a number of injured in an Israeli artillery shelling that targeted the town of Khuza'a, east of… pic.twitter.com/9dfg0CjEgN
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) May 8, 2024
AFP (citing US official): We suspended sending an arms shipment to Israel of 1,800 1,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs. Suspending the shipment of weapons to Israel due to its failure to address our concerns regarding its plans to invade Rafah.
Tuesday, May 7, 05:00 am (GMT +2)
NBC (citing US officials): American, Qatari and Egyptian negotiators are trying in Cairo to resolve various disagreements regarding the ceasefire deal.
AXIOS (citing American source): Republican representatives are preparing legislation targeting international criminal officials.
Tuesday, May 7, 03:00 am (GMT +2)
WASHINGTON POST (quoting US official): The move by the administration of US President Joe Biden to postpone two arms shipments to Israel confirms Washington’s fears about the Rafah attack.
PALESTINIAN MEDIA: An Israeli raid and artillery shelling in the center and north of the Gaza Strip.
Tuesday, May 7, 02:00 am (GMT +2)
REUTERS (citing informed source): CIA Director William Burns will travel to Israel on Wednesday to hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials.
REUTERS (citing informed source): CIA Director William Burns will travel to Israel on Wednesday to hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials.
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) May 8, 2024
BRITISH DEPUTY FOREIGN SECRETARY: Israel’s attack on Rafah would violate international law and would not lead to the elimination of Hamas.
Tuesday, May 7, 01:00 am (GMT +2)
MARTIN GRIFFITHS: Martin Griffiths said that Israeli evacuation orders in Rafah and the ground operation will lead to more death and displacement.
REUTERS (quoting informed sources): The administration of US President Joe Biden will not submit its report to Congress on whether Israel is violating international law in Gaza on time.
BLINKEN: Blinken condemns “extremist attacks” on aid heading from Jordan to Gaza.
Tuesday, May 7, 12:00 am (GMT +2)
YEDIOTH AHRONOTH: CIA Director William Burns will arrive in Israel tomorrow, Wednesday, to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mossad Chief David Barnea to discuss a possible deal for a ceasefire in Gaza and the exchange of prisoners.
Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi again called to postpone an investigation into the occupation army’s failures over Hamas’ Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, as the number of Israeli soldiers killed in the fronts in Gaza and Lebanon reached six.
Israeli media reported that Halevi issues a new letter to the state comptroller, asking him to postpone an investigation into the military’s multiple failures that occurred before, during, and after the October 7 attack.
“Your conclusion that the current timing makes it possible to start an audit does not correspond to the security reality and the burden” on the Israeli military, said Halevi to Matanyahu Englman, as reported by The Times of Israel.
Herzi Halevi, Israeli military chief speaking to troops ahead of a military march (Thursday, April 20, 2023).
“An audit at this time will cause substantial and severe harm to the war efforts,” Halevi said.
“I pledge that the IDF will cooperate fully with the state comptroller, but not at the expense of the complex tasks before us,” Halevi added referring to the occupation military (IOF).
In December, Englman said his office would “leave no stone unturned” in its investigation.
Halevi then raised objections, saying the state comptroller’s examination was unprecedented and would divert the attention of IDF commanders currently conducting operations in Gaza.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, the Israeli occupation military announced that two Israeli soldiers were killed in Hezbollah’s Monday drone strike on Metula.
Earlier, the occupation military revised the death toll of the Israeli soldiers killed in Hamas’ rocket attack on Karem Abu Salem site near Gaza to four.
The Israeli occupation army was on Monday investigating the failure over the Karem Abu Salem attack.
The Israeli occupation army is investigation failure over Hamas rocket attack which killed four occupation soldiers and injured ten others near Karem Abu Salem (known in Hebrew as Kerem Shalom).
Israeli media reported on Monday that military was investigating why the Iron Dome air defense system did not engage the barrage launched by Hamas’ Al-Qassam fighters.
Hamas announced on Sunday an operation targeting the Zionist command headquarters and deployments inside the Karem Abu Salem military site, east of Rafah with a barrage of Rujoum rockets.
The resistance group issued a video on Sunday showing the rocket attack by Hamas’ armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigades.
For its part, the occupation army said at least ten rockets were fired from the Rafah area in southern Gaza in the attack. It announced that four Israeli soldiers were killed and 10 more were wounded in the Hamas-claimed strike.
The deaths brought the toll of announced slain troops in the Zionist ground offensive along the Gaza border to 267, The Times of Israel reported.
Most of the rockets struck an area where troops were gathered on the border, not far from the Karem Abu Salem border crossing, Israeli media reported, adding that the soldiers had been guarding military equipment that was brought to the area for the occupation army’s planned offensive in Rafah.
Tuesday, April 23, 2024, marked the 200th consecutive day of Israel’s large-scale military offensive on the Gaza Strip. Nearly 90 percent of the population is displaced, with many living in dire conditions in tents, and the few remaining schools used as shelters. Despite the International Court of Justice’s provisional measures orders to prevent genocide, Israel persists in threatening a large-scale ground invasion of Rafah, home to over 1.2 million residents and displaced persons—a threat that has loomed over the Palestinian people there for several weeks.
Our organizations — the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), Al Mezan, and Al-Haq — are closely monitoring and deeply concerned about the escalation of Israeli airstrikes on Rafah. The tactics of intensified bombing of homes using heavy artillery and carpet bombing are alarming and have resulted in significant civilian casualties over the last six months.
Furthermore, concerns are growing as reports from Israeli media indicate that the Israeli army is purchasing thousands of tents to accommodate displaced individuals from Rafah. The Israeli plan to expand the so-called safe zone in the Al-Mawasi area, despite its limited capacity and current overcrowding with displaced persons, is also troubling. This expansion is purportedly capable of housing up to a million people, but the reality of its size (extending about a kilometer deep from the borders of Khan Younis to the borders of Rafah) raises doubts about its feasibility and effectiveness in addressing the humanitarian crisis.
Our organizations have repeatedly warned and expressed serious concerns about the potential consequences of a large-scale ground invasion on Rafah, similar to what has occurred in most governorates of the Gaza Strip. Such an invasion could lead to horrific massacres and raise scenarios of a second Nakba. The densely populated city, with hundreds of thousands of displaced individuals residing in tents and heavily relying on aid from the Rafah and Kerem Abu Salem Crossings, exacerbates the vulnerability of its population. The closure of these vital crossings during a potential Israeli attack would leave no suitable alternatives for the evacuation of Rafah residents and those already displaced within the city. This concern is compounded by the continued attacks and destruction that have altered the landscape of the Gaza Strip.
According to the latest update from the Palestinian Ministry of Health on April 23, 2024, Israeli military attacks over the span of 200 days have led to the killing of 34,183 Palestinians, including 14,778 children and around 10,000 women, and the injury of 77,143 others. One child is killed or injured every 10 minutes in Gaza. An estimated seven to eight thousand Palestinians are still missing, buried under the rubble, or in the streets. There have been ongoing efforts over the past few days to retrieve some of them, amid reports of finding individuals bound and buried in mass graves in Nasser and Al-Shifa Hospitals, indicating the possibility of them being killed by the Israeli army after their arrest. All of this requires the opening of a serious and independent international investigation. It is worth noting that citizens have been forced to create temporary graves in hospitals, markets, streets, and near destroyed homes due to the impossibility of transporting the people killed to official cemeteries.
After 200 days of horrific genocidal acts in Gaza, the real objectives of the attack are the continuation of the 76-year-long ongoing Nakba and the erasure and genocidal destruction of the Palestinian people in Gaza. Israel is laying the groundwork to fulfill its settler colonial plan of colonizing Gaza, played out in real time on the world’s television sets and screens. We warn that the risks of displacement are still present unless the international community intervenes effectively to prevent them.
Our organisations reiterate that silence from the international community is no longer acceptable, and mere statements of condemnation are not enough in the face of genocide and systematic and deliberate crimes to destroy the foundations of Palestinian life.
Our organizations warn of the threat of an Israeli ground invasion on Rafah. Such an attack would represent the peak of the Israeli attack on Gaza, with the intent of inflicting the highest number of casualties and civilian victims, potentially leading to mass forcible displacement towards the Egyptian borders, located mere meters away. This scenario threatens the acceleration of the Nakba on the Palestinian people and is an approaching reality.
We urgently call on the permanent members of the UN Security Council, the UN Secretary-General, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to swiftly intervene to avert the continuing Nakba and to halt the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Our organisations warn Third States that they may be complicit in genocide through their unlimited military and financial support of Israel’s aggression on the Gaza Strip. We remind the Third States of their erga omnes obligations to protect the Palestinian people from genocide.
We further urge the international community to secure the right of return of Palestinians to their areas of residence and ensure the provision of essential services, including access to clean water, reopening closed roads, and other necessary support.
We emphasize that the key to resolving the crisis in the region forever lies in ending the illegal occupation, dismantling the Israeli settler-colonial apartheid regime, revoking all discriminatory and inhumane laws, policies, and practices against the Palestinian people as a whole, and enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and the return of refugees without any conditions or restrictions.
Hezbollah’s Military Media released late on Sunday video showing the strike on the settlement of Meron and the surrounding settlements in northern occupied Palestine, as the Lebanese resistance group went ahead with pro-Gaza attacks against Israeli sites.
The footage below shows dozens of Hezbollah’s Katyusha missiles pounding Meron and the surrounding settlements. The strike took place late Saturday.
Meanwhile on Sunday, Hezbollah’s Military Media announced that the resistance group launched four strikes targeting Israeli sites.
According to a summary provided by the Military Media department, Hezbollah’s Islamic Resistance fighters shelled Al-Baghdadi site at 11:45, inflicting direct hits.
Later on Sunday afternoon (at 15:10), the Islamic Resistance fighters targeted Al-Samaqa site in the occupied Lebanese hills of Kfar Shuba with appropriate weapons, inflicting direct hits.
The third strike saw the Islamic Resistance fighters hitting Ruwaisat Al-Alam site in the occupied Lebanese hills of Kfar Shuba with missile weapons.
Later at 19:00, the Islamic Resistance fighters targeted a structure used by Israeli enemy soldiers in Shtula settlement, inflicting direct hits, in response to the enemy’s attacks on resilient villages and civilian homes.
Since October 8, Lebanon’s Hezbollah group launched attacks on Israeli sites along the border with occupied Palestine in solidarity with the Palestinian people and resistance.
Israeli Walla news website’s military correspondent reported on Monday that “Hezbollah insists on linking the northern front with Gaza battle.”
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli media reported on the damage at Menara border settlement, due to a Hezbollah strike on the area a day earlier.
Israeli Haaretz newspaper wrote that “it is difficult to find a safe area in Kibbutz Menara at the border with Lebanon, with destruction evident in every corner of the kibbutz.”
“Estimates indicate that around 70% of the buildings there have been damaged by direct missile strikes,” the Israeli daily added.
The Palestinian Resistance factions have issued a powerful statement, declaring their readiness for any potential scenarios in the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, including a ground invasion of Rafah, the southernmost city in the besieged territory.
In a joint statement released on Wednesday, the factions emphasized their determination to not stand idly by as they warned of the catastrophic and humanitarian consequences of an invasion of Rafah, where more than 1.4 million displaced Palestinians currently reside.
The factions held the US President Joe Biden’s administration and Western governments accountable for any potential Israeli aggression, stating that ongoing Western support to “Israel” despite its violation of international laws and conventions is unacceptable.
His entire family was wiped out in Rafah last night.
Meanwhile, the genocidal Zionist regime was celebrating the $26 billion of aid approved by the US Congress. Now, it can continue the slaughter of Gazan children with greater firepower.#GazaHolocaust#IsraeliNewNazismpic.twitter.com/Rh4ILpt2uY
In a call to action, the factions urged the Palestinian masses in the West Bank to rise up vehemently against the Israeli threats of invading Rafah, urging them to turn the West Bank into a fireball to combat Western and soldiers.
Additionally, the factions warned of a comprehensive escalation that could threaten regional security, especially Egyptian national security, should an invasion of Rafah take place, given its proximity to Egypt.
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ Political Bureau, denounced Washington’s deceptive stance and affirmed that the Palestinian people will not surrender if an invasion occurs, stating that the resistance is prepared to defend itself.
TOPSHOT – A general view shows destroyed building and the rubble of the al-Faruq mosque on February 22, 2024, following an overnight Israeli air strike in Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP)
The Israeli occupation’s ruthless aggression against the Gaza Strip continues, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence as inhabited homes and vital infrastructure are targeted relentlessly.
In pictures | This is what all remains of the Al-Jamal family home, which was bombed by Israeli warplanes last night upon the heads of its civilian occupants, killing multiple civilians, including children. pic.twitter.com/ds2xk8JevG
Reports from Palestinian media highlight the latest atrocities committed by Israeli forces, including the bombing of a house belonging to the Al-Amour family in Al-Fokhari, Khan Yunis. The airstrikes and artillery shelling have caused multiple casualties, with deaths reported in towns throughout the Gaza Strip.
BREAKING: Casualties among Palestinian civilians in an Israeli artillery shelling east of Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. pic.twitter.com/rBjBgy38pb
One particularly tragic incident occurred in Rafah, where Israeli forces bombed a house belonging to the Al-Jamal family, resulting in the deaths of 5 citizens, including women and children. This horrifying attack underscores the indiscriminate nature of the occupation’s violence.
Palestinians inspect the rubble of the Al-Jamal family home, which was destroyed by Israeli warplanes last night upon the heads of its civilian occupants, killing multiple civilians, including children.
The death toll in the Gaza Strip continues to rise, with thousands of victims still trapped under rubble or stranded on roads due to the ongoing conflict. Despite the overwhelming humanitarian crisis, the occupation forces obstruct efforts by ambulance and civil defense crews to provide aid.
Numerous Israeli experts have underlined that the potential invasion of Rafah would be a strategic blunder for the Israeli occupation forces as it would leave them defeated in at least one way.
Numerous Israeli experts, comprising former military and security officials, have issued stark warnings against an invasion of Rafah, deeming it a terrible strategic mistake were it to take place, as they underline that such a move would culminate in a staggering defeat for the Israeli occupation forces as the Israeli regime appears hellbent on invading the southernmost region of Gaza.
Reserve Major General Yitzhak Brik contends that Israeli leadership’s fixation on achieving “absolute victory” over Hamas is a delusion detached from reality. Brik asserts that this misguided pursuit could lead the Israeli occupation into another catastrophic outcome akin to Operation al-Aqsa Flood.
He further criticized what he termed the reckless determination of the political and military leadership to salvage their tarnished reputation at any cost, even if it meant risking the Israeli occupation’s security and stability. These “gang members (the political and military leadership) have decided to pay any price to try to salvage their lost honor due to their responsibility and guilt for the grave failure; so much so that they are willing to take actions that amount to gambling on Israel’s existence.”
Former Israeli occupation forces Central Command Commander Reserve Major General Gadi Shamni underlined that “Israel” needed to swiftly pursue a resolution through negotiations, which would include recognizing Hamas’s inevitable dominance in the aftermath of any Israeli withdrawal.
Shamni dismissed the notion of a viable alternative to Hamas and warned against the futility of attempting to confront the Resistance faction militarily.
Strategic ambush awaiting IOF
Another critic of the plan to invade Rafah was Israeli Reserve Major General Israel Ziv, the former chief of the IOF’s Operations Division, who warned that Hamas had a strategically devastating ambush awaiting the Israeli occupation forces in Rafah. “It would end with the [IOF] leaving Rafah with its tail between its legs.”
He cautioned that any ground operation in Rafah carried unprecedented risks, surpassing previous engagements in the Gaza Strip. He cautions against underestimating the resilience of Hamas and anticipates a scenario where the IOF retreats from Rafah, mirroring past withdrawals that allowed Hamas to consolidate its control.
Former commander of the Israeli Air Defense Force Reserve Brigadier General Zvika Haimovich stressed that there was no definitive victory in such conflicts, urging a pragmatic assessment of achievable objectives in order for the IOF not to get too carried away.
Haimovich highlighted the futility of prolonged military engagements, citing recent precedents where temporary gains were swiftly nullified by subsequent escalations.
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Hezbollah has moved to counter Israel’s targeted killings strategy by hitting high-value Israeli assets and showcasing stunning intelligence-gathering feats meant to humble Tel Aviv.
On 17 April, Hezbollah launched a series of qualitative military operations on the western sector of the Lebanese–Israeli border, culminating in a sophisticated attack using guided missiles and an explosive-laden drone that struck the headquarters of an Israeli reconnaissance unit in the village of Arab al-Aramshe.
At 1:06 p.m., a report was received of a direct hit to a community center in the Arab Al Aramsha area. There are 6 injured, one of them in serious condition, another injured in moderate condition and the rest in light condition.
The attack resulted in 18 casualties, some serious, including an enemy general who succumbed to his wounds, according to Israeli reports.
The primary aim of these operations was to deliver a stern message to Israel: further targeted killings of Hezbollah members will not be tolerated. The resistance response was specifically provoked by the assassination of its fighters in the villages of Ain Baal and Chehabiya the previous day, where Israeli drone strikes martyred several fighters in quick succession.
Hezbollah strikes, Israel reacts
On the morning of the retaliatory operation, Hezbollah executed additional notable attacks in the western sector. These included striking the Branit barracks with a powerful Burkan missile and launching an Almas-3 missile at the Meron base’s air control unit, marking the first reported use of this missile with a range exceeding 10 kilometers.
The attack also destroyed an AN/TPQ-37, a radar crucial for detecting projectiles and identifying their origins.
Despite its initial reluctance, the Israeli military acknowledged the operation, following the overwhelming evidence presented in numerous video recordings. The operation, as with many by Hezbollah as of late, was a qualitative response, drawing significant media attention and analysis in Israel.
Prominent commentators noted that Hezbollah had effectively circumvented Israeli warning systems and struck at will, indicating that previous assassinations by Israel did not deter Hezbollah’s strategic operations.
The Arab al-Aramshe operation is being carefully analyzed by Israeli media, both concerning Hezbollah’s tactics and Israel’s responses. Israel’s Channel 12 outlet, in particular, emphasized two major points:
First, Hezbollah learns rapidly from past engagements and introduces new tactics and weapons into the battlefield. This was demonstrated by its deployment of heavy Burkan missiles against Israeli army bases, marking a shift in its approach and showcasing its ability to innovate and apply new technologies in combat scenarios.
Second, the Lebanese resistance movement’s ability to effectively combine multiple weapon systems simultaneously to target a specific location was also noted. This strategy aims to overwhelm the enemy’s defensive measures and maximize impact.
Further insight was provided by a military correspondent from the Hebrew newspaper Makor Rishon, who pointed out that Israel’s numerous assassinations of Hezbollah members have neither deterred nor significantly affected the organization’s ability to carry out sophisticated strikes against sensitive Israeli military points.
Essentially, the Hebrew media depiction paints a picture of concern over the Israeli army’s current military strategies and their effectiveness. Streams of articles now conclude that neither deep raids into Lebanese territory nor the targeting of Hezbollah’s operational capabilities has prevented the organization from accessing and utilizing advanced weaponry or executing coordinated attacks.
Hezbollah’s intelligence gathering
The intelligence capabilities of Hezbollah are clearly robust and have been cultivated over many years. This level of intelligence gathering has been highlighted by the group’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, who once pointedly messaged the Israelis:
It is not important what you know about the resistance, but what the resistance knows about you.
The Arab al-Aramshe operation is a compelling illustration of these capabilities. Hezbollah’s prior knowledge of a relatively new reconnaissance site and subsequent successful strike showcase its meticulous intelligence work.
This is by no means an isolated case; similar intelligence-driven operations have targeted other critical Israeli military assets, including operational headquarters and Iron Dome positions across different locations.
Hezbollah has also been able to identify and strike at highly sensitive and less visible targets. This includes military bases like the “Yaav” base and the “Kila” barracks in the occupied Golan Heights, known to be the headquarters of Israel’s air and missile defense command. These sites were specifically targeted following the return of forces from the Golani Brigade, who were training there after committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
The complexity of Hezbollah’s intelligence operations lies in its clarity and ambiguity. While the targets of its operations are clear, how it gathers such detailed and specific intelligence remains largely undisclosed and mysterious.
This capability to identify and act upon vulnerabilities deep within Israeli territory points to a sophisticated network of intelligence gathering and analysis, likely involving both technological surveillance and human intelligence.
Raising the stakes
Hezbollah aimed to achieve several objectives through the combined strike in Arab al-Aramshe. These goals include deterring Israel’s assassinations of resistance fighters and asserting the resistance’s focus on hitting significant, high-value targets to inflict substantial losses.
Additionally, Hezbollah demonstrated its capability to gather detailed intelligence, enabling it to pinpoint sensitive and strategic enemy locations.
The escalation of resistance activities aims to set boundaries for the Israeli military, which has continued its strategy of assassinations and attacks against Lebanese civilians and state agricultural areas. Moreover, these actions on the Lebanese front are designed to bolster and support the resistance in the Gaza Strip.
It is through the deployment of various weapons and military tactics that Hezbollah continues to pursue its objective of challenging and restraining Israeli aggression toward Lebanon while simultaneously supporting the Palestinian resistance in Gaza – both politically and militarily – since the launch of Al-Aqsa Flood last year.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.
Three Israeli settlers have been injured in what Israeli occupation police have described as an attack by stabbing, while the Palestinians who allegedly carried out the attack are on the run. The incident, which involved a car hitting two settlers at separate locations, has left occupation authorities on high alert as the suspects fled the scene on foot.
BREAKING: Two Israeli settlers are reported injured in a car-ramming operation in occupied Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/4TlGZw2VFU
The Israeli occupation police claimed that a Carlo submachine gun was found along the escape route of the Palestinians, adding that a large number of officers were dispatched to track the two.
سيتوجب على أميركا كبح جماح ربيبتها “إسرائيل” ومنعها من الذهاب بعيداً.
عمرو علان كاتب وباحث فلسطيني
لكن نجاح أميركا في تفادي الحرب الإقليمية الشاملة، إذا ما توفرت لديها إرادة جادة لذلك، يظل متوقفاً بقدر كبير على كون جولة الرد والرد المقابل المرتقبة بين إيران والكيان كافيةً لتظهير حدود قوة الأطراف وتوازناتها الجديدة.
ثمّة إجماع على أن اعتداء الكيان الغاصب على القنصلية الإيرانية في دمشق، وما تبعه من رد صاروخي إيراني مباشر وغير مسبوق على الكيان، أدخل منطقتي المشرق العربي وغرب آسيا في مرحلة مختلفة نوعياً في غاية التعقيد والخطورة، وفتح الباب واسعاً أمام احتمالات تدحرج الأمور إلى حرب شاملة لا يريدها أي من أطراف الصراع، عدا الكيان الغاصب وحكومة نتنياهو، فهل بالإمكان التنبؤ بمسار الأحداث؟ وما السيناريو الأكثر ترجيحاً للأيام القادمة؟
لا تزال الوقائع تتسارع بطريقة دراماتيكية منذ الزلزال الجيوسياسي الذي ضرب المنطقة صبيحة 7 تشرين الأول 2023، فقد كانت عملية “طوفان الأقصى” عملاً استراتيجياً بارعاً بامتياز، كما أرادتها قيادات كتائب القسام أن تكون، إذ لا يمكن فصل أي من التطورات اللاحقة التي شهدتها المنطقة عن تلك العملية ولا عن سياقاتها، فلولا طوفان 7 تشرين الأول 2023 الفلسطيني لما كانت عملية 14 نيسان 2024 الإيرانية.
لقد جاء “طوفان الأقصى” عقب عدة منعطفات متراكمة مر بها الإقليم خلال العقدين الأخيرين، كانت حصيلتها من الناحية النظرية اختلال التوازنات الحاكمة إقليمياً، ولم يكن قد تم بعد ترسيم ذلك الاختلال واختبار الموازين المستجدة ميدانياً، ومن ثم جاء “طوفان الأقصى” ضمن هذا السياق الممتد لعقدين، فكانت باكورة نتائجه إبراز تراجع مستوى قدرة الاحتلال الردعية وترسيخ تهشيم فكرة “الجيش الذي لا يقهر”، ليفتح الباب أمام مرحلة ترصيد موازين المنطقة الجديدة ميدانياً وعملياً.
مذاك، شن العدو عدوانه الهمجي الأخير على غزة لتعديل الكفة لمصلحته واستعادة صورة الردع، لكنه لم يستطع بعد أكثر من 6 أشهر القضاء على المقاومة الفلسطينية، فيما في المقابل لم يستطع محور المقاومة إجبار العدو على القبول بوقف إطلاق النار بشروط المقاومة الفلسطينية، لتدخل الحرب فترة مراوحة عسكرية مع انسداد الأفق أمام الاحتلال لتحقيق أي إنجاز على جبهة غزة، بما يعني أن درجة الاختلال في موازين القوى، التي يتم اختبارها من خلال الحرب الدائرة، لم يتم حسمها بعد ميدانياً.
لذلك، دفع انسداد الأفق أمام الاحتلال في غزة للهروب إلى الأمام، فاقترف عدواناً فجاً على القنصلية الإيرانية في دمشق، أملاً في خلط الأوراق، لكن الاستخبارات العسكرية لدى “جيش” الاحتلال وشبكة أمان في الكيان أخطأتا بتقديم تقدير دقيق لرد الفعل الإيراني، كما كشف الإعلام العبري. وقد فوجئ كل من الكيان الغاصب وأميركا بقوة الرد الصاروخي الإيراني المباشر ليلة 14 نيسان، بحسب ما أوردت الصحافة الأميركية.
لقد جاءت ضربة 14 نيسان الصاروخية لتعمق من مأزق الكيان الغاصب عقب أحداث 7 تشرين الأول، إذ إنها أمعنت في تهشيم صورة القدرة الردعية لجيش الاحتلال، لكن تلك الضربة بدورها لم تكن كافيةً لرسم حدود توازنات المنطقة الجاري صرفها ميدانياً منذ تشرين الأول الفائت.
لذلك، رغم تحذيرات بايدن لنتنياهو من خطورة التصعيد وحثه على ابتلاع الضربة الإيرانية، فالأرجح أن يقوم العدو برد فعل عسكري ما مباشر ضد إيران، وهذا ما تشير إليه تصريحات مسؤولي كيان الاحتلال المتكررة مؤخراً. وبناء عليه، صار السؤال الأكثر منطقيةً ليس ما إذا كان الكيان سيقوم بعمل استفزازي ضد إيران، بل ما إذا كان بمقدور أميركا منع انزلاق الإقليم إلى حرب شاملة؟
لقد كانت تصريحات المسؤولين الإيرانيين واضحةً وحاسمةً بأن يكون رد الجمهورية الإسلامية فورياً وأكثر حزماً على أي استفزاز صهيوني جديد.
وقياساً على وقائع ليلة 14 نيسان، يمكن القول إن إيران قادرة على تنفيذ وعيدها، كما أن من نافلة القول إن جيش الاحتلال كذلك قادر على شن اعتداء على إيران، لكن على الأرجح أن يكون التصعيد المحتمل بين إيران والكيان في مراحله الأولى منضبطاً، على شاكلة ضربات متزامنة، لكنها محسوبة، بما يشبه صيغة “المعركة بين الحروب” التي كانت تدور لأيام محدودة بين حركات المقاومة والكيان الغاصب.
مع ذلك، تبقى معادلات الردود المتقابلة بين حركات مقاوِمة واحتلال مختلفةً في حالات الدول، بمعزل عن تصنيفنا للكيان من الناحية السياسية، ما يجعل احتمال تصاعد الردود المتقابلة إلى حرب شاملة بمشاركة كل الجبهات أكبر من أي وقت مضى.
سيتوجب على أميركا في المرحلة القادمة كبح جماح ربيبتها “إسرائيل” ومنعها من الذهاب بعيداً في التصعيد إذا ما أرادت تفادي انزلاق المنطقة إلى حرب شاملة لا تريدها، إذ يلزمها ممارسة ضغوط فاعلة وأكثر جديةً على الكيان من أجل التوصّل إلى صيغة تهدئة مع إيران ضمن نطاق زمني محدود، إضافة إلى التوصل إلى وقف لإطلاق النار يلبي شروط حركة حماس على جبهة غزة، وذلك بصفتها الجبهة الرئيسة التي ترتبط بها باقي الجبهات.
لكن نجاح أميركا في تفادي الحرب الإقليمية الشاملة، إذا ما توفرت لديها إرادة جادة لذلك، يظل متوقفاً بقدر كبير على كون جولة الرد والرد المقابل المرتقبة بين إيران والكيان كافيةً لتظهير حدود قوة الأطراف وتوازناتها الجديدة.
أما ما دون ذلك، فإنه يجعل إمكانية التدحرج إلى حرب كسر عظم بين الأطراف الإقليمية احتمالاً معقولاً. وآنذاك، لن تكون القوى الكبرى الدولية بمنأى عن عموم المشهد بدرجات متفاوتة.
تعيش منطقتنا مرحلةً في غاية الحساسية والخطورة لم تعش نظيراً لها منذ 1973، مع فارقين أساسيين يرفعان درجة المخاطر ويزيدان تعقيد
عموم المشهد
أولهما، أن قوى التحرر العربية والإسلامية اليوم هي قوى مبدئية، وتعمل وفقاً لاستراتيجية “معركة تحرير” لا “معركة تحريك”، ما يجعل ظروف التوصل إلى صفقة كبيرة تفرط بالحقوق العربية والإسلامية غير موجودة.
أما ثانيهما، فيتمثل في حالة السيولة التي يعيشها النظام الدولي والصراع بين غرب استعماري في طور الأفول وشرق صاعد يطمح إلى إعادة التوازن في المنظومة الدولية التي ترسخت في أعقاب الحرب العالمية الثانية، في تحول عالمي جذري يرى فيه كثيرون وضعاً لم يتكرر منذ نهايات القرن السادس عشر.
لهذا كله، نجد أن عبارة “كل الاحتمالات مفتوحة” باتت منذ 7 تشرين الأول 2023 العبارة التي يكررها المتابعون والسياسيون، بمن فيهم قادة الصف الأول لحركات المقاومة، في مصداق لمقولة أن “ما بعد طوفان الأقصى ليس كما قبله”.
إن الآراء المذكورة في هذه المقالة تعبّر عن رأي صاحبها حصراً
Palestinians inspect the rubble of the Yassin Mosque at Shati refugee camp in Gaza City (photo by AP).
Israeli occupation army proceeds its brutal aggression on Gaza Strip, with military operation being waged in the enclave’s central area of Nuseirat.
Palestinian media reported massive raids in the refugee camp of Nuseirat overnight. The strikes were followed by a military push on the ground into the northern part of the Nuseirat camp.
Al-Jazeera reported that when the military announced its withdrawal from southern Khan Younis, it kept an entire brigade in the area that separates northern Gaza from the south, adding that Nuseirat is very close to deploy troops to the area.
Israeli military forces are carrying out a ground incursion in Nuseirat Camp, central Gaza amid heavy air raids and intense shelling. pic.twitter.com/zQQQfeXZpO
Israeli occupation army announced it launched a “targeted operation” against Hamas in the central Gaza Strip overnight, on the outskirts of Nuseirat, an area where ground troops have not yet operated during the ongoing war.
“Before troops of the 162nd Division’s 401st Armored Brigade, Nahal Infantry Brigade, and other units maneuvered into the area, the Israeli Air Force and 215th Artillery Regiment carried out strikes against dozens of Hamas targets, including tunnel infrastructure,” the occupation army declared.
More Strikes, Death Toll
In conjunction with air strikes on Nuseirat camp, Israeli gunboats shelled homes in the Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, killing multiple civilians, according to local sources cited by the Wafa news agency.
Elsewhere in the southern district of Rafah, Israeli strikes killed at least eight people, the Wafa news agency reports, citing medical sources.
Five of the martyrs were killed when Israeli warplanes struck a group of people near a cemetery in eastern Rafah, while three were killed by strikes that hit Rafah’s Janina neighborhood, also to the east, the news report said.
Breaking | Israeli occupation attack drones target a group of Palestinians near the eastern cemetery, east of Rafah. pic.twitter.com/TTjzPnXDo6
Health Ministry in Gaza announced that the death toll of the Israeli aggression now stands at 33,545, while the number of injured people reaches 76,094 since October 7.
It added that, Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip killed 63 people and wounded 45 others over the past 24 hours.
UNICEF Convoy Hit
Meanwhile, a UNICEF aid convoy was hit by Israeli gunfire in the latest attack on humanitarian relief workers in Gaza.
Tess Ingram, a UNICEF spokesperson, was in a convoy hit by Israeli gunfire as it tried to deliver aid to northern Gaza.
She said the vehicles were at a “holding point” – a designated area where cars have to wait until a checkpoint is ready to receive them.
“We were waiting there when gunfire broke out in the vicinity. The gunfire came from the direction of the checkpoint towards civilians who then ran away from the checkpoint and the gunfire hit us,” Ingram said.
🚨Breaking: UNICEF spokesperson recounts Israeli occupation forces shooting at their vehicle today while waiting at an Israeli checkpoint to enter and deliver aid to #Gaza. pic.twitter.com/j9j55u6qnK
Imam Khamenei lauded General Zahedi, saying he “had been awaiting martyrdom since the 1360s AH [1980s] when fighting in dangerous battlefields.”
“The martyrs haven’t lost anything and have received their reward,” the Leader said, noting that “the grief of losing them weighs heavily on the Iranian nation, especially those who knew them.” For his part, President Ebrahim Raisi pledged that Monday’s fatal strike will not go unanswered. In a statement released on Tuesday morning, Raisi said the usurping Zionist regime has brazenly violated international law by committing the terrorist crime of attacking the diplomatic building of Iran in Damascus.
Condemning the “inhumane assault in brazen violation of the international regulations”, the Iranian president said the Israeli regime has resorted to blind assassination attacks after successive defeats and failures in the face of the Axis of Resistance.
On the other hand, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hinted at the strike, saying that the Zionist entity goal is to “act everywhere, every day to prevent the force build-up of our enemies.”
Israeli DM Yoav Gallant during a Knesset meeting (April 2, 2024).
“We are in a multi-front war, in the offense and defense. We see evidence of this every day, including in recent days,” he said at a meeting of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, as quoted by Israeli media.
Hezbollah condemned as “idiotic” the Israeli attack that killed top Iranian generals in the Islamic Republic’s consulate in Syria’s Damascus, stressing that the assassination won’t go unpunished.
In a statement, Hezbollah Media Relations mourned seven IRGC generals and military advisers who were martyred in the Israeli strike on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus.
“As we mourn the dear brother (top IRGC general) Mohammad Reza Zahedi and his companions, we do believe that their virtuous blood will make this front more determined to confront this bloodthirsty enemy which has killed so far tens of thousands of Gaza’s children and women,” the statement, carried by Al-Manar read.
“This crime indicates that the enemy is still on its idiotic path which says the that assassination of leaders would stop the roaring tide of the peoples’ resistance. Certainly, this crime will not pass without the enemy receiving punishment and revenge.”
General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, top IRGC general who was martyred on Monday (April 1, 2024).
“On the 21st day of the holy month of Ramadan, the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s.), the day when the virtuous blood is sacrificed in defense of righteousness, oppressed people and the lofty divine principles… On this day General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and General Mohammad Hadi Hajirahimi, as well as the dear brothers Hossein Amanollahi, Mahdi Jalalati, Mohsen Sedaqat, Ali Aqababaee, and Ali Salehi Ruzbehani joined the convoy of martyrdom as a result of the Israeli crime which targeted the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus.”
Hezbollah laud martyr Zahedi as one of the first supporters who sacrificed theirselves and contributed for long years to developing the performance of the resistance in Lebanon.
The Lebanese resistance group offered deepest condolences to Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei and the IRGC leadership, particularly the Quds Force command on martyrdom of the Iranian generals.
Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich slammed the growing protests calling for a hostage deal and elections as “irresponsible pressures.”
“The demand for flexible positions on our part in the negotiations — as has been proven over and over again — only makes [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar harden his positions even more, and makes the return of the hostages even more distant,” Smotrich wrote on X.
“I call on the prime minister to stand firm in the face of irresponsible pressures that endanger the State of Israel and harm the goals of the war,” Smotrich said, as quoted by Israeli media.
Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli Finance Minister (photo from archive).
Smotrich’s comments came ahead of four days of action by families of Israelis held captive in Gaza, and anti-government protesters. The initiative was announced yesterday, with the relatives of some of the captives saying that it had become clear that the policy of using military pressure to secure their release was not effective.
Thousands Protest Netanyahu’s Handling of War
On Saturday, anti-government protests sprung up in both Tel Aviv and Al-Quds (Jerusalem), as Israelis feel that PM Benjamin Netanyahu is the main obstacle to signing a deal with Hamas and releasing the captives held in Gaza.
Protesters in Tel Aviv blocked the city’s ring road while demanding early elections as well as calling for the release of Israeli captives.
In Al-Quds, hundreds of protesters picketed Netanyahu’s private residence, blaming his far-right government for failing to secure the release of the around 130 captives believed to still be in Gaza — 33 of whom are presumed dead.
In an attack against an Israeli unit in Khan Younis, al-Qassam fighters killed an Israeli occupation officer and injured 16 others, six of whom were in critical condition.
The Israeli occupation military revealed that one of its officers was killed in confrontations against the Palestinian Resistance in Khan Younis, while 16 Israeli soldiers were injured, six of whom were in critical condition.
Under the “permitted to be published” clause, Israeli media announced that the officer belonged to the “Egoz” unit, which operates under the “Commandos” special forces.
Israeli media also described the clash as “a difficult battle”, detailing that Resistance fighters engaged the unit’s soldiers using an RPG, targeting a building where they had been stationed, in the al-Amal neighborhood, near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
🔴⚡️URGENT: Voici la vidéo filmée par les combattants d’Al Qassam du bâtiment qui a été bombardé hier où des soldats israéliens étaient retranchés à l'intérieur à Khan Yunis, au sud de Gaza, 7 soldats israéliens ont été tués et plusieurs autres blessés dont certains grièvement. pic.twitter.com/BgFZCE58tM
— LE RIFAIN LA NOUVELLE DU FRONT (@rifain_nouvelle) March 29, 2024
A complex rescue mission was reportedly launched, led by the Israeli “669” unit which cooperated with helicopters from the Israeli airforce, to transport the wounded to a hospital, nearly an hour following the blast.
Following the battle against the Israeli troops, the al-Qassam military fighters ambushed another Israeli unit made up of six soldiers, resulting in casualties between killed and wounded.
On March 27, the Israeli occupation forces also announced the death of a sergeant from the Givati Brigade and the wounding of 22 IOF troops in battles with the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza.
Israeli media outlets pointed out that the number of casualties equates to an entire brigade of the Israeli military, which consists of 11 regular and active brigades. The extreme reduction in manpower has had clear effects on the Israeli military’s structure, as officials have called for at least 14,500 new recruits. The events have also forced further dependence on reserve brigades, costing the Israeli occupation treasury large sums to maintain.
It is worth noting that thousands of casualties among Israeli troops go unreported when treated in field hospitals.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah addressed on Friday the worshippers in Beirut’s Dahiyeh and elsewhere marking the First Night of Al-Qadr (Night of Power), tackling the various religious aspects of the occasion.
In this regard, Sayyed Nasrallah underlined the importance prayers and resorting to the divine power in order to face the earthly challenges, including the current confrontation with the Israeli enemy in Lebanon, Gaza and other areas.
Sayyed Nasrallah ridiculed the antagonistic propaganda which claims that calling for prayers reflects Resistance weakness in the battlefield, adding that reading a prayer is vital during the time of woes and bliss similarly.
Holy God’s support has always helped us to defeat the Israeli enemy despite the discrepancy of the military capabilities, Sayyed Nasrallah said.
At least 10 were injured in a shooting operation on a bus in the Jordan Valley area transporting Israeli settlers.
A man passes by a car destroyed by an IOF raid in the occupied West Bank in Jenin refugee camp on Wednesday, March 27, 2024. (AP)
Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent in occupied Palestine reported today that several Israeli settlers were injured, one of them with a serious injury, in a shooting operation in the Jordan Valley area in the occupied West Bank adding that the IOF are pursuing the shooter.
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She added that the operation took place on “Street 90” in the Jordan Valley area, as Israeli settler vehicles were targeted.
Israeli media reported that at least 10 were injured in the shooting operation, adding that the IOF are conducting search operations in an attempt to find the executors of the operation.
In an interview with Israeli Channel 12, the head of the International and Middle East Arenas in the Institute for Policy and Strategy (IPS) at the Israeli Reichman University, Shay Har-Zvi, commented on this operation stressing that if “we combine” what happened in the Jordan Valley area today with what has been happening since this morning in the occupied north, it is a clear indication that the situation is “explosive” and that its deterioration is happening rapidly.
IOF kill one in Jenin amid large-scale West Bank confrontations
Palestinian youth Ayman Azouqa was killed early March 27 by Israeli occupation forces’ gunfire during confrontations that erupted in Jenin in the occupied West Bank following an Israeli military incursion into the city overnight on March 26.
According to Palestinian journalist Mohammad Hamdan, before medical crews rushed to the scene, the Israeli occupation forces had prevented anyone from coming close to Azouqa and left him bleeding.
Hamdan told Al Mayadeen that Palestinian Resistance fighters engaged in confrontations with Israeli snipers deployed in a neighborhood overlooking wide areas of Jenin and its camp, adding that Israli occupation forces carried out a widespread raid, during which they employed new tactics.
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UPROOTED PALESTINIANS: SALAM ALQUDS ALAYKUM 
