An official of the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas, Osama Hamdan, said today that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan for post-war Gaza will never succeed.
"As for the day after in the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu is presenting ideas that he knows very well will never succeed," Hamdan said at a press conference in Beirut, France Press reported.
The plan that Netanyahu presented last night to the cabinet in charge of security, and which the agencies had access to today, reiterates the goals of the army in Gaza, the destruction of Hamas and Islamic Jihad and the release of hostages still held in that Palestinian territory.
In addition, it states that the Israeli army will have security control over "the entire area west of Jordan, including the Gaza Strip", that it will "prevent the strengthening of terrorist elements there" and stop "threats against Israel".
Israel will maintain "operational freedom of action throughout the Gaza Strip indefinitely," the plan says.
"That plan will not become a reality because the reality of Gaza and the reality of the Palestinians can only be decided by the Palestinians themselves," Hamdan said.
Netanyahu also flatly refuses to recognize a Palestinian state, raising the question of whether he or others like him are qualified for political discussions with the Palestinians, a Hamas official said.
The war between Israel and Hamas was triggered by the unprecedented attacks on the southern Israeli territory on October 7, in which Palestinian extremists killed around 1.160 people, most of them civilians.
Israel's revenge offensive has so far killed more than 29.500 people, also mostly civilians, in Gaza.
(BETA)
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said after Israel's announcement that it will build around 3.300 new apartments in the occupied West Bank that Washington considers these Jewish settlements to be in violation of international law.
Blinken thereby refuted the so-called Pompeo doctrine, on the basis of which Jewish settlements are not considered contrary to international law.
Such a 2019 policy, implemented by then-US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, refuted a 1978 memo by US State Department legal adviser Herbert Hansel that labeled Jewish settlements as illegal.
The Biden administration has so far avoided opposing such a position.
"New settlements are counterproductive to achieving sustainable peace," Blinken said at a press conference in Buenos Aires.
"They are also contrary to international law. Our administration firmly opposes the expansion of settlements. In our opinion, it only weakens, not strengthens, the security of Israel," the US Secretary of State assessed, Israeli media reported.
Announcing plans for the new construction of apartments in Jewish settlements, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said it was an "appropriate Zionist response" to yesterday's armed attack in the West Bank.
Most of the international community considers the Jewish settlements illegal under international law and a major obstacle to the solution of the conflict between two peoples according to the two-state model, which envisages the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
(BETA)
United Nations experts warned today that any transfer of weapons or ammunition to Israel, which will be used in Gaza, is likely to violate international humanitarian law and must stop immediately.
"All states must 'ensure respect' for humanitarian law, as required by the 1949 Geneva Conventions and customary international law," the experts assessed.
"States must accordingly refrain from the transfer of any arms and ammunition, or parts thereof, if it is expected, having regard to the facts or past conduct, that they could be used in violation of international law," the post added. on the X platform.
It also states that such transfers are prohibited even if the exporting country does not intend the weapon to be used in violation of rights or does not know for sure that it will be used in such a way, as long as there is a clear risk.
Experts believe that countries signatory to the Arms Trade Agreement have an additional responsibility to oppose the export of weapons if they know that they will be used to commit international crimes or if there is a risk that the transferred weapons may be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law.
"The need for an arms embargo against Israel is reinforced by the decision of the International Court of Justice on January 26 that there is a probable risk of genocide in Gaza and continued serious harm to civilians since then," the UN experts said.
The 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide requires that signatory countries use all means at their disposal to prevent it in another state to the extent possible, and this requires halting arms exports under current conditions.
UN experts praised the suspension of arms exports to Israel from Belgium, Italy, Spain, Norway and a Japanese company.
States involved in arms exports could be prosecuted individually for aiding and abetting war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide.
It was also stated that arms deliveries to Hamas and other armed groups are also prohibited by international law, bearing in mind the serious violation of international humanitarian law on October 7 last year, when "Hamas" attacked southern Israel.
Those attacks sparked a war in Gaza that has been going on for more than four months.
(BETA)
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights today condemned the "flagrant violation" of human rights by all parties in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank and demanded that justice be served and that all those responsible be held accountable.
"Justice is a prerequisite for ending the cycle of violence and for Palestinians and Israelis to take meaningful steps towards peace," said High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, in a 12-month report on human rights in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank released today. until October 31, 2023.
The report raises a large number of issues related to, as stated, killing, abduction of people, destruction of civilian property, collective punishment and denial of essential services, attacks on civilian infrastructure, forced displacement, incitement to hatred and violence, sexual assault and torture, which is all prohibited by international regulations on human rights or international humanitarian law.
The report indicates that additional investigations are needed to determine the full extent of the crime.
Turk called on all parties to immediately stop the violation of international humanitarian law and conduct urgent, independent, impartial, detailed, efficient and transparent investigations into all allegations and that all those responsible for it be held accountable in court.
He called on all parties to cooperate with all accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.
The report says that the armed wing of Hamas "Al Qasim" and other armed Palestinian groups committed a grave and extensive violation of international law in the attack on the south of Israel on October 7 and 8. These are attacks on civilians, intentional killing and mistreatment of civilians, indiscriminate destruction of civilian objects and taking hostages, which constitute a war crime.
It added that further investigation and full accountability in accordance with international law is required regarding statements that Palestinian attackers and others have committed rape, other sexual assaults and torture.
It goes on to say that Israel's response to it and its choice of means and methods of warfare have led to massive Palestinian suffering, including the killing of large numbers of Palestinian civilians, widespread and repeated displacement, destruction of homes and deprivation of food and other necessities of life.
It is indicated that women and children suffered in particular, in clear violation of international law.
The report says that severe restrictions on the supply of basic services and humanitarian aid imposed by Israel on Gaza have led to hunger, suffering from dehydration and the spread of disease.
The report indicates that the majority of the population has been repeatedly displaced and crowded into shelters.
The Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza constitutes collective punishment and may also amount to the use of starvation as a method of warfare, which are war crimes, and may also, depending on further investigation, constitute other serious crimes under international law.
The report cites three key cases out of many that raise deep concerns about compliance with international humanitarian law.
These are two military attacks on the Jabaliya refugee camp and one on Al Yarmouk in Gaza City, with the use of "explosive weapons with a wide effect" in a densely populated area. This caused enormous destruction, and there was no warning before the attack, nor was there an attempt to evacuate residential buildings.
The UN Office for Human Rights determined that between 153 and 243 people died in those attacks.
"Launching indiscriminate attacks that result in the death or injury of civilians, or an attack with the knowledge that it will cause excessive civilian loss, injury or damage, constitutes a war crime," Turk said.
The report also condemns the attacks that damaged or destroyed a large number of hospitals across Gaza and indicates that medical facilities are protected infrastructure under international humanitarian law.
The report calls for accountability for Israel's practices in another Palestinian territory - the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. There, since October 7, the number of cases of unlawful killings, mass arrests, harassment and disproportionate movement restrictions has increased significantly.
(BETA)
Israel is seeking unlimited security and civilian control in the Gaza Strip, judging by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "day after" plan, the first official proposal for Palestinian territory since the end of the war against Hamas.
That plan was immediately rejected by the Palestinian leaders today, and it is against the vision of Washington, according to the Associated Press.
Netanyahu presented the two-pronged plan late last night to the cabinet in charge of security.
Under the plan, seen by Reuters today, Israel would retain security control over territory west of Jordan, including the occupied West Bank and Gaza, where the Palestinians want to establish an independent state.
In the stated long-term goals, Netanyahu rejects the "unilateral recognition" of a Palestinian state.
He says an agreement with the Palestinians will only be reached through direct negotiations between the two sides, but did not name the Palestinian side.
In Gaza, he predicted demilitarization and deradicalization as medium-term goals, but did not mention when that phase would begin and end.
However, the conditions for the rehabilitation of Gaza depend on complete demilitarization.
Netanyahu proposes an Israeli presence on the Gaza-Egypt border in the south of the enclave and cooperation with Egypt and the US to prevent arms smuggling, including at the Rafah crossing.
In order to remove the power of Hamas while maintaining public order, Netanyahu suggests cooperation with local representatives "who are not connected to terrorist states or groups and they do not help them financially".
The Israeli leader is also calling for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to be shut down and replaced by other international aid agencies.
A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Abu Rudayneh, said Netanyahu's proposal was doomed, as were all Israeli plans to change the geographic and demographic reality of Gaza.
Rudejne assessed that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land must be ended and a Palestinian state established with Jerusalem as its capital if the world is truly interested in security and stability in the region.
Deep disagreements over the future of Gaza have led to increasingly frequent public standoffs between Israel and the US.
The administration of US President Joseph Biden aims to eventually have Palestinians rule in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, and for that to be a precursor to a Palestinian state, which Netanyahu opposes.
Netanyahu's plan, while not detailed, represents the first official post-war vision.
It reiterates Israel's determination to destroy Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007.
Public opinion polls show that most Palestinians do not support Hamas.
Critics, including some in Israel, say the goal of eliminating Hamas is out of reach.
(BETA)
More than 100 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip in 24 hours, the Ministry of Health in the territory administered by Hamas announced today.
Israeli airstrikes in central and southern Gaza have killed at least 68 Palestinians, health officials and an Associated Press reporter said, and 24 more bodies were buried under the rubble.
Strikes were reported in the southern city of Rafah, the central city of Deir al-Balah and the Nuseirat refugee camp.
Today, in the refugee camp of Jenin, in another Palestinian territory, the West Bank, where there are fewer victims, two people were buried whose bodies were wrapped in the flags of the fighting group "Islamic Jihad".
The total number of people killed in Gaza since the start of the war on October 7 has risen to 29.514. Although the total number includes both civilians and combatants, the Ministry announced that women and children make up about two-thirds of those killed.
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh spoke with Egyptian officials about a possible ceasefire in Gaza with the exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinians in Israeli prisons, according to a Hamas statement today.
(BETA)
Aid agencies hope to evacuate about 140 patients trapped in Gaza's Nasser hospital, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said, Reuters reports, as Palestinian authorities reported that Israeli troops had withdrawn from the compound and then stormed it again.
Medical teams buried 13 patients in the hospital grounds who died because the facility had no electricity and no oxygen, the Gaza Health Ministry announced.
The WHO says the hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza's second largest and critical to the territory's health services, stopped working last week due to an Israeli siege that followed the attack.
WHO and partners have so far carried out three evacuations from the hospital, the latest on Wednesday, transferring a total of 51 patients to southern Gaza, Ajadil Saparbekov of the UN agency said at a press briefing.
"WHO will continue to try to evacuate critically ill and seriously injured patients from Nasser Hospital to other hospitals in the south, including field hospitals that have been established in Rafah. However, this is a very difficult and risky mission," Saparbekov said.
Israeli forces withdrew from the hospital, positioning themselves nearby and preventing movement to and from it, before storming in again, Gaza's health ministry said. There was no comment from Israel.
The number of patients who remained at Naser Hospital changed from hour to hour because some people came there to escape the fighting, and others succumbed to their wounds, says Saparbekov.
The Gaza Ministry of Health stated in an earlier statement that 110 patients are awaiting evacuation. Eight patients in Nasser were said to have died due to lack of electricity and oxygen four days earlier and their bodies had begun to decompose, posing a danger to other patients.
When the WHO carried out the previous evacuations, it spotted four doctors and nurses at Naser Hospital along with a dozen volunteers helping the medical staff to keep patients alive, Saparbekov said. Staff have not yet been able to reconnect the main generator.
The Gaza Ministry of Health announced that the complex lacked food, drinking water and medical supplies, and that the ground floors were flooded with sewage water.
Four and a half months after Israel began its campaign in Gaza in retaliation for a major Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, only 13 of the 34 hospitals in the Palestinian enclave are functioning at a partial or minimal level.
Gaza's population of 2,3 million people are facing acute hunger and the spread of disease in a humanitarian crisis that aid officials describe as unprecedented.
The majority of Gazans are displaced and crowded into the south of the Rafah Strip, near the border with Egypt.
Israel says Hamas, the Palestinian group that has ruled Gaza since 2007, is using the hospitals for shelter. Hamas denies this and says that Israel's claims serve as an excuse to destroy the health system.
(Radio Free Europe)
An Israeli delegation led by the head of the Mossad is leaving for Paris today in the hope of "unblocking" negotiations for a new truce with the Palestinian Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israeli media announced.
The head of the Mossad (Israel's external security service) David Barnea and the head of the Shin Bet (internal security service) Ronen Barr are going to Paris today, the media reported.
The first truce, which lasted for a week, allowed, at the end of November last year, the release of more than 100 hostages held by Hamas and 240 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
In late January, the head of the Mossad met in Paris with his American and Egyptian counterparts and the prime minister of Qatar to discuss a new ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
A Hamas source said the plan discussed in Paris called for a six-week pause in fighting and the release of 200 to 300 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 35 to 40 hostages held by Hamas.
Since then, talks have also been held in Egypt, where Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was also present, and the visit ended on Thursday evening, according to the Palestinian Islamist movement.
Talks were held specifically about "ending the aggression" of Israel, "returning the displaced to their homes" and "exchange of prisoners".
Hamas demanded a "complete ceasefire" and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, a demand Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called "insane." Netanyahu's government is open to a pause in the fighting, but has also stated that it wants to continue its military operation to the end to "destroy" Hamas.
Netanyahu is also against the release of prisoners who participated in anti-Israeli attacks, whose release is also sought by Hamas.
While the Hamas leader was in Cairo on Thursday, US envoy Brett McGurk visited Israel where he discussed "an extended pause to release all hostages", according to the White House.
After that meeting, i.e. before the Mossad chief left for Paris, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said that he would increase the demands related to the hostage negotiations.
The war began on October 7 after Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza, killing more than 1.160 people, according to Israeli officials. In response, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas, which has been in power in Gaza since 2007 and launched an offensive that has so far killed more than 29.000 people, according to Hamas' health ministry.
Since October 7, there has been an almost daily exchange of fire between the Israeli army and the Lebanese Hezbollah, which is an ally of the Palestinian Hamas, on the border between Lebanon and Israel.
During a recent visit to Israel and Lebanon, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne suggested avoiding an open conflict on the Israeli-Lebanese border.
That plan envisages, according to diplomatic sources, an end to the violence of the two sides and, above all, the withdrawal of Hezbollah fighters from ten kilometers to 12 kilometers north of the border.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on the X network that he will not wait long for a diplomatic solution in the north of the country, on the border with Lebanon, and added that "they will not hesitate to act" if nothing changes.
(BETA)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled a "day after" plan for Gaza, his first official proposal once the war in the Hamas-controlled Palestinian territory ends, reports Reuters.
At least 29.514 Palestinians have been killed and 69.616 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, the Gaza health ministry said on Friday, Reuters reports.
The Israeli army announced today that a member of the Islamic Jihad, involved in several terrorist attacks on Israel, was killed in a drone attack.
US President Joseph Biden said today that the vast majority of Palestinians do not support Hamas and that the organization does not represent the Palestinian people.
The war between Israel and Hamas has entered its 140th day. See what happened yesterday:
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