Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis is a government hospital which belongs to the Hamas-controlled the ministry of health in the Gaza Strip. It is considered the largest hospital in the southern Gaza Strip and the second largest after Shifa Hospital in Gaza City; it provides medical services to approximately 800,000 local residents. It was established in 1960, and over the years has undergone several renovations and expansions. Since the beginning of the war and even before the temporary ceasefire, the hospital received several shipments of medical aid from the International Red Cross which included equipment for the operating rooms and the emergency room. Apparently, the hospital was given priority by international organizations since it was the largest hospital in the southern Gaza Strip. Read more...
The Nablus branch of Fatah recently held summer camps for children and adolescents in the village of Bayta, south of the city. Videos of camp activities posted to the Palestinian social media showed the youth, some of them armed with rifles, undergoing military training. Apparently, the Fatah camp in Bayta was held because of the increasing participation of Fatah and its military-terrorist wing in the recent violent clashes between the Israeli security forces and Palestinians. Bayta was apparently not randomly chosen as the venue for the summer camps. Read more...
On January 28, 2020, Donald Trump, in the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, revealed his plan to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, called "Peace to Prosperity" (i.e., the "deal of the century"). The plan met with strong opposition and (as expected) led to a wave of Palestinian condemnations. The Palestinian Authority (PA) began making preparations for a diplomatic and media campaign to place obstacles in the path of the plan and to undermine its legitimacy. Read more...
Following the extension of the temporary ceasefire, a fifth group of abductees, ten Israeli women and two foreign civilians, were released in the evening. On this occasion there was a prominent presence of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist operatives.. The talks to extend the ceasefire continue. Despite the temporary ceasefire, on the afternoon of November 28, 2023, three explosive devices were detonated in two different incidents and Palestinian terrorist organizations shot at IDF forces in the northern Gaza Strip, wounding several. Hamas' military-terrorist wing claimed it was "friction on the ground" caused by "an Israeli violation of the temporary ceasefire agreement. In Gaza Strip local and international figures continue to assess the damage, claiming the aid reaching the Gaza Strip is insufficient and there is concern over the outbreak of epidemics. In The northern sector The presence of Hezbollah terrorist operatives, some of them armed, has been reported along the Israel-Lebanon border. Read more...
On the evening of November 26, the third group of abductees held by Hamas was released. It included 13 Israeli women and children, three Thai citizens and an Israeli with dual Israeli-Russian citizenship. In return, 39 Palestinian prisoners were released. International officials, as well as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) senior terrorist operatives, are talking about the possibility of extending the pause in the fighting in exchange for the release of additional abducted women and children.Calm prevailed following the pause in the fighting in Gaza and no unusual incidents were recorded.The northern border remains quiet. Hezbollah reported that Lebanese living near the border were compensated for damages they incurred. Hamas called on the public to participate in a memorial service for the operative of the Hamas military-terrorist wing from Tulkarm who was killed in the Gaza Strip. A reception was held in Ramallah for the third group of released prisoners. The PIJ complained that the IDF was trying to interfere with the reception of the released Palestinian prisoners.Iran said it supported a permanent cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, but claimed it had no involvement in the actions of the "resistance groups against Israel and the United In Yemen, an attempt was made by the Houthis to hijack a tanker with connections to Israel. The ship was freed with the help of United States Navy ships sailing in the area. Read more...
On November 24, 2023, at 7 a.m., a four-day hiatus in the fighting began in the Gaza Strip, followed by the first phase of the deal to release the abductees. So far 26 Israeli civilians and 15 foreigners have been released in two groups. Israel released 76 Palestinian prisoners. More abductees are supposed to be released in the coming days. Senior Hamas terrorists and international figures are talking about extending the agreement and releasing more hostages. However, Hamas continues posing difficulties, claiming Israel is violating the terms of the agreement. Trucks bringing humanitarian aid began entering the Gaza Strip. Gazan sources claimed the amount of aid was insufficient and should be increased. Hamas' military-terrorist wing announced the deaths of four senior commanders; their funeral was held in the northern Gaza Strip. Protests in Gaza continue. Although Hezbollah did not officially announce it would participate in the pause in the fighting, with the exception of isolated incidents, relative quiet has prevailed in the northern arena since the pause began.
In Judea and Samaria: The IDF security forces continue their counterterrorism activities. Iran supports the temporary hiatus and hopes it will be extended, while stressing that Israel has not achieved anything and Hamas is winning.The pro-Iranian militias have been asking whether they should stop their activities against United States military bases and Israel following the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Read more...
On October 8, 2023, Hezbollah opened another front against Israel from Lebanon. In recent weeks, Hezbollah has escalated its attacks. Since the beginning of the fighting, Israel has been subjected to 324 attacks from Lebanon, 309 carried out by Hezbollah and 15 by other terrorist organizations. The attacks mainly include the firing of anti-tank missiles, rockets and mortar shells. Recently, Hezbollah began using other weapons, such as heavy Barkan rockets and armed UAVs. Most of cities, towns and villages and IDF posts attacked are along the border or within a few kilometers of it. Since the beginning of the fighting, 86 Hezbollah terrorist operatives and 14 operatives from other terrorist organizations have been killed. Nine Israelis have been killed, six soldiers and three civilians. Hezbollah has rarely mentioned the concept of "the unity of the arenas,". In ITIC assessment, the basic premise of the concept was that Israel would stand alone in an all-out war against many fronts manipulated by Iran, a vision that has been partially realized. Nasrallah has emphasized that it is the Palestinians' war, and Hezbollah's activity against Israel is part of the "support front" of Iran and its various affiliates for Hamas. During the fighting Hezbollah is making an effort to learn how the IDF operates, gauge its capabilities and make adjustments for its current and future activities. At this stage, Hezbollah is operating "below the threshold of war". In ITIC assessment, Hezbollah will continue its activities at the current level with local escalations according to events. However, it is possible that as the IDF's fighting against Hamas progresses and intensifies, and Hezbollah senses a danger to Hamas' survival, it may consider significantly expanding the fighting against Israel, but only in coordination with Lebanese internal constraints and Iran's position. Read more...
On the evening of November 27, the fourth group of abductees held by the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip was released. It included 11 Israeli women and children. The temporary ceasefire will be extended for an additional two days during which 20 more hostages will be released. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) are in favor of returning abductees while the pause continues. The UN's Human Rights Watch issued its findings regarding the explosion at al-Ahli Hospital on October 17, 2023, for which Israel was blamed. According to the organization, the explosion was caused by the payload and propellant of rockets similar to those in the possession of Palestinian "armed" [terrorist] organizations. Hamas and the PIJ protested the findings on the grounds that they were "biased in favor of Israel.The pause in the fighting was used to assess damage and to locate missing people. Hamas complained that sufficient supplies had not arrived in the northern Gaza Strip.: The northern border remains quiet. There were reports of political activity to change UN Security Council Resolution 1701 regarding the presence of armed operatives on the Israel-Lebanon border. Read more...
On November 16, 2023, after 12 hours of fighting, IDF forces captured an outpost of the commander of the northern area of the al-Quds Battalions, the military-terrorist wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the second largest organization in the Gaza Strip whose operatives participate in the fighting against the IDF. The outpost was used for training operatives of the organization's military-terrorist wing and at the same time as a factory for the manufacture of weapons. Read more...
On October 31, 2023, the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), a radical Islamist organization based in Qatar, held a press conference to announce a fatwa entitled "The duty of Islamic governments regarding [the necessity to respond to] the Zionist invasion of Gaza." It called on the regimes and armies of the Muslim countries for urgent military intervention to save the residents of the Gaza Strip and provide material, religious, political and legal assistance. It was the second fatwa issued by the IUMS since the beginning of the war. On October 21, 2023. On October 7, 2023, the organization issued a message supporting Hamas’ barbaric terrorist attack. The IUMS was founded in 2004 by Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who directed it until 2018, and who for many years was considered one of the leading Sunni Muslim jurists..The most recent fatwa makes it clear that although Qatar, which has represented itself as actively mediating the issue of humanitarian relief for the Gaza Strip and the release of the kidnapped, in reality serves as a shelter for an extremist, militant Islamist organization which calls on Muslims for military-terrorist activity against Israel. Read more...
IDF forces continued to operate, primarily carrying out aerial attacks, against terrorist targets throughout the Gaza Strip. Several squads, including anti-tank squads, were captured on the border. A number of operatives of Hamas' military-terrorist wing were killed in the attacks, some of them released from Israeli jails in the Gilad Shalit exchange deal (2011). Rockets attacks continued, most of them targeting the Israeli villages near the Gaza Strip border and Ashkelon. A rocket was also fired at the Haifa area. Israel called on the residents of the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate their homes and move to the central and southern Gaza Strip. Hamas tried to prevent the evacuation. In northern Israel several anti-tank missile and rocket attacks were reported from Lebanon and Syria. One Israeli was killed and several were injured. The IDF returned fire. As of now, tensions remain high. In Judea and Samaria Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism activities. The ministry of health in Ramallah reported 55 Palestinian deaths and approximately 1,200 wounded since the beginning of the war. The Iranian foreign minister held a round of meetings in Syria, Lebanon and other Middle Eastern countries. Read more...
Israeli Air Force airstrikes on terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip continued, destroying several terrorist facilities, mainly belonging to Hamas. Meanwhile, the Palestinian terrorist organizations continue firing rockets at Israel, although at a relatively low pace. So far, more than 7,500 rockets have been fired at Israel. Several hundred launches fell in the territory of the Gaza Strip. Two abductees, a mother and her daughter, American citizens, were returned to Israel after negotiations mediated by Qatar. Israel's calls for the residents of the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate to the south have been met with opposition from Hamas, especially the evacuation of hospitals and UNRWA shelters. On October 21, 2023, the Rafah Crossing was opened to allow twenty trucks of humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip. Attacks continued on the Lebanese border. Hezbollah terrorist operatives fired anti-tank weapons and shot small arms at IDF posts and civilian towns and villages. Six Hezbollah terrorists were killed. IDF forces continued counterterrorism activities. In Jenin, for the first time since the second intifada, a plane was used to attack a mosque where there were terrorist operatives who were en route to carrying out a mass-casualty attack. One Border Police fighter was killed and several were wounded. Read more...
This week, there was a decline in ISIS’s activity around the world. The organization’s activity focused on Syria and Africa. In the Idlib area, fighting continued between the forces of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated HTS and the Syrian army. In the desert area, three pro-Iranian militia fighters were killed in an ISIS attack. In Nigeria ISIS attacked Nigerian army targets in the northeast of the country. In Somalia operatives of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab continued to attack targets of the Somali army and the forces supporting it. Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have formed a new defense alliance to jointly fight jihadi terrorist organizations headed by Al-Qaeda and ISIS. Al-Qaeda’s branch in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) renewed the publication of the magazine Sada al-Malahim, apparently to enlist support and operatives. Unofficial media arms affiliated with Al-Qaeda published posters threatening the United States and its allies and Sweden and its “sisters.” Read more...
The IDF continued its activity in the Gaza Strip, mainly by conducting airstrikes against terrorist targets of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Several thousand terrorist targets have been attacked since the beginning of the war. Using precision-guided munitions, Israeli Navy ships attacked Hamas military-terrorist targets from the sea. Two barrages were fired at the Jerusalem area during the opening of the Knesset's winter session. About 6,930 rockets have been fired at Israel since the beginning of the war.So far, more than 1,400 civilian and soldier deaths have been reported, and 199 civilian and soldier abductees are currently held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Since the beginning of the war, The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is worsening. Tensions continued mounting in northern Israel. Iran has ramped up its threatening messages, apparently concerned that an Israeli ground attack could challenge Hamas' survival. Iran does not necessarily regard Hezbollah as its only option for an attack on Israel and might prefer other options, such as activating the pro-Iranian Shi'ite militias in Syria or Iraq. Read more...
Israeli Air Force attacks on Gaza City continued after at least some of the residents of the northern Gaza Strip had responded to the IDF's calls to evacuate; during the past day there were more than 250 air strikes. The Palestinians reported the night of October 15, 2023, had been the worst since the outbreak of the war. The IDF displayed huge amounts of terrorist weapons and equipment which showed Hamas' intention to take over large sections of southern Israel and remain in the territory for an extended period of time.The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is worsening. As of 1 p.m. on October 16, calls for a Tensions continued mounting in northern Israel. During the past day Hezbollah fired anti-tank missiles at IDF forces, killing an IDF soldier. A rocket barrage was launched at the settlements of the Western Galilee, for which Hamas' military-terrorist wing claimed responsibility. The IDF responded with air strikes, artillery fire and tank fire. Israeli security forces detained several dozen Palestinians suspected of terrorist activities. Mahmoud Abbas' feeble condemnation of Hamas' barbaric attack on the Israeli villages near the Gaza Strip was deleted shortly after it was issued. Read more...
The wave of population terrorism that reemerged last week continues, although with waning intensity. Prominent this past week was a stabbing attack at the entrance to Kiryat Arba. Mahmoud Abbas gave a speech before the UN General Assembly in which he strongly attacked Israel. Read more...
The Kurdish forces, which took over the city of Tal Abyad near the Turkish border, are working to expand their area of control and force out the ISIS operatives. In and around the Druze village of Khader, in the northern Syrian Golan Heights, fighting continued between the rebel forces, including the Al-Nusra Front, and the Read more...
