UNSCO Daily Press Brief 20 November 2024

UNSCO Daily Press Brief, 20 November 2024

Read here, what the World thinks and talks about Gaza

GAZA

UNSC to vote on resolution demanding immediate Gaza ceasefire, freeing of hostages:The UN Security Council is slated to vote later Wednesday on a resolution demanding “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza along with the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.” It remains unclear whether the United States, Israel’s closest ally, will veto the measure or abstain, which would allow it to pass. The four other permanent members Russia, China, Britain and France are expected to support it or abstain. Israel is opposed to the resolution for not making a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas explicitly linked. In March, the US abstained on a similar resolution adopted by the Security Council that called for an immediate ceasefire during Ramadan, saying that their inclusion in the same paragraph meant they are equal requirements for a deal. (TOI, WAFA).

Washington insists on dropping any reference to Article 7 of the draft resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza: The Security Council held a closed session on Tuesday morning to consult on the text of the draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which was drafted by Algeria, Guyana, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Malta, Ecuador, and Slovenia, which are the elected countries in the council (non-permanent), but Japan later withdrew from the list of sponsors of the draft resolution. Al-Quds Al-Arabi learned that the United States threatened to use its veto against the draft resolution, despite the language being significantly softened and any reference to Chapter 7 or sanctions and accountability being dropped. The draft text has been subject to several amendments, as it was put in its fourth form last Sunday since it was distributed to the council members on November 4, in its draft called “draft zero,” meaning subject to amendments and negotiations. It is expected to be voted on on Wednesday. The non-permanent member states had agreed on the need to adopt a new resolution that goes beyond previous drafts, calls for an immediate ceasefire, reflects what is happening on the ground, and states that the situation “has become a threat to international peace and security,” a reference to Chapter VII, “without mentioning it in order to avoid an American veto so that the draft resolution does not repeat the four previous resolutions that remained on paper.” The United States set a number of red lines in its negotiations, most notably the reference to Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, which stated that the situation in Gaza and regional developments have become a threat to international peace and security. This was deleted in later drafts and the language was softened to be more “moderate” and less direct in an attempt to win over the United States, while the non-permanent member states insisted that the draft should at least continue to call for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire and the unconditional release of hostages. (Keep Reading here: Al Quds).

Jordan’s Foreign Minister calls for urgent international action to halt Israeli aggression on Gaza; Foreign minister discusses efforts to end Israeli aggression on Gaza with UN official: Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ayman Safadi, met on Tuesday with Sigrid Kaag, the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, to discuss efforts to end the Israeli aggression on Gaza and tackle the worsening humanitarian crisis, as reported by Petra. Safadi underscored the critical need for a prompt and effective international response to immediately stop Israel's aggression and to secure the delivery of adequate and continuous humanitarian aid to all areas of Gaza, which is currently facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. The discussions also focused on enhancing cooperation to intensify the delivery of humanitarian assistance through Jordan’s land aid corridor, said Petra. (WAFA, More: Jordan Times, Anadolu Agency).

The Right’s Vision for the Day After: Is Israel on its way to establishing a military administration in the Gaza Strip? Ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir have already shared their views on that issue countless times; now, those ideas appear to be gaining some traction on the ground.Yedioth Ahronoth has learned that the defense establishment recently began to actively engage with external companies to [contract out to them] handling all issues pertaining to humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip under Israeli supervision. This reflects a transition from plans that were on paper to practical action on the ground. Furthermore, the IDF has expanded the territory it controls, including the roads it holds, and has set up “military outposts” as a precursor to further territorial control and, in practice, to place the Gaza Strip under military administration. This issue has recently been the subject of vigorous discussion among various officials, including the defense minister, other ministers and top defense officials to advance that policy. Knowledgeable sources said that a number of officials with the IDF Southern Command have been pushing for this [development] and have held talks with political officials to discuss it. The transition to active measures being taken on this front arrived following two important changes that removed obstacles that had previously stood in the way of the right-wing security cabinet ministers: Yoav Gallant’s replacement by Yisrael Katz as defense minister, and Donald Trump’s victory in the American elections. Sources who are knowledgeable about the details said that Defense Minister Gallant was opposed to ideas that Finance Minister Smotrich had put forward regarding Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip, and presented the defense establishment’s position on a range of issues, such as settlement outpost demolition, administrative detention orders against right-wing extremists, as well as issues that pertain to the day after in the Gaza Strip. The plan to seize territory as part of the price that is to be exacted from Hamas corresponds with the settlers’ plans to settle in the northern Gaza Strip. Settler leaders describe the current period as historic, saying it is an opportunity that will never recur to change the reality on the ground versus the Palestinians. They added that a decision has been made not to wait for Donald Trump and his administration to take office but, rather, to begin planning and executing acts on the ground so as to be the first to put on the table plans that will be the basis of the new administration’s operations. One prominent settler leader said in that context that the most important thing was to “protect at any cost the coalition’s intactness out of a desire to implement plans for the benefit of the settlement enterprise.” Despite the fact that [the government] has not made any political decision about the “day after” in the Gaza Strip that centrally revolves around the creation of a military administration, government officials have been engaged on that topic and have been working methodically to see that plan implanted. Beyond the economic, logistical and security implications of establishing a military administration, doing so would also have far-reaching legal implications in terms of [Israeli] control over millions of Palestinians. Legal officials point to the severe lack of clarity vis-à-vis the question of what to do with Gaza after 13 months of war. [Israeli] civilian control over Gaza will oblige Israel to meet the local population’s needs—humanitarian aid, electricity, communications and sanitation—and not just to allow international organizations to deliver food and vaccines. In the absence of a decision by the political leadership, Israel has been forced in recent months to contend with petitions to the High Court of Justice about the occupation of the Gaza Strip, which, as noted, has extensive legal ramifications in terms of [Israel’s obligations to] tend to the population’s needs, as well as international legal proceedings, such as the cases currently before the International Court of Justice. Another solution exists, but no effort has been made to advance it: control [over the Gaza Strip] by a different entity, such as the Palestinian Authority. But that is a solution that Netanyahu and the members of his government vehemently oppose. Another variation on that solution is to have the Gaza Strip fall under the control of another country, but that solution will remain unfeasible as long as Israel continues to fight in the Gaza Strip. (Yediot Ahronot).

How Israel is Advancing Towards Military Administration in Gaza: Ever since July and possibly even earlier, Israel’s October 7 war focus has been on the north and the east—on Lebanon and Iran. The tasks carried out by the IDF in the Gaza Strip have been limited. The Gazan quagmire has continued to exact a high price in blood, but no major achievement remains in the offing after Sinwar’s death. Except for one, the biggest one for the Israeli public, but which is viewed as being controversial by Netanyahu’s partners: bringing home the women and men who are being held hostage. We will know within the next day or even less whether Israel has scored a major achievement in the north by successfully removing Hizbullah from the fighting. The agreement that Amos Hochstein has crafted is, in broad strokes, deemed acceptable by the entire security cabinet (except for Ben Gvir; but no one there takes him seriously in any event). The agreement might still be derailed by an act of Hizbullah madness, but things appear to be moving in a “very” positive direction, as per one Lebanese official. What about in Israel? Some grumbling that began to be heard in the past number of days could escalate into some very loud shouting if an agreement is concluded: Grumbling about how Israel has failed to eliminate Hizbullah; grumbling about how nothing has truly changed; grumbling about how the international community, UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces cannot be trusted; grumbling about how we have to press on. No strategic objective underpins that grumbling; it is mainly underpinned by a desire to win a few points among the registered Likud members—at the expense of IDF soldiers who might sacrifice their lives because of the delay in reaching an agreement. The person who started this populist protest was Amichai Chikli, a cabinet minister, who effectively proposed recreating the security zone [that Israel maintained in southern Lebanon until 2000], just on a smaller scale—one that would fail to provide security and would cost us in blood—and to dispense with UNIFIL. Neither of those ideas are deemed acceptable by Prime Minister Netanyahu, and would only mire the IDF and the defense establishment in an eternal war in the north. But Chikli doesn’t care because: A) he has no influence and talk is cheap; and B) he needs to be reelected to a spot on the Likud’s next Knesset list. We all ought to bear in mind their calculations and considerations in the week ahead. The truth is that if Hizbullah stops firing and effectively abandons Hamas, and if it truly is repelled from the border with IDF enforcement—that would truly be a huge achievement for Israel, the product of IDF and Mossad operations in Lebanon. The problem of Hizbullah cannot be solved without a full conquest of Lebanon, which is beyond Israel’s wishes and abilities, and even that probably would fail to achieve the goal. In the south, Israel is bogged down in a quagmire, and it hasn’t gotten the hostages back either. Prime Minister Netanyahu said this week in the Knesset that he asked the IDF to present a plan to deal with Hamas’s governmental force in the Gaza Strip. That is fairly astonishing; we have been fighting a ground war there for a year. Why have you only asked for that now? The prime minister’s aides will say: It is the IDF that should have done and presented. It was given the task. But here is the truth: the United States has been telling Israel from the early stages of the war that it needs a plan for the day after. You must all remember that. Netanyahu personally said at meetings that there was no point in addressing that issue before Hamas was defeated militarily. The IDF had a fairly clear answer about defeating the Hamas regime: A plan needs to be drafted for the post-Hamas era, and that is a political decision. Control needs to be “relayed” [to the future regime]. I reported in this newspaper the plan that was drafted by Gallant and the IDF to allow thousands of Fatah officials to enter the Gaza Strip after being trained by the Americans, and to take control. Abu Mazen gave his approval, and progress was made on that plan with the prime minister’s knowledge. But then he decided once again to halt it. Many people think that there is no chance that Israel will be able to mold the future regime in Gaza. The disagreement is fundamentally along the following lines. The IDF and the Israeli defense establishment believe that there are three options: Fatah, Hamas or Israel. Some professional [i.e. apolitical] officials think that Fatah is not a viable option and that the choice is between Hamas and an Israeli military administration. A full-blown administration. That can be concealed somehow by means of ludicrous ideas, such as contracting private security companies to be responsible for securing the delivery of food to the residents. But that idea won’t help eradicate the Hamas regime (which is much more than securing food distribution centers), and it won’t absolve Israel of its responsibility for the civilian Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip.That is an issue that needs to be stressed because we ought to refrain from any self-deception. Israel is the effective military power in the Gaza Strip. If famine erupts, Israel will be blamed. [The same is true of] an epidemic, the absence of an education system, the absence of trash removal, [and/or] large-scale civilian deaths for any reason. It is an Israeli interest to create a different regime in the Gaza Strip. Unless one subscribes to the view that has gained increasing traction among the Israeli leadership, even though Netanyahu still says that he is opposed to it: only an Israeli military administration will lead to victory and stability. Israel has no choice but to establish a military administration so as to leave Hamas without anything to stand on. All of the other proposed solutions are nothing but convoluted efforts to avoid facing reality. That position is interesting, because its proponents need to be asked what comes next [after the Israeli military administration]. Their response is: a Palestinian regime that recognizes Israel. That is an interesting idea, mainly because a regime of that kind already exists in Ramallah. The Palestinian Authority needs to undergo profound reform, but the Gaza Strip is unlikely to produce anything more stable. That isn’t the kind of thing that can be said near Netanyahu, and especially not near Smotrich and Ben Gvir. It contradicts their political bases’ sentiment. It contradicts Chiklism. An Israeli official told me last night that no one should rule out the possibility that Netanyahu has begun to raise the issue of a military administration in an effort to exert additional pressure on Hamas with a view to a resumption of hostage deal negotiations. Much will be said in the days ahead about the Israeli achievement in the north. We all ought to bear in mind that the greatest change in the war will occur only after the women and men who are being held hostage return home. (Yediot Ahronot).

Holocaust Survivor: No, Pope Francis, ‘Gaza Is Not Genocide’: A well-known Italian Holocaust survivor has publicly rebuked Pope Francis for suggesting that Israel be investigated for “genocide” regarding its dealings in the Gaza conflict. “Genocide is something else. When a million children are burned to death, then you can talk about genocide,” said the 93-year-old Edith Bruck in an interview Monday with the Italian daily La Repubblica. Pope Francis has already described Israel’s military incursions in Gaza as a “massacre” of women and children, but recently upped the ante by calling for an inquiry to determine whether Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute genocide. “According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide,” the pontiff stated in a book-length interview with Hernán Reyes Alcaide titled Hope Never Disappoints: Pilgrims Towards a Better World, excerpts of which were published Sunday. “We should investigate carefully to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies,” he said. “I am sorry that the Pope spoke of genocide. It is an inadequate word, which is used too easily, in fact belittling the only true genocide in history, the one we experienced: the Shoah,” said Bruck, who once received Pope Francis in her Rome apartment. (Keep Reading here: Breitbart).

Israeli strikes kill 15 in Gaza as hospital in north of the region makes distress call: Israeli forces killed at least 15 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, including a rescue worker, health officials said, as tanks deepened their incursion in the area and blew up homes, according to residents. Medics said at least 12 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a house in the area of Jabalia, in northern Gaza, earlier on Wednesday. They said at least 10 people remained missing as rescue operations continued. Another man was killed in tank shelling nearby, they said. In the Sabra suburb of Gaza City, the Palestinian civil emergency said an Israeli air strike targeted one of their teams during a rescue operation, killing one staff and wounding three others. The death raised the number of civil emergency service members killed since Oct 7, 2023, to 87, it said. There was no immediate Israeli comment on the two incidents. (Keep Reading here: Reuters, More: Al Quds).

Kamal Adwan Hospital chief decries 'extreme catastrophe' in north Gaza: The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed grave concern on Tuesday for hospitals still partly operating in war-stricken northern Gaza, where one hospital director described the situation as an "extreme catastrophe". "We are very, very concerned, and it's getting harder and harder to get the aid in. It's getting harder and harder to get the specialist personnel in at a time when there is greater and greater need," WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told journalists in Geneva. She said the organisation was "particularly concerned about Kamal Adwan Hospital" in Beit Lahia, where Israeli forces launched a brutal offensive and siege on the territory under an ethnic-cleansing campaign that is seeking to rid north Gaza of its residents. Kamal Adwan Hospital director Hossam Abu Safiyeh told AFP by phone: "The situation in northern Gaza is that of an extreme catastrophe." "We're beginning to lose patients because we lack medical supplies and personnel," he said. (Keep Reading here: The New Arab, WAFA).

Israel sends 1,000 units of blood to northern Gaza hospital: The Israeli military has facilitated the delivery of blood units to a hospital in isolated northern Gaza. Israel has imposed a tight siege on the northernmost part of the territory since launching an offensive there in early October. Aid groups say very little humanitarian assistance has been allowed in and have warned of famine. The Israeli military agency in charge of transferring aid to Gaza, COGAT, says it sent 1,000 units of blood through a northern crossing yesterday. The UN’s health cluster says the blood shipment was delivered to Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have fled the northernmost reaches of the Strip since the offensive began, and hospitals there have struggled to function. (AP).

UN official in Gaza: Pregnant women at risk as Israel cuts off humanitarian aid: An estimated 50,000 women in Gaza are pregnant, and about 130 give birth every day.Palestinian women and girls are at high risk of pregnancy complications and violence as Israel’s air and ground assault continues to squeeze health services in Gaza, according to the UN’s top reproductive health official in the occupied territory. Many of Gaza’s health facilities have been destroyed since the Israel-Hamas conflict escalated in October 2023. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 19 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals cannot be used and 17 are partially functional, though many lack medical supplies and are ill-equipped to care for patients. “Even what we are calling ‘functioning’ is barely functioning,” said Penninah Kyoyagala, head of the Gaza office for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN’s sexual health and reproductive rights agency. (Keep Reading here: Euro News).

Palestinian women need immediate protection amid Israel's ongoing genocidal war - Minister of Women's Affairs: The Minister of Women's Affairs, Mona al-Khalili, stressed the urgent need to protect Palestinian women amid the Israeli occupation’s escalating aggression and ongoing genocide. Her remarks came during a meeting with Luise Amtsberg, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy of Germany, at the ministry’s office in Ramallah. Khalili stressed the need for international organizations operating in Palestine to prioritize the needs of women and girls at this critical time, given that women are leading relief efforts and protecting their families and communities, whether in displacement areas within Gaza, or other Palestinian cities and refugee camps. She further emphasized that the right of women to life and protection is a fundamental priority that cannot be overlooked, urging all parties to take responsibility. (Keep Reading here: WAFA).

Almost no food has reached northern Gaza for more than 40 days because of Israeli siege, UN says: The U.N. humanitarian office says thousands of Palestinians in areas of northern Gaza under siege by Israeli forces are struggling to stay alive because there have been virtually no food or humanitarian aid deliveries for more than 40 days. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric delivered the grim report from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs known as OCHA on Tuesday. “OCHA reports that all attempts by the U.N. to support people in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and parts of Jabaliya – all of which remain under siege – have been either denied or impeded,” he said. So far in November, Dujarric said OCHA reports that 27 out of 31 planned humanitarian missions were rejected by Israel and the other four were severely impeded. That means they were prevented from accomplishing all the critical work they set out to do, he said. “The result is that bakeries and kitchens in North Gaza governorate have shut down, nutrition support has been suspended, and the refueling of water and sanitation facilities has been completely blocked,” Dujarric said. An Israeli ground and air offensive in the north has severely restricting access to its three hospitals which are desperately short of medical supplies, blood and fuel, he said. Israel blocked attempts by U.N. partners to send in an international emergency medical team to help, he said. On Sunday, Dujarric said, OCHA supported a mission led by the U.N. World Health Organization that was able to deliver 10,000 liters of fuel to Kamal Adwan Hospital and transfer some 17 patients, three unaccompanied children and nearly two dozen caregivers to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Food and medical supplies were also supposed to be delivered to Kamal Adwan but Dujarric said, “our partners say the team was forced to offload the food at an Israeli military checkpoint before reaching the hospital, and only some of the medical supplies could be delivered to the facility.” Asked whether the U.N. believes Israel is trying to force the estimated 75,000 Palestinians in northern Gaza to move south by denying the aid deliveries, Dujarric replied: “I can’t speak to the intentions of the Israeli government and the Israeli policy. We’re just seeing the result of it and trying to deal with it.” (Xinhua, AP).

Humanitarian aid options: Israel is studying the option of delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip by means of a private American contractor. If the plan is approved, the IDF will be forced to remain on the ground in Jabalya for at least another three months. Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Katz and Finance Minister Smotrich discussed this plan yesterday with Gaza Division officials. If approved, the plan will be launched for a three-month period. During that time, the IDF will be obliged to remain in and around Jabalya. The project is expected to cost between 50 and 60 million dollars for the initial period. The security cabinet will meet tomorrow to discuss that issue. […] The main focus of the prime minister and defense minister’s visit to the Gaza Strip was omitted from the video that was released—the distribution of humanitarian aid to residents of the northern Gaza Strip. As Kan News’ Suleiman Maswadeh reported on Kan Television yesterday evening, Netanyahu and Katz toured the area in the company of IDF Chief of Staff Halevi and GSS Director Bar to review new options for delivering humanitarian aid to the northern Gaza Strip and its subsequent distribution, since Hamas operatives have been stealing the humanitarian aid, which has not reached the civilian population. One of the options being reviewed is to establish a secured area in the northern Gaza Strip for the distribution of aid. The area is to be administered by the United Arab Emirates, and security is proposed to be provided by a private American security company. (Army Radio, KAN).

Scoop: U.S. consultants gave Israel plan to secure aid delivery in Gaza: U.S. national security consulting company Orbis recently delivered to the Israeli government a study on how to securely deliver humanitarian aid in Gaza, according to two Israeli officials. Why it matters: The U.S. has pressed Israel to get more aid into Gaza, but the breakdown of law and order in the enclave means even the supplies that do enter are frequently looted, and often end up on the black market. Orbis was tasked with delivering a plan to safely distribute the aid. In one incident on Saturday, a convoy of 109 UN aid trucks was looted at gunpoint. Israel has also stopped allowing in aid trucks organized through the private sector in Gaza, arguing much of it was going to Hamas and helping the group retain its influence. Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is at arguably its worst point since the war began. Behind the scenes: In recent months, Virginia-based Orbis conducted a feasibility study funded by a private philanthropic organization about ways to secure humanitarian aid delivery in Gaza. Israeli officials said the study was sent to the Israeli Ministry of Defense and Prime Minister's Office, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting on Tuesday to discuss it with several senior ministers and the heads of the Israel Defense Forces and intelligence services. Zoom in: Sources briefed on the Orbis plan said it envisions a pilot project involving the establishment of a humanitarian aid hub in an area in Gaza that has been "cleared" by the IDF and isn't controlled by Hamas. The hub would be established by a private aid organization (rather than the UN) and be secured by private contractors, working in coordination with the IDF. During the work on the study, Orbis spoke to several private security contractors to get their input, the sources said. The plan calls for the project to be funded by donor countries. Israeli officials mentioned the UAE as a potential donor.Between the lines: One source said the aim is to try and "stabilize" the humanitarian situation in Gaza for a transition period until a more comprehensive post-war policy is drafted. In a statement to Axios, Orbis made clear that it would have no role in the future work on the ground in Gaza. Netanyahu's office didn't respond to questions about the study. (Axios).

US, Israeli officials will discuss civilian harm in Gaza in early December, State Department says: Senior U.S. and Israeli officials will hold talks in early December in the first meeting of a new channel requested by Washington to raise concerns over civilian harm in Israel's war in Gaza, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday. An Oct. 13 letter from officials in President Joe Biden's administration to Israel's government said previous channels were not working and asked for a new channel to meet virtually before the end of that month. Miller said at a press briefing that a first meeting had been scheduled to gather information about incidents involving Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons that are "a cause of concern or a cause of question." He declined to say where the meeting would take place. "We take all the information we gather... and feed it into our processes, both our policy making processes and the judgments that we have to make about potential violations of international humanitarian law, and we will continue to do that," Miller added. Miller declined to say whether the new channel would accelerate U.S. government assessments of potential violations of international law by Israel, and did not commit to any assessments concluding before Biden leaves office on Jan. 20. "Our work is already moving as quickly as we can possibly make it move, but they are difficult assessments that we have to make," he said. (Keep Reading here: Reuters, AP & AP).

PNGO: Humanitarian work in Gaza to collapse due to Israeli restrictions on aid: The Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO) has warned of the collapse of the humanitarian work system in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli occupation army’s tight restrictions on the entry of aid. In a statement on Monday, PNGO said that dozens of bakeries and community kitchens stopped working after the Israeli army tightened its restrictions on the entry of food supplies, which the Gazans depend on for survival. PNGO warned of “the serious repercussions of this rapid deterioration on the humanitarian situation and its impacts on the lives of the Gaza population — most of them suffer from repeated displacement and live in dilapidated tents that cannot withstand the rain, cold and wind.” PNGO called on the UN anew to declare the Gaza Strip a “famine zone,” assume its legal and moral responsibility towards this worsening humanitarian situation, save the lives of the population and provide them with protection. PNGO called for intensifying the efforts at all levels to stop organized gangs and individuals from robbing aid convoys and ensure their access to the civilians who deserve them, including the children who suffer from severe malnutrition. (Keep Reading here: Palestinian Information Center).

Hamas Kills Dozens of Palestinians Accused of Stealing Humanitarian Aid: The Hamas-controlled Gaza Interior Ministry said on Monday that more than 20 Palestinian residents of Gaza were killed in a “crime prevention operation” by Hamas “security forces” and “tribal committees.”In other words, Hamas killed at least 20 Palestinians accused of stealing humanitarian aid from a United Nations convoy over the weekend. “Today’s security operation will not be the last. This is the beginning of a large-scale security operation that has been planned for some time and it will expand to include everyone involved in the theft from the aid trucks,” officials from the Gaza Interior Ministry told a Hamas media outlet. “Security forces will punish with an iron hand anyone involved in aiding the gangs of thieves,” they warned. “The security operation is not directed against the tribes themselves, but its purpose is to eliminate the phenomenon of theft from trucks, which has had a significant impact on society, causing signs of hunger in the southern Gaza Strip,” they insisted. “The security forces take pride in the Palestinian tribes in eastern Rafah, and the involvement of some of them in the theft plans will not harm the history of these families who have produced hundreds of martyrs,” the Hamas officials said. The Palestinians are divided into numerous tribes and clans, which frequently declare they are completely subordinate to the central governments of Gaza and the West Bank. The tribal leadership structure has an uneasy relationship with groups like Hamas, which claims the Israelis hope to eliminate their government and replace it with a council of tribal leaders, who might not be interested in producing martyrs to feed the bloody ambitions of terrorist masterminds. The theft of humanitarian aid that prompted Hamas to reportedly gun down dozens of Palestinians occurred on Saturday, when the U.N. Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) sent a convoy of 109 trucks filled with humanitarian aid into southern Gaza. A gang of looters attacked the convoy, shot some of the drivers, and stole both the humanitarian aid and most of the trucks. Only 11 of the U.N. vehicles made it to their destination. UNRWA has been slow to report on how many casualties were sustained, or how much aid was stolen. The U.N. seem inclined to think the looting was perpetrated by desperate Gaza civilians, while the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has long accused Hamas of robbing aid convoys. Hamas has settled on blaming “gangs of thieves” working with the “occupation forces,” meaning the IDF. “Security forces monitored conversations between the gangs of thieves and the occupation forces intended to cover up their actions, direct their missions, and provide security cover for them by officers of the internal security force of the occupation,” the Gaza Interior Ministry claimed. (Keep Reading here: Breitbart).

Gaza Security Forces Ambush Gang Accused of Looting Aid with Israeli Support; Gaza police battle gang members accused of stealing humanitarian aid: Palestinian security forces on Monday killed at least 20 members of an organized gang accused of looting aid trucks in the southern Gaza Strip, according to a statement by the Interior Ministry in Gaza. The ambush by local security forces came two days after nearly 100 trucks were violently looted after crossing into southern Gaza in one of the biggest raids of its kind since the start of the war. For over a year, Israel has used starvation as a weapon of war, restricting aid to Palestinians in Gaza to such a degree that a UN-backed panel last week issued an alert, warning of “an imminent and substantial likelihood of famine" across the enclave. The trickle of goods that are allowed in are being increasingly targeted by armed criminal groups, who either force truck convoys to pay exorbitant extortion fees or simply rob the aid. Much of this is facilitated by the Israeli military, who have systematically targeted Palestinian security forces charged with protecting the convoys, and then have allowed armed gunmen to attack aid convoys in areas under its control. “These are groups of men from specific clans or families, mostly criminals, who formed gangs to steal the humanitarian aid, either by taking armed control of trucks or imposing a fee, thousands of dollars for each truck. The stolen goods were sold again on the black market at very high prices. Usually, the gangs operate meters away from the Israeli army, carrying different types of weapons, and have all the communication equipment,” said Dr. Basem Naim, a senior member of Hamas’s political bureau and a former government minister in Gaza. “There were repeated attempts to contact them and to demand them to end these kinds of attacks and to leave the area, but in vain,” Naim told Drop Site News. “There was a tremendous pressure from the people to end this phenomenon by any means, because of the catastrophic consequences on the humanitarian situation. It was clear for everyone that they are operating in cooperation with the Israeli forces, and protected by them, and any attempt to go forcefully against them was encountered by a very aggressive Israeli response, so that dozens of young people were killed by the Israeli forces, while they tried to protect the humanitarian aid.” Naim’s comments follow extensive reporting on how the Israeli military effectively allows humanitarian aid convoys to be looted. “The Israel Defense Forces is allowing armed Palestinians to loot aid convoys entering Gaza and to extort protection money from them,” a recent investigation by Haaretz found. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but denied the allegation to Haaretz and other outlets, saying they have conducted “targeted countermeasures” against looters. (Keep Reading here: Drop Site, More: Middle East Eye).

Food prices soar in central Gaza after looting: The theft in Gaza over the weekend of nearly 100 trucks loaded with food and other humanitarian aid sent prices soaring and caused shortages in central Gaza, where most of the population of 2.3 million people have fled and where hundreds of thousands are crammed into squalid tent camps. On Monday, a crowd of people waited outside a shuttered bakery in the central city of Deir al-Balah. A woman who had been displaced from Gaza City, identifying herself as Umm Shadi, said the price of flour had climbed to 400 shekels (over $100) a bag, if it can even be found. Nora Muhanna, also displaced from Gaza City, said she was leaving empty-handed after waiting five hours for a bag of bread for her children. “From the beginning, there are no goods, and even if they are available, there is no money,” she said. The U.N. said armed men stole food and other aid from 98 trucks over the weekend, the largest single incident of its kind since the war began. It did not say who was behind the theft. Dujarric, the U.N. spokesman, said the convoy of 109 trucks was instructed by the Israeli military to take an “alternative, unfamiliar route” after the aid was brought through the Kerem Shalom crossing, and that the trucks were robbed near the crossing itself. (Keep Reading here: AP).

Israel 'will get' all those who harm the hostages – Netanyahu warns; Netanyahu vows to hunt down Hamas, offers Gazans $5 million per hostage: The IDF will settle accounts with all those who harm the hostages in Gaza and reward those who hand them over to Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said as he visited the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. “We are also making an effort from here and everywhere to locate our hostages and bring them back,” Netanyahu said. “We are not relenting here. We will continue to do so until we bring them all back, both the living and the deceased,” Netanyahu stated. He issued a stark warning to the Palestinian captors in Gaza: “Whoever dares to harm our hostages — their blood is on your head. We will pursue you, and we will find you.” Netanyahu also attempted to sway the captors to give up the hostages by providing a cash reward. “To those who want to leave this entanglement, I say: Whoever brings us a hostage, will find a safe way out for himself and his family, Netanyahu stated. “We will also give a reward of $5 million for each hostage,” he said. “The choice is yours,” Netanyahu said, “but the result will be the same. We will bring them all back,” he added. Israel has explored the possibility of individual deals with the captors, given that talks have stalled with Hamas to such an extent that Qatar has suspended its participation in the negotiations. It has been one of the main mediators along with Egypt and the United States. Netanyahu spoke as he stood in Gaza Nitzarim Corridor with Defense Minister Israel Katz. It was the kind of joint photo opportunity that had rarely happened with Katz’s predecessor Yoav Gallant and signaled the tight partnership between the two men. The visit came as Israel is under pressure to improve the delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza, end the war, and provide a plan for the Day after the war ends. Netanyahu has stressed that Israel’s military campaign will continue until Hamas is destroyed. “Hamas will not rule in Gaza. We are eliminating its military capabilities in a very impressive fashion. We are moving on to its governing abilities, and we are not yet done. Hamas will not be in Gaza,” Netanyahu stated. Katz echoed Netanyahu, telling the soldiers in Gaza that “their most important mission” was to rescue the hostages and to bring them home. “We also have to ensure that Hamas won’t rule here the day after” the war ends he said. (Jerusalem Post, More: I-24, NYT, Reuters).

The Documents’ Revelation: Netanyahu has Almost Complete Authority over the Hostages Issue: Based on documents that were submitted by the state to the High Court of Justice and based on conversations with senior political and military figures, in the time since the dissolution of the unity government and the war cabinet, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has retained for himself the day-to-day management and most of the decision-making regarding the hostage crisis in Gaza and negotiations for a possible deal for their release. The documents reveal that Netanyahu has retained for himself most decisions pertaining to the hostages. The petition, on behalf of the hostages’ families, argues that Netanyahu is acting without authority by neglecting to bring the information before the security cabinet and by not enabling it to make decisions on either a closed deal or on dramatic shifts that take place in the course of the negotiations, such as the team’s mandate and the concessions that Israel is prepared to made. Moreover, on the fringes of the state’s response to this petition, is the following, almost casual remark: “As reported by the cabinet secretary throughout the war, not all details of the proposals for hostage and missing persons deals were brought before the security cabinet for discussion.”The state’s declaration to the High Court of Justice, based upon a deposition by Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs, reveals that Netanyahu has almost total authority regarding negotiations over the deal: He alone discusses issues with the negotiating team and receives updates. It is he who decides when to inform the security cabinet and what is deemed to be sufficiently important to be brought before it for deliberation and decision. The justices in the petition hearing refused the state’s request for a postponement, and scheduled another date next month on which the state is required to inform the court about a series of issues that were brought up before it, some during an ex parte session. When the unity government fell apart, the war cabinet was replaced by a hybrid entity established by Netanyahu and named “the situation assessment forum,” which “de facto” (as the state declaration put it) replaced the war cabinet, and whose members were Netanyahu, the defense minister (Gallant, then Katz), various security officials, and other ministers who joined it “from time to time,” as the state’s response put it. “It deals with timely situation assessments of the entire war theater, and thus with the situation of the fighting in the Gaza Strip and the hostages and missing persons effort.” This forum, too, convenes on the instructions of the prime minister, has no legal standing and is not permitted to make decisions on critical issues. The state cited only two decisions that were made by the security cabinet, which is the forum legally authorized to make security and political decisions, and both of these were made at Netanyahu’s behest. The first was that the negotiations would continue while the fighting went on (i.e., a refusal to accede to Hamas’s demand for a ceasefire), while the second was that Israel would not budge from the Philadelphi Corridor, a decision that the security establishment and the intelligence community considered severely damaging to the prospects of a deal. The response to the petition shows that, in the opinion of the cabinet secretary, the cabinet’s signature is required only when it is necessary to decide upon the release of Palestinian prisoners. In all other cases, the prime minister decides when the decision-making forum should be updated or opened. According to a number of legal and political officials, a titanic struggle took place behind the scenes over what should be included in the state’s declaration. Netanyahu’s bureau wanted the previous defense minister, Yoav Gallant, during his final days in office, to confirm that all decisions on the hostages and missing persons had been approved by him. Gallant’s office vigorously objected. Gallant himself said in a number of forums that prior to the dissolution of the war cabinet in May, and more swiftly thereafter, Netanyahu had conducted the negotiations himself, alone, consulting with whom he chose and directly controlling the heads of the negotiating team subordinate to him—GSS Director Ronen Bar and Mossad Director David Barnea—without including IDF representative Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon, who was subordinate to the army and to Gallant. The same thing may be inferred from the state’s response to the High Court of Justice: “From the start of May until now… the security cabinet has been updated, sometimes in real time and sometimes retroactively, in accordance with the circumstances of the issue, and discussions are held in conjunction with the negotiating team on the subject and its repercussions. Also, last August, the security cabinet approved a decision regarding maps concerning the deployment of IDF forces in the Philadelphi Corridor during the period of respite.” Attorney Moran Savorai, who represented the hostages’ families at the hearing, pointed out that the state’s response revealed an extraordinary situation in which the prime minister alone determined the conditions for the hostage negotiations, the continuation of the fighting and the release of prisoners—all of which are issues that are supposed to be under the authority of the cabinet, which is responsible for safeguarding the citizens of Israel— hostages included. Another point that arises from the state’s response to the High Court of Justice is that the official contract between the State of Israel and Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, who is presented as the Israeli government’s coordinator for the hostages and missing, was signed only in April, about six months after the war broke out—and even then, [his status was that of] an external advisor to the Hostages Administration that had been set up. The previous coordinator, Yaron Blum, had left the post in 2022, and Netanyahu had not appointed a successor. Military Secretary Maj. Gen. Avi Gil was appointed as a temporary replacement. In January 2023 State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman issued a report on Blum’s term in office in which, among other things, he wrote that the prime minister’s bureau had for many years operated without any organized plan for maintaining contact with the families of hostages and missing persons, and that even when meetings were held, these were “devoid of content.” […] Shortly after this, however, because of ongoing criminal proceedings against Hirsch, the Justice Ministry opined that he could not be appointed to the post. Netanyahu’s appointment of Hirsch was not confirmed by the security cabinet, the war cabinet or any other forum. Only in April, after the establishment of the administrative body that Hirsch helped to plan, did the Hostages Administration hire him as an external advisor. This did not prevent either Hirsch or the Prime Minister’s Bureau from continuing to define him as “the prime minister’s bureau coordinator for the hostages and missing,” even though he was not a member of the negotiating team. Even when Netanyahu sought to add a delegate of his own to the negotiating team to ensure that it did not overstep the boundaries laid down for it, he did not appoint Hirsch, but instead chose his political advisor Ophir Falk. In response to a request for comment, the Prime Minister’s Bureau issued the following statement: “These statements are incorrect. The petition submitted to the High Court of Justice alleged that the prime minister was conducting the negotiations over the hostages and missing without including the defense minister or the security cabinet—an allegation that has been completely disproved. The petition did not deal at all with the functions of Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch. With the outbreak of war, the prime minister called upon Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch to fill the post of coordinator for the hostages and missing, and for six months he worked (completely voluntarily, as a volunteer in the Prime Minister’s Bureau) for the establishment of the State of Israel’s administration for the hostages and missing, for its operation, and coordination of its activities. In complete contrast to what has been claimed, the security cabinet has received ongoing updates on the hostages and missing issue throughout the entire war. “The only forum authorized to make decisions is the security cabinet, and all other security forums on this matter are purely advisory. It should be emphasized that the response the state attorney submitted to the High Court of Justice was submitted in the name of the prime minister and the defense minister, in accordance with the opinion of the attorney-general.” The Justice Ministry declined to respond to requests for comment. (Yediot Ahronot).

IDF Warns Political Leadership: Ongoing Combat in Gaza Endangers Hostages: Top military officials told political leaders in recent closed-door meetings that ongoing military operations in the Gaza Strip could endanger the lives of Israeli hostages. Those warnings were aired in light of the stance that Prime Minister Netanyahu has taken against a hostage deal in exchange for ending the war. Military officials say that the operation in Jabalya has run its course. The IDF is capable of moving on to any target it is given, but there are real grounds for concern that any further ground maneuvers would jeopardize hostages’ lives. […] (N-12).

IDF Officials Warn Against “Sabra and Shatila” Scenario in Gaza: Defense Minister Yisrael Katz met yesterday with high-ranking IDF officers to discuss changing the way in which humanitarian aid is distributed in the Gaza Strip. One of the proposals under consideration is to have a private American security company take responsibility for the civilian aspect of aid distribution. That company will be responsible for distributing the aid in specific neighborhoods and for preventing the aid from falling into Hamas’s hands. The IDF will only be responsible for providing the enveloping security. The meeting was attended by IDF Operations Director Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk, Strategy and Third-Circle Director Maj. Gen. Eliezer Toledano, the coordinator of government activities in the territories and others. In the course of the meeting, Maj. Gen. Toledano warned against a Sabra-and-Shatila-like scenario in the event that the private security company were to kill or injure Gazan civilians while the IDF controlled the area. Toledano said the world would place responsibility for that on Israel. Defense Minister Katz rejected the comparison, saying that there was no room for comparison between an American company and a massacre that was committed by Christian factions in the refugee camps in Lebanon. The massacre in Sabra and Shatila was committed during the Lebanon War when Christian troops entered the two refugee camps [in 1982] that were surrounded by the IDF to attack PLO terrorists, but also massacred innocent civilians. The world held Israel responsible. Other military officials said they shared Toledano’s concerns, including the director of the International Law Department in the Military Advocate General’s Office, Brig. Gen. Roni Katzir. As Israel Hayom reported online, a second legal problem is the following: if Israel pays an American company for its services, by international law that company will then be considered to be an Israeli organ. In an attempt to circumvent that problem, officials have been considering raising funds to pay for its operations from foreign countries and/or from international aid organizations. The operational costs are expected to be several tens of millions of dollars. The American company is supposed to launch a first pilot program in Al-Atatra, a neighborhood in the northern Gaza Strip. For the time being, however, given the legal impediments, the security cabinet has not yet given final approval to set the project in motion. (Israel Hayom).

IDF casualties: Master Sergeant (res.) Roi Sasson, a 21-year-old resident of Mevaseret Zion, was killed yesterday in the northern Gaza Strip. Sasson, who served with the Kfir Brigade’s Nahshon Battalion, was killed in a close-quarters firefight with terrorists on the outskirts of Jabalya. Roi is the 800th IDF casualty in the war. Nahshon Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Yoel Glickman was seriously wounded in the same firefight. He has been hospitalized for further treatment. (KAN).

Hamas attack on Israel stirs controversy among Gaza clerics: The Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war has stirred debate among the enclave's Palestinian clerics, with some saying it was not worth the heavy civilian death toll and others declaring the Oct. 7, 2023 assault was a Muslim duty. Responding to questions sent by Gazans on an online messaging platform, prominent preacher Suleiman Al-Dayya said Muslim leaders should avoid going into battles if the harm inflicted upon civilians was greater than the gains. He said warriors should question the wisdom of fighting if it increased the harm to religion, life, honour, children or wealth or the seizure of land, let alone the destruction of the "foundations of life". Dayya's views are well respected in Gaza among both ordinary residents and Islamists, and he also has influence with Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. A former senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, the oldest Islamist movement in the Arab world, he was also close to Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, co-founder and leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, before pursuing a more moderate form of Islam. (Keep Reading here: Reuters).